Ritz Library: Biology: Websites

Websites

Audubon Guide to North American Birds
Extensive information on North American birds from the Audubon Society.
The oVert Thematic Collections Network
"The oVert (openVertebrate) Thematic Collection Network (TCN) generates and serves high-resolution digital three-dimensional data for internal anatomy across vertebrate diversity."
Darwin Correspondence Project
Review the full text - and original images - of Darwin and Joseph Dalton Hooker's correspondence. Excellent for primary research.
Human Genome Project Information
Resources about the history and ongoing research related to the Human Genome Project.
Khan Academy: Biology Videos
Free videos explaining a range of biological processes.
Merck Manual Online
Merck is committed to bringing out the best in medicine. As part of that effort, Merck has created The Merck Manuals, a series of healthcare books now available online.
Oceanus Magazine
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Protected Planet
Protectedplanet.net allows you to search in any language to find information about individual protected areas.
PubChem
Information on the biological activities of small molecules. From the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Public Library of Science
PLoS publishes open access, peer-reviewed articles on general biology, medicine, and related topics.
RCSB Protein Data Bank
An information portal to biological macromolecular structures.
Science.gov
Gateway to authoritative U.S. government science information; explore selected science websites by topic.

Organizations

Professional societies and organizations often provide valuable information on their websites: publications, news, workshops, and competition announcements.

American Institute of Biological Sciences
A nonprofit scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society.
American Ornithological Society
AOS was formed in 2016 with the merger of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU), founded in 1883, and Cooper Ornithological Society (COS), founded in 1893.
American Society for Cell Biology
A nonprofit membership organization of biologists studying the cell, the fundamental unit of life.
American Society of Human Genetics
The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), founded in 1948, is the primary professional membership organization for human genetics specialists worldwide.
arXive.org
Open access to over a million e-prints in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Quantitative Biology, Quantitative Finance and Statistics. Operated by Cornell University.
Nature Conservancy
The leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.
NOAA Habitat Conservation
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation protects, restores, and promotes stewardship of coastal and marine habitat to support our nation's fisheries for future generations.
Society for the Study of Evolution
The objectives of the Society for the Study of Evolution are the promotion of the study of organic evolution and the integration of the various fields of science concerned with evolution.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
News and information on conserving nature, endangered and invasive species, fisheries, migratory birds, pollinators, wetlands, wildlife refuges; student and educator pages

Evaluating Information on the Open Internet

THINK before you use a website for your project!

If you are only using Google and Wikipedia, you may not be finding the best information available on your topic.
If you are being asked to use scholarly resources, Search RitzDiscovery or visit Getting Started with Research.
If you are unsure whether or not you can use a particular website, review this guide from Johns Hopkins U on Evaluating Information.
The website links included on this page have been reviewed and selected by a librarian.
Need help citing a website?

Biology Databases on the Web (Open Access)

Use these web-based databases to explore information on living organisms, the environment, evolution, genetics and more.

The Catalogue of Life
A quality-assured checklist of more than 1.3 million species of plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms, about 70% of all those known to science. Led by Species2000, in partnership with ITIS.
The Cell Image Library
The Cell Image Library™ is a freely accessible, easy-to-search, public repository of reviewed and annotated images, videos, and animations of cells from a variety of organisms, showcasing cell architecture, intracellular functionalities, and both normal and abnormal processes.
AMNH: Charles Darwin's Scientific Manuscripts
The American Museum of Natural History Museum's Darwin Manuscripts Project is a historical and textual edition of Charles Darwin's scientific manuscripts.
ECOLEX
ECOLEX is a database providing the most comprehensive, global source of information on environmental law.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS): Advanced Search
A database with reliable information on species names and their hierarchical classification. Contains authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
NEMESIS: National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System
A database for information on non-native (or exotic) species that occur in coastal marine waters of the United States.
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM®) is a continuously updated catalog of human genes and genetic disorders and traits, with particular focus on the molecular relationship between genetic variation and phenotypic expression. It is thus considered to be a phenotypic companion to the Human Genome Project.
USDA Plant Database
"Provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S and its territories." Factsheets, distribution maps, state search, images, etc.