Tips on giving talks - useful tips as you prepare for your lab presentations.

Web of Science  -- A very useful tool for searching the scientific literature (should be accessible from NCSU computers, but not outside.  If you are trying to sign in here from off-campus, go to the library webpage and sign in with your NCSU I.D. [library>electronic resources>databases>Web of Science].  Using this feature may require setting up "proxies" in your browser.  Instructions are provided for this at the library page)

"The Science of Science Writing"  This is a good article from American Scientist on how to communicate ideas in science (and other disciplines) most effectively by tailoring your writing to fit the way your audience reads and interprets material.

Of Parasites & Pollens -- Ever wonder why we get allergies?  Check this page out for an interesting take on the problem.

"Immune to a Plague" -- Discover magazine article describing the discover of the CCR5 mutation and the immunity it confers to AIDS.

Information on the role of co-receptors in the process of HIV infection

A short page from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) providing information on the role of CCR5 in HIV infection and potential therapeutic strategies taking advantage of this interaction

Immune to HIV infection but at greater risk of West Nile infection? (NIH News link describing recent findings)

Neuron Function Animation websites:

A nice action potential animation showing ion movements from the University of Alberta

This is an animation site from U.C. Santa Barbara that illustrates how the resting membrane pootential is established and also how the oscilloscope traces that indicate the electrical state of the neuron are measured.

This animation illustrates both ion movements giving rise to the resting membrane potential as well as ion movements during the action potential

Another good site showing ion movements and the participation of the sodium and potassium channels during the action potential

This site shows how action potentials are propagated along both myelinated and unmyelinated axons

This is a simulation of the release of acetylcholine and excitation of the muscle fiber at the neuromuscular junction

This page links to various types of neurotransmitter actions (inhibitory, excitatory, either acting 'directly' or by activating second messenger systems)

Sensory function websites and helpful animations

Hair cell function and response to stimulation (animation)

Sound frequency and cochlear function (animation)

Pheromone-mediated search behavior and sensation in Bombyx mori -- More information to supplement our discussion of pheromones in lecture.

Dopamine Transporter Knockout Mice - News story from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute on Marc Caron's work with mice made deficient for the dopamine transporter protein and what they tell us about the process of addiction. 

The Molecular Logic of Smell - Scientific American article that supplements discussion in lecture on the mechanisms underlying our sense of smell.
 

The N.Y. Times Science Page -- A great place to keep up the latest and neatest discoveries in the biological, medical, and physical sciences (be sure to type "ZO250" where it asks for a user-id and password.)

Discover Magazine -- Current issues and analysis of the world of science.

Berkeley Museum of Paleontology -- One of the best websites for paleontology information in the world.

Darwinian Medicine Site -- A fascinating perspective on human health and disease that offers some new ideas about old problems.