April 15, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 8)

URL:
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/irc/ircpage.html

Rating:
Strong Points: Breadth of Collection
Weak Points: Uninspired Organization

Summary:
A quick scan through the resources available at the University of Wisconsin Insect Research Collection is humbling in two respects. First, one is reminded of the diversity of biology out there that is represented by the insects, which dwarf the numbers of any other species on Earth. Second, a reading of the Introduction to the collection reminds us that lifetimes of work went into providing collections like these (for example, a worldwide collection of over 16,000 flies) for everyone to learn from. The site itself is rather “plain Jane,” with a boring gray background and virtually no pictures (that I was able to find). Still, I can’t help but marvel at the amount of effort it took to collect, catalog, and organize all of these species.

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