BioTechniquesVol. 37, No. 3 WebWatchOpen AccessWebWatchKevin AhernKevin AhernSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:6 Jun 2018https://doi.org/10.2144/04373WW01AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Seeing the LightWhere there is a niche on Earth, there is probably an organism that has figured out a way to exploit it. Consider darkness. From the spooky glow of algae in the sea to the pulsing abdominal beacons used as mating signals by lonely Midwestern fireflies, there is an enormous collection of organisms that, to paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, would rather oxidize one luciferin (a light-producing biomolecule) than curse their niche. At the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute's bioluminescence site you'll learn some astounding facts, such as that, in the ocean, the mesopelagic zone (200–1000 meters deep) is populated by animals, 90% of which are bioluminescent. You'll also learn that they pay their light bills using the same cellular currency that we “higher” life forms study them with—ATP.http://www.biolum.org/Infection ConnectionIf you're under the weather or your kid has a sore throat or even if your pet kitty is making a strange hacking sound, you know what to do. However, what if your prized D'Anjou pear tree is showing signs of the dreaded fire blight? Who ya gonna call? A good first step might be to key the URL below into your browser where information on plant pests (including bacteria, insects, fungi, nematodes, viruses, and even other plants) is yours for the clicking. Functioning mostly as a collection of links to other Web sites with useful information about plant pathogens, the Plant Pathology Internet Guide Book is literally a one-stop shop for anyone interested in plant diseases.http://www.pk.uni-bonn.de/ppigb/ppigb.htmProtist MarchAh, life on Earth was simpler then, back in the early days of eukaryotic life before that newfangled craze for organs and tissues appeared. Travel back to the heady days of yore when an organism was almost always a cell by visiting the Protist Image Data site. There you'll discover (surprise!) that seeing is not only believing, it is an important tool for teaching/learning. View pictures and informative anatomical diagrams. Learn about the reproduction and life histories of these simple life forms. Find cultures to use in research. Better yet, get in touch with a world that you probably don't think much about but which can do everything from wreaking pathogenic havoc to serving as major oceanic food sources.http://megasun.bch.umontreal.ca/protists/protists.htmlPower PlantsThe way to a Webmaster's heart is through his/her stomach, or so it would seem, viewing Plants for a Future, whose designer(s) tabulate information on over 7000 unusual plants with “edible, medicinal, or other uses.” Sprawling with information ranging from dozens of “leaflets” on plant use (in Dutch, Spanish, French, English, Esperanto, and Italian) and plant portraits to a bulging database and courses on planting winter salad gardens, Plants for a Future is a site with a cause and, more importantly, a bundle of information. Check out the zillions of links, read the hundreds of well-written articles, and, if you like what you see, consider volunteering your time, joining as a member, or even making a PayPal donation to support the continued growth of the site.http://www.pfaf.orgWinging ItIs there any sight so peaceful as a swallowtail butterfly fluttering through the garden on a summer's day? By extension there are probably few Web sites covering more beautiful subjects than the UK's Natural History Museum's “Butter-flies and Moths of the World” pages, which catalog over 31,000 of the estimated 120,000 species of these delicate organisms. Clicking on only a few hyperlinks at the site will quickly reveal its impressive depth, from the numerous photographs to the varied search strategies that allow visitors to quickly find organisms by genus, by type-species, by bibliographical reference, or by the image itself. Hosted by the National History Museum in London, the Butterflies and Moths of the World site is a wonder to behold.http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/butmoth/FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 37, No. 3 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics Downloaded 116 times History Published online 6 June 2018 Published in print September 2004 Information© 2004 Author(s)PDF download