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BioTechniquesVol. 43, No. 5 WebwatchOpen AccessWebWatchKevin AhernKevin AhernSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 May 2018https://doi.org/10.2144/000112608AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail A Tome as Lovely as a TreeTo know plants is to know life, but with no plants, there would be no life. So goes the clever introduction to the Knowplants.org site whose stated aim is to aid plant science education/outreach. Via a mountain of educational and database materials spanning wide ranges of expertise and botanical interests, the designers have a good handle and an excellent start on accomplishing their goals. Contents include databases spanning crops, plant care, invasive species, weeds, plus animations, still photos, careers, and teaching resources specific for all ages—from elementary through college undergraduates. There's even a fun section of games, to boot.@ knowplants.orgToxicity CityWhile it is sobering to examine the enormous compilation of toxic compounds in the environment, it is also comforting to discover what we know. Knowledge is power, after all. The many perspectives of toxic compounds can be found at the Distributed Structure-Searchable Toxicity (DSSTox) database, an EPA-hosted site that reminds us it is a cold, cruel world out there (chemically), while providing multiple means of coming to grips with it (medically, among others). Users can search information in several ways, including by structure and by chemical name. Returned information includes not only structure and toxicity data, but also related PowerPoint presentations, poster PDFs, and other documents as appropriate.@ www.epa.gov/ncct/dsstox/index.htmlNutritionally YoursA properly balanced diet takes into account not only the major components like carbohydrates, protein, and fats, but also the micronutrients. Indeed, the rub is often in these last tiny components of food, as has been recognized since the discovery of the first vitamin. Linus Pauling, of course, was instrumental in elevating interest in micronutrients to modern audiences, so it is a fitting tribute to his legacy that research in this field is a primary focus of the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) at Oregon State University. Visitors to the LPI Micronutrient Infocenter will discover a wealth of informative articles by world-class researchers on minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals, reactive oxygen species, and much more.@ lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenterPlantibodiesGenetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food chain get sensationalized as “Frankenfoods,” but the use of transgenic plants to mass produce medically and industrially important compounds hasn't really stirred up much resistance, probably because, as noted at the Molecular Farming site, the technology doesn't directly involve food. Instead, plants are used here merely as a means of delivering desired pharmaceuticals (farmaceuticals in the lingo of the site). Products such as these are currently being employed to treat animal diseases, and others designed for humans are in advanced stages of development. Carefully crafted plant compounds designed to stimulate the immune system (plantigens) may provide immunity soon for measles and help fight cancer and infant diabetes, as well. Insulin is being obtained in commercially viable levels from sunflowers, and plant-produced biodegradable plastics are already an industry reality. Stay on top of the rapidly advancing technology at Molecular Farming.@ www.molecularfarming.comHitting a Moving TargetGenomic sequencing of wild-type eukaryotic cells is a Herculean effort, even with the many advances in sequencing technology, but at least the target is reasonably stable. Cancer cells, which come in hundreds of forms in a given species, are notorious for their rearrangements and mutations and are orders of magnitude more challenging from the perspective of genomics. What's a researcher to do? When the NCBI asked the same question, the answer they came up with was the CGAP (Cancer Genome Anatomy Project), a web site whose approach to the problem is as multifaceted as it is extensive. From databases integrated with other NCBI material to designing analytic tools to profiling gene expression to even something as simple as a clone registry, CGAP aims high and scores a bulls-eye on cancer cell genomics.@ www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ncicgapFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 43, No. 5 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics History Published online 16 May 2018 Published in print November 2007 Information© 2007 Author(s)PDF download