Interactive Biology 
Serendip sees the web as a tool which can make education a more
interactive and exploratory process, by making freely available
educational resources at a variety of levels and also, even more
importantly, be making it increasingly possible to learn by doing (see
Serendip's
web principles and
credo on education and technology). To
encourage understanding and use of the web in this way, Serendip provides
annotated lists of links useful for learning/teaching in a variety of
areas (see
Interactive Physics and
Interactive Chemistry). The focus is not on
course syllabi or notes but rather on materials from which individuals can
learn themselves, and particularly on those with an interactive
component. This list and annotations was created by Katie
DiFelice. Links were last checked July 2005 by Yaena Park and August 2007 by Ashley Dawkins. Suggestions for additions to the list are warmly welcomed and
should be sent to
Serendip.
Click
here to jump to one of the following topics:
Comprehensive Biology Tutorials
Sites of General Scientific Interest
Playing with Applets
Kids Stuff
Cell Biology
Neurobiology
Plants/Animals
Disease/Disease Fighting
Genetics
Human Anatomy
Nutrition
Games/Quizzes
Miscellaneous
Additional Resources
Comprehensive Biology Tutorials |
Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
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| The Biology Project ... wealth of tutorials on many subjects within biology. many problem sets with tutorials that accompany each question
| high school
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| BioInteractive ... a neat website that promotes understanding of biology through interactive learning. Includes a great set of computer lab experiments where you can click around and become a virtual scientist. You can "identify deadly pathogens, probe heart patients, dissect a leech, or assay antibodies". Also check out the "click and learn" section. Provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
| general
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| Topics in General Biology ... having difficulty in bio class? This exhaustive list of topics links to helpful descriptions of each.
| college
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| Online Biology Book ... an on-line textbook developed originally as a series of lectures in introductory biology by a professor at Estrella Mountain Community College. Lots of great accompanying pictures!
| high school
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| Biology Labs on-Line ... Biology Labs On-Line offers a series of interactive, inquiry-based biology simulations and exercises designed for college and AP high school biology students. Unfortunately, it requires a subscription
| ?
| ?
| ?
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| Scientific American: Ask the experts ... a list of questions you may have had on biology (ie. How is bug blood different from our own?) linked to answers from biologists
| general
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| Life Science Resources ... the laboratory investigations include some very simple, low-budget labs designed to effectively illustrate some of the basic, important concepts of biology
| general
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Sites of General Scientific Interest |
Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
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| World Lecture Hall ... this is a listing of course materials available online on a large variety of topics, including the sciences and biology
| high school
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| Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ... in addition to finding information about the museum's activities and exhibits, you can actually see online editions of some of the exhibits. The "African Voices" exhibit is particularly beautiful and interesting
| general
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| The Game of Life ... You control the parameters of life in this interactive game. Students select such factors as loneliness and overcrowding (and even which graphics to use) then play the game to see how the population fares. Continue playing to determine if successive generations will survive
| general
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| Florida Museum of Natural History ... Wealth of biology information including photo galleries, virtual exhibits and publications
| general
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| Science and Education ... Serendip's Science Education website offers many opportunities to explore the changing views on education in a theoretical and practical sense
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| BioInteractive ... a neat website that promotes understanding of biology through interactive learning. Includes a great set of computer lab experiments where you can click around and become a virtual scientist. You can "identify deadly pathogens, probe heart patients, dissect a leech, or assay antibodies". Also check out the "click and learn" section. Provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
| general
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| The Game of Life ... You control the parameters of life in this interactive game. Students select such factors as loneliness and overcrowding (and even which graphics to use) then play the game to see how the population fares. Continue playing to determine if successive generations will survive
| general
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| Online Onion Root Tips ... over the course of this tutorial, one learns how to classify the stage of a cell into one of the five phases of the cell cycle, then sees how much time the cell spends in each phase
| high school
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| The Virtual Cell ... This ambitious site presents an interactive, animated exploration of the cell, along with a good virtual textbook.
| general
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| Mendel's Pea Experiment ... Students learn the basics of Mendelian genetics through an interactive cross between pea plants. Simple but effective in teaching about recessive and dominant traits.
