LONDON, England -Saturday, February 7, 2004- Nineteen people who were killed by swift tides as they gathered shellfish in a treacherous English bay were probably the victims of work-gang operators, police said.

Oldest known ornament found in South Africa cave by RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer

Shell Beads from South African Cave Show Modern Human Behavior 75,000 Years Ago April 15, 2004

Biographical Dictionary of Biologists:  by Nathaniel C. Comfort:  This is a work in progress. To help get a handle on the history of 19th and 20th century biology, I am making up biographical sketches of the scientists important to me. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and corrections. New names should be added regularly.

The Cretaceous Extinction:  ... included planktonic foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, diatoms, dinoflagellates, brachiopods, molluscs, echinoids, and fish.
”Following the Permian mass extinction, life was abundant but there was a low diversity of species. However, through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous, major faunal radiations resulted in a large number of new species and forms. New terrestrial fauna that made their first appearance in the Triassic included the dinosaurs, mammals, pterosaurs (flying reptiles), amphibians (including frogs and turtles). In addition, the first birds appeared in the Jurassic. Among the terrestrial flora, the gymnosperms of the Permian remained dominant until the evolution of the angiosperms (flowering plants) in the Cretaceous. In the Cretaceous there was also major radiations occurring in several established groups including the the marine reptiles, rudist bivalves, ammonoids, belemnoids, and scleractinian corals. Bivalves, and brachiopods. Marine groups that were present but did not undergo major evolutionary expansion in the period included the gastropods,bryozoans, crinoids, sea urchins, and sponges….”

DEEPSEA Research Newsgroup Web site of the deep-sea research group. Webmaster is Andrew G. McArthur (amcarthu@uvic.ca); Department of Biology, University of Victoria, B.C., Canada.

Directories of Biologists  A number of interesting directories and other resources for Biologists maintained by Biosis. 

Dr David Skingsley's interactive pages:  Home Page:     Sites with Wonderful Molluscs:  A good collection of mixed malacological and conchological links.

Keys to the Aquatic Biota of the Hawaiian Islands:  by Eric B. Guinther, biologist; AECOS Inc.  “We are developing at this web site identification aids for the aquatic (in this case, non-marine) biota of the Hawaiian Islands.”

Lefalophodon:  An Informal History of Evolutionary Biology Web Site:  This is an informal and incomplete guide to the history of evolutionary biology from about 1800 to about 1950. It is maintained by John Alroy. Its main emphases are on the late 19th century and on paleontology. However, I hope to see the coverage become more comprehensive in the near future.

Marine Biology WEB   MBWEB is an educational resource for marine biology students with reference lists organized by subject. Many other links are here including links to marine stations, tide information, and lots more!

Marine Conservation Society - Species Directory  This site gives you access to a database with information on the flora and fauna of the seas surrounding Great Britain and Ireland. The site is maintained by Bernard Picton with support from the BioMar project.

Miscellaneous Sites of Paleontological, Geological, and Anthropological Interest:

Molecular Phylogenetics & Deep-Sea Biogeography:  NOTE: The following general pages relating to molluscs are all on different sites, so they contain different facts, approaches, levels of treatment, etc.: By browsing through the site, you should find pretty-well anything you want

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Page:  Welcome to the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) information resource for the United States Geological Survey. Located at the Florida Caribbean Science Center, this site has been established as a central repository for accurate and spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of nonindigenous aquatic species.

Ocean Animals Reference information about a host of sea creatures including killer whales, eagle rays, common puffins, harbour porpoises, coral reef animals, and estuary and coastal water animals. An illustration of each animal is accompanied by details of their class, order, size, family, scientific name, range, diet, conservation status, and habitat. General facts about sea turtles and invertebrates such as sponges, molluscs, echinoderms, and cnidarians are also offered.     Author: Evergreen Project

Ocean Planet Home Page The Smithsonian's Online version of the exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History entitled "In Search of Giant Squid". This exhibition explores and interprets the mystery, beauty and complexity of giant squids - the world's largest invertebrates.

SeaSky.org. This is quite an interesting and unique site   Be sure to check out The Sea Page and The Mollusc Page

Shellfish Web Site is brought to you by the National Shellfisheries Association. In addition to information about the Association, the Web site lists positions open and sought, shellfish and other marine-related listservers, and shellfisheries resources on the Web. Also check out their Journal of Shellfish Research

Shellfish Water Quality Protection Program   Initiative which monitors water quality and pollution in areas where shellfish are harvested. Features an official fact sheet, growing area classification maps, a molluscan harvesting guide, information about Canada's Shellfish Sanitation Program which aims to eliminate the consumption of contaminated products, and an Atlantic classification inventory from 1992.

Some Dangerous and Venomous Hawaiian Ocean Organisms:  Lifeguards explain that “Sea Critters That Can Really Hurt You!”

The Tide Pool Page:  The systems created where the land meets the sea are some of the most beautiful and diverse on our planet. Tide pools are one such community, created where rocky shores are covered and uncovered daily by the ocean. Organisms that have made this area their home must be well adapted to adjust to the drastic changes in environment that come with the changing of tides each day. This web page is devoted to the type of tide pool found in the Pacific Northwest, specifically of the Oregon coast.