To find information about diseases, diagnoses, and treatments the internet as good — and sometimes better — than trying to get this knowledge from doctors. For sure, one would not expect to find this kind of information nearly as efficiently, rapidly, or thoroughly in a brick and mortar library, even a medical one.
In a special Science Times: Decoding Your Health section today, the New York Times includes a page titled Health on the Web in which it introduces with this summary: “A Google search for “cancer” returns 299 million results; narrow that to, say, “prostate cancer” and you still get 12.7 million. It’s a vast, bewildering world out there, but here’s a look at six of the most interesting and potentially useful online health resources.” The six websites the Times editors have selected are then reviewed.
The Science Times forcefully argues and demonstrates that anyone can learn a lot about health online. This marvelous fact is true about most anything we want to learn. For example, a Google search for “science” returns 911,000,000 results; search for “atmospheric sciences” and you still get 4.8 million . The new learning methodology of the 21st century is emerging as searching for and interacting with the online knowledge that is now superior to what is found in a brick and mortar library. For atmospheric sciences, here are six examples:
University of Washington Weather and Climate Data
BUGS Atmospheric General Circulation Model
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Climate
NOAA: Paleoclimatology
Weather Wiz Kids: Weather Safety
Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Change Kids Site
