February 15, 2017 (Vol. 37, No. 4)
Rating:
Strong Points: Beautiful protein structures, wealth of educational resources
Weak Points: None
Summary:
Most biologists are probably familiar with the Protein Data Bank (PDB). However, fewer are likely aware of the accompanying educational portal, PDB-101. Let’s remedy that, since PDB-101 is a fantastic (and incredibly informative) website that is sure to pique the interests of both experienced structural biologists and students. “Molecular explorations through biology and medicine,” boasts the tagline of the site, and in fact, there is much to explore here. Front-and-center on the homepage is the “Molecule of the Month,” and alongside that is a navigation bar that invites visitors to browse resources by category. There are four categories in total: health and disease, molecules of life, biotech and nanotech, and structures and structure determination. Alternatively, visitors can browse content either by student resources (under the “learn” tab of the menu bar) or teacher resources (under the “teach” tab). Learning resources include paper models, posters, and interactive animations, while teaching resources include three entire curriculum modules.
