NETWATCH: Without Bounds
Science · 2008
Bound encyclopedias can't hold a cursor to the multimedia display of the first part of the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), a Web site assembled by a consortium of 25 museums, botanical gardens, and other scientific institutions. The effort, funded in part by $12.5 million in grants, aims to provide one-stop shopping for biodiversity for scientists and the public. Launched last year (Science, 11 May 2007, p. 818), EOL will come online in stages. The first phase, unveiled in late February, includes information on 30,000 plants and animals. Eventually, the site will incorporate images, distribution maps, life histories, and identification data for each of Earth's 1.8 million known species.