March 15, 2009 (Vol. 29, No. 6)
URL:
http://www.kew.org
Rating:
Strong Points: Good scientific coverage
Weak Points: A bit scattered
Summary:
I was curious about how useful this website would be. Many such botanical offerings are simply a display of pix from around their gardens. This one was different. To start with, there are sections of the site devoted exclusively to scientific research, data, and education. Within each category are sub-sections that will be of considerable interest to researchers. They include the Plant C-Values Database, the DNA Bank Database (22,000 samples of plant genomic DNA stored at -80°C), an annual Kew Scientist publication (in PDF format), course information (including the On Course PDF Newsletter), fellowships, internships, as well as standard information about the Kew collections that one might expect to see at a site like this. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. While I won’t say that the website for scientists is as solid as the Kew gardens is for botany, overall I do think most visitors will find something useful here.
