NASA Hurricane 2005: A Hurricane Resource Site
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, predicted to be the costliest natural disaster in American history, NASA's hurricane resource center for 2005 is obviously a crucial resource for both climatologists and concerned citizens. Educational articles on a variety of subjects--such as the link between ocean heat and hurricane intensity in the Gulf and new imaging systems that permit examination of tropical rainfall from a 3-D perspective--bolster the site's incomparable collection of satellite photos of the year's storms and the damage they wrought.

Amazing Space
Welcome to Amazing Space, where starstruck students of all ages can while away light-years pelting comets at Jupiter, falling into black holes and building the Milky Way piece by piece. Thanks to the marvels of Flash animation, the greatest findings of the Hubble Space Telescope are made vivid and interactive--learning astronomy has never been so engrossingly fun. Educators will find a vast trove of classroom resources, while their charges will thrill to such activities as hoarding solar system trading cards and ogling Hubble photos of the galaxy.

Music Acoustics
Listen up! Aimed at scientists and musicians alike, this site offers a panoply of resources on the sound of music. From answers to rudimentary questions like "What is a decibel?" to the physics of the didgeridoo; from audio files of concert musicians playing clarinet concertos to detailed explanations of cochlear implants, "Music Acoustics" is a compelling and harmonious compendium of research at the crossroads of physics and music.

Deciphering the Genetic Code
Watson and Crick identified the double-helix structure of DNA in the early 1950s, but the question of how DNA's information is translated into proteins wasn't answered until a decade later by Marshall Nirenberg. For "cracking the code," or figuring out the sequencing of nucleotide bases to identify amino acids, Nirenberg went on to become the first National Institutes of Health intramural scientist to win the Nobel Prize. This site lovingly chronicles the history of Nirenberg's achievements, including the contributions of his colleagues, the instruments he used and the overall importance of his work to the study of genetics.

Botany
Aspiring Gregor Mendel? Weekend gardener? No matter how green your thumb, you'll find everything you need to further your plant studies in this all-encompassing guide to the world of botany. The site acts a clearinghouse, linking to the best resources and articles on such topics as paleobotany, species identification, composting and pathology, and applied sciences like agronomy and forestry. Of particular note is the terrific "Botany for Kids" department, which links to fun projects and resources including a wildflower coloring book and a photographic exploration of "Fun Facts about Fungi."

Kung Fu Science
Meet Chris, a kung fu black belt who's traveled the world learning from the sport's most esteemed masters. Meet Michelle, who's working on her Ph.D. in atmospheric physics. Watch them go head-to-head and hand-to-hand in order to deconstruct the physics behind this ancient martial art. Their mission: to use Chris' brawn and Michelle's brains to enable Michelle to break three pine boards with a single hand strike. The site's impeccable design, live-action documentaries of their progress and investigative journalism-style voice overs make for a riveting adventure. You'll never watch a Jackie Chan movie in the same way again!

Flight History
If the term "flight history" for you evokes vague images of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, then direct your glider toward this extensive catalog of everything aviation. The site's highlights include a photo archive of biplanes, bombers, crashes and life on board; a database of different aircraft specifications organized by make and model; and a painstakingly assembled story archive, in which planes like the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and topics like the "Birth of the National Air Force" are given the attention of epic literature.