forwarding this on from another homeschool list:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scientists are planning a massive, free Web site, called the Encyclopedia
of Life *http://www.eol.org/ * , to compile data on the Earth's 1.8 million known species, including descriptions, pictures, maps, videos and links to
entire genomes and scientific journal papers.*
*
*
Washington (May 9, 2007) – Many of the world's leading scientific
institutions today announced the launch of the Encyclopedia of Life, an
unprecedented global effort to document all 1.8 million named species of
animals, plants, and other forms of life on Earth. For the first time in the
history of the planet, scientists, students, and citizens will have
multi-media access to all known living species, even those that have just
been discovered.*
*
* *The Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine
Biological Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage
Library joined together to initiate the project, bringing together species
and software experts from across the world. The Missouri Botanical Garden
has become a full partner, and discussions are taking place this week with
leaders of the new Atlas of Living Australia. The Encyclopedia today also
announced the initial membership of its Institutional Council, which spans
the globe, and whose members will play key roles in realizing this immense
project. An international advisory board of distinguished individuals will
also help guide the Encyclopedia.*

--
Larry Jeffryes
Los Alamos, NM