Subject Guides: Biological Science Education: Background Info

Subject Guide

Mike Goates

Contact:

michael_goates@byu.edu
2324 HBLL

(801) 422-6012

Subjects: Geology, Life Sciences

Background Research

Access Science This link opens in a new window
AccessScience is an authoritative and dynamic online resource that contains incisively written, high-quality reference material covering all major scientific disciplines. An award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, it offers links to primary research material, videos and exclusive animations, plus specially designed curriculum maps for teachers.
Birds of North America Online This link opens in a new window
The Birds of the World is a comprehensive reference collaboration by the American Ornithologists' Union, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Academy of Natural Science. This reference covers the life histories of 10,824 bird species and including illustrations, audio clips, and videos.

National Science Digital Library
NSDL is the National Science Foundation's online library of resources and collections for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and research.

UpToDate This link opens in a new window
An evidence-based, peer reviewed database of clinical information, covering more than 7,700 topics in 15 medical specialties and includes more than 80,000 pages of text, graphics, links to Medline abstracts, more than 260,000 references, and a drug database.
For educational use only.

Online Biology Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (eLS)
eLS features over 4,900 peer-reviewed and citable articles in the life sciences. eLS is updated by approximately 400 articles per year, with new articles publishing on a monthly basis.
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
Information on evolution, habitat, behavior, and geographic distribution for more than 4,000 species of birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles. Includes more than 11,000 images, illustrations, and maps.
OneZoom Tree of Life
OneZoom Tree of Life is committed to heightening awareness about the diversity of life on earth, its evolutionary history and the threats of extinction. OneZoom allows you to explore the tree of life in a completely new way: it's like a map, everything is on one page, all you have to do is zoom in and out. OneZoom also provides free, open source, data visualization tools for science and education, currently focusing on the tree of life.
Oxford Dictionary of Biology
This new eighth edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect recent progress in the fields of biology, biophysics, and biochemistry, with particular expansion to the areas of ecology, cell biology, and plant and animal development. Over 150 new entries include de-extinction, ecological footprint, rewilding, and Zika virus.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Evolution
This encyclopedia includes 370 entries by leading experts and researchers in evolutionary biology and related fields.
Scitable (Nature Publishing Group)
Scitable is a free science library created by Nature Publishing Group. Scitable focuses on genetics and cell biology and also offers resources for the budding scientist, with advice about effective science communication and career paths.

Online Education References

EducationWorld
EducationWorld.com is an online resource that includes original content, such as lesson plans, practical information for educators, information on how to integrate technology in the classroom, and articles written by education experts.
National Science Digital Library
NSDL is the nation's online portal for education and research on learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
PBS Teachers
High quality learning resources for PreK-12 education from the Public Broadcasting System.
TeAchnology
TeAchnology provides free and easy to use resources for K-12 teachers, including lesson plans, printable worksheets, rubrics, web quests, and thousands of other great teacher resources.
Watch Know Learn
WatchKnowLearn has indexed over 20,000 educational videos, placing them into a directory of over 3,000 categories. The videos are available without any registration or fees to teachers in the classroom and to students at home 24/7.
What Works Clearinghouse
An initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, the WWC produces user-friendly practice guides for educators that address instructional challenges with research-based recommendations for schools and classrooms.

Have a Question? Get Help Here

Science & Engineering Help Desk

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Current Events

ScienceDaily
Popular scientific news source that reviews current primary research studies. Includes citations and links to primary research articles.
National Science Foundation - News
View news releases for research sponsored by the National Science Foundation
Scientific American
Look here for recent news stories of interest.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
A collection of sources on current events and social issues.

Protocols & Teaching Aids

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (CSH) This link opens in a new window
Up-to-date and easy to follow protocols on research methods in genetics, bioinformatics, computational biology, immunology, and other laboratory biological sciences.
Springer Protocols This link opens in a new window
Large compilation of reproducible laboratory protocols and handbooks in life and biomedical sciences.
Testing & Education Reference Center (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Provides practice tests and study materials for graduate school entrance exams. Includes information on building resumes, applying for scholarships, career choices, and over 4,000 accredited colleges and universities.