| high school
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| Interactive Frog Dissection ... this site leads you through the dissection and study of a frog. Perhaps not as effective as the real thing, but certainly a valuable tool
| general
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| Karyotyping Activity ... learn about karyotyping of chromosomes by matching the chromosomes of a given patient and diagnosing their genetic disease
| general
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| Nutritional Analysis Tool 2.0 ... enter in a number of types of food (ie, last night's meal) and find out the exact nutritional information, including Calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C, saturated fat, and cholesterol
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
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| Life Science Resources ... the laboratory investigations include some very simple, low-budget labs designed to effectively illustrate some of the basic, important concepts of biology
| general
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| Cool Science for Curious Kids ... this interactive website encourages curious kids to explore biology through games of elementary classification and learning, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
| general
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| Scientific American: Ask the experts ... a list of questions you may have had on biology (ie. How is bug blood different from our own?) linked to answers from biologists
| general
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| Stalking the Mysterious Microbe ... invites kids to join Sam Sleuth as he unravles the mysteries of microbes, learning all about these "invisible companions". includes sections for news, experiments, and careers
| general
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| Neuroscience for Kids ... Eric Chudler of the University of Washington presents a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the field of neuroscience. This searchable site has fun activities, games, ideas for experiments, a question-and-answer page, newsletter subscription, and relevant links. It is an very interesting resource for students and teachers alike.
| general
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| Brain Connection: Brain and Learning ... This is an excellent site about the brain and learning! You will find articles, brain building activities (for kids and adults), animations of brain processes, a library, a gallery, an anatomy section and more. You will need the free Flash and Shockwave players for the activities and animations
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| Online Onion Root Tips ... over the course of this tutorial, one learns how to classify the stage of a cell into one of the five phases of the cell cycle, then sees how much time the cell spends in each phase
| high school
|
|
|
|
| The Virtual Cell ... This ambitious site presents an interactive, animated exploration of the cell, along with a good virtual textbook.
| general
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| Virtual Cell ... An interactive journey through a plant cell. Read the "About Virtual Cell" before you begin to understand the controls. This site doesn't require any special plug-ins or browsers
| general
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| CELLS Alive! ... a great site for learning about cells or even just fun cruising. Tutorials under such topics as Cell structure and function, Microbes, the Immune system, and Microscopy
| general
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| Molecular Expressions... this site offers one of the web's largest collections of color photographs taken through an optical microscope. many fascinating photo galleries including DNA, amino acids, birthstones, and much more.
| general
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| Stalking the Mysterious Microbe ... invites kids to join Sam Sleuth as he unravles the mysteries of microbes, learning all about these "invisible companions". includes sections for news, experiments, and careers
| general
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|
Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| Neuroscience for Kids ... Eric Chudler of the University of Washington presents a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the field of neuroscience. This searchable site has fun activities, games, ideas for experiments, a question-and-answer page, newsletter subscription, and relevant links. It is an very interesting resource for students and teachers alike.
| general
|
|
|
|
| Brain Connection: Brain and Learning ... This is an excellent site about the brain and learning! You will find articles, brain building activities (for kids and adults), animations of brain processes, a library, a gallery, an anatomy section and more. You will need the free Flash and Shockwave players for the activities and animations
| general
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| Time to Think? ... This web exhibit of Serendip's own tries to explain and recreate a scientific experiment conducted in the 1860's. By testing various types of reaction rates, the experiment was to determine whether the act of thinking was one that required time. You can conduct your own experiments on this matter from the convenience of your very own computer, as well as compare your results to those of other exhibit visitors
| general
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| Brain and Behavior ... Serendip's Brain and Behavior page is designed more to raise questions than to answer them. To this end, there are many interesting interactive exhibits designed to help you draw your own conclusions about the functioning of the brain
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
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| Virtual Zoo ... This comprehensive index site organizes virtually every worthwhile link related to pets, veterinary medicine, and domesticated animal behavior and biology. If you have any animal-related question or problem, you will find help in this huge and growing site.
| general
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| Barry's Carnivorous Plants ... a very comprehensive site from a man who loves his carnivorous plants. There's a huge FAQ section that answers questions on the familiar venus fly-trap as well as the more exotic plants. Anyone wishing to grow their own can find many tips as well as a wealth of pictures
| general
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| Tree of Life ... starting at the broadest category of life forms, choose categories to narrow the scope finally down to a specific organism, with info and references at every step along the way. A good way to see the interconnectedness of earth's many life forms
| general
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| Mendel's Pea Experiment ... Students learn the basics of Mendelian genetics through an interactive cross between pea plants. Simple but effective in teaching about recessive and dominant traits.
