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This interactive investigation explores these questions: - What evolutionary processes have affected the distribution of Earth's species today and in the past? - How do scientists study past evolutionary processes on Earth? - How do graphs and charts help scientists test their hypotheses?

This animated special report by NSF profiles how scientists are using technology to track wildlife ranging from zebras to dragonflies.

"Travel by boat with ornithologists as they catalog breathtaking bird life along the banks of one of Brazil's remote rivers. You'll discover how their work is redefining diversity in Amazonia and reshaping traditional conservation boundaries by identifying new Areas of Endemism-regions that harbor species found nowhere else in the world. Explore our interactive map to follow in the scientists' footsteps and view video journals and site notes documenting the team's experiences during their expedition. You can take a look at-and listen to-the amazing birds found at each of the three study sites and learn more fun facts about each species' habits and habitats!"

An article and video clips about Crossing Boundaries Conservation Scientist Taza Schaming's research on Clark's Nutcrackers in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

NPR Earth & Sky interviews with scientists about topics related to biodiversity

This might be a good source of examples of scientists doing cool work.

Our conservation scientist, Taza Schaming, is profiled on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Round Robin blog.

AAAS created this website about the science of climate change. It includes a summary of what we know and a collection of 4-5 minute videos with prominent scientists in the field.

The Club-winged Manakin is a bird that makes an odd foghorn call using its wings rather than vocal chords. Through 13 short videos, this site explores how these wings "work," how they evolved, and how this was discovered by Cornell scientist Kim Bostwick.

"First report of its kind assesses state of world's plants, including baseline information on all vascular plants currently known to science, new plant discoveries and threats. The report estimates that there are about 391,000 species of vascular plants in the world."

Nearly 100 endangered species should be on track to meet federal scientists' recovery goals, according to a new analysis by a national nonprofit organization that seeks to protect the planet's biological diversity. The Center for Biological Diversity's review examined population trends of 110 endangered plant and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in every state across the USA, including Florida's American crocodile, the gray wolf of the Rockies, and the black-footed ferret, which once existed from southern Canada to Texas. The group found that 90 percent of the species listed are on a positive trajectory toward recovery - and some are even doing better. Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/1cmi1)

A new video series from the National Research Council summarizes what scientists have learned about global warming and climate change.

"Ecologists have long argued that everything in the nature is connected, but teasing out these intricate connections is not so easy. In fact, it took research on a remote, unoccupied island for scientists to discover that manta ray abundance was linked to seabirds and thereby native trees."

From the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, "inspirational thoughts from scientists, thinkers, and conservationists on what biodiversity means to them"

"For thousands of years and countless generations, migratory birds have flown the same long-distance paths between their breeding and feeding grounds. Understanding the routes these birds take, called flyways, helps conservation efforts and gives scientists better knowledge of global changes, both natural and man-made. QUEST heads out to the Pacific Flyway with California biologists to track the rhythm of migration."

"Scientists peer into the next decades of environmental change on Planet Earth." Good news stories include ongoing recovery from effects of acid rain in the Adirondacks + new pathways to a sustainable future developed through modeling, ecological forecasting, and mapping responses to environmental change.

Google Earth tour and video showing scientists tracking migration routes of Arctic Terns between Greenland and the Antarctic

"ut the truth is that satellites are so last century-so much, in fact, that scientists have begun using them to document historical changes. The above picture, from NASA's 38-year-old Landsat program, shows the Lake Djoudj region of Senegal during a drought in 1979 and during a flood 20 years later. Even at this small scale it's clear how much information the pictures contain about how the land has changed."

"Using GIS software applications can assist you in observing patterns in data as well as potential risks. Scientists use several indicators to monitor the quality and vulnerability of a watershed, which are recorded into a database. However, without the use of a GIS it would be difficult to assess the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. "