Want to get working climate scientists' take on new and developing