January 15, 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 2)
Rating:
Strong Points: Great depth of information
Weak Points: No central site map or navigation
Summary:
The brain is really basking in the spotlight these days, what with the many headlines associated with the BRAIN Initiative and all. Even though the Initiative may be fairly recent, there are a number of already established online resources related to the brain that have much to offer to researchers and the casual brain enthusiast alike. One such site is the Brain Architecture Management System (BAMS), a website dedicated to collaboration and the open sharing of information among neuroscience and neuroinformatics research groups. Visitors to the BAMS website can explore neurobiological information at various organizational levels, from molecules, to cells, to connections among cells, and finally to connections among brain regions. The user interface for the website is very simple, with many pages including just a search field or a list of items to browse. Despite the simple interface, there is a great depth of information present on this site—fitting, as the brain itself provides layer upon layer of intrigue.