| high school
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|
|
| Interactive Frog Dissection ... this site leads you through the dissection and study of a frog. Perhaps not as effective as the real thing, but certainly a valuable tool
| general
|
|
|
|
|
Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| Internet Pathology Library ... This heavily illustrated pathology resource contains some unsettling images; it is not for the squeamish. Medical novices should start with the "Mini-tutorials." The terse, matter-of-fact essays and detailed medical images give a grim reality to the consequences of drinking and smoking, as well as other, less avoidable health problems. "General Pathology" provides a guided tour of what a pathologist sees when examining a body. Feeling expert? Take a stab at diagnosing the "Case of the Week."
| high school
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| Visualizations of Viruses ... The University of Wisconsin's Institute for Molecular Virology has assembled a gallery of computer images created using electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography
| college
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| CELLS Alive! ... a great site for learning about cells or even just fun cruising. Tutorials under such topics as Cell structure and function, Microbes, the Immune system, and Microscopy
| general
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| National Cancer Institute: Science Behind the News ... several detailed, engaging tutorials on the nature of cancer, angiogenesis, gene testing, and the immune system
| general
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| Stalking the Mysterious Microbe ... invites kids to join Sam Sleuth as he unravles the mysteries of microbes, learning all about these "invisible companions". includes sections for news, experiments, and careers
| general
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| Blackout Syndrome ... People are suffering from a mystery disease! What is it? Where did it come from? How can it be stopped? Read the interactive mystery and unravel the clues, then e-mail your answer!
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| Mendel's Pea Experiment ... Students learn the basics of Mendelian genetics through an interactive cross between pea plants. Simple but effective in teaching about recessive and dominant traits.
| general
|
|
|
|
| Karyotyping Activity ... learn about karyotyping of chromosomes by matching the chromosomes of a given patient and diagnosing their genetic disease
| high school
|
|
|
|
| Genetic Science Learning Center ... Learning genetics is fun at the Genetic Science Learning Center! At this site you can build your own DNA molecule online, discover what makes a firefly glow, and get the recipe for extracting DNA out of any living thing using household items. check out the online and hands-on activities to build a DNA molecule, find a gene on a chromosome map, learn how proteins work, make a cell model, and more. They also feature sections on genetic disorders and genetics in society
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
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| Anatomy of the Heart ... the Texas Heart Institute provides this website that gives ou a visual tour through the cardiovascular system. pictures of such things as the circulatory system, the coronary arteries, the conduction system, and the heart valves are accompanied by explaining text
| general
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| Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body ... The Bartleby.com edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (originally published in 1918) features over a thousand engravings, many in color, as well as a subject index with 13,000 entries ranging from the Antrum of Highmore to the Zonule of Zinn. not very playful, but amazingly complete
| general
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| Human Anatomy Online ... click on a picture of one of the systems of the body for more detail. Continue clicking to find names and information corresponding to the many parts of the body
| general
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|
Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| Nutritional Analysis Tool 2.0 ... enter in a number of types of food (ie, last night's meal) and find out the exact nutritional information, including Calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C, saturated fat, and cholesterol
| general
|
|
|
|
|
Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| The Biology Project ... wealth of tutorials on many subjects within biology. many problem sets with tutorials that accompany each question
| high school
|
|
|
|
| The Game of Life ... You control the parameters of life in this interactive game. Students select such factors as loneliness and overcrowding (and even which graphics to use) then play the game to see how the population fares. Continue playing to determine if successive generations will survive
| general
|
|
|
|
| Quia ... this is a collection of online flashcards, matching, the game of concentration, and word searches on such topics as amino acids and proteins, cell organelles, DNA, heredity, reproduction and development, and simple animals
| general
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Accessibility Level |
Playfulness
| Interactivity
| Explanation
|
| The Game of Life ... You control the parameters of life in this interactive game. Students select such factors as loneliness and overcrowding (and even which graphics to use) then play the game to see how the population fares. Continue playing to determine if successive generations will survive
| general
|
|
|
|
| World Lecture Hall ... this is a listing of course materials available online on a large variety of topics, including the sciences and biology.
| general
|
|
|
|
|
Darwin Awards ... you may or may not have heard of the darwin awards, which "celebrate the theory of evolution by commemorating the remains of those who improved our gene pool by removing themselves from it in really stupid ways". Either way, you'd have to find this an interesting take on the study of evolution
| general
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Graphics Gallery ... this gallery is another great visual resource. the Graphics Galleryis a series of labeled diagrams with explanations representing the important processes of biotechnology. Each diagram is followed by a summary of information, providing a context for the process illustrated.
Virtual Library: Biosciences ... the staggeringly complete list of links of the virtual library make it a great place to go to find additional information
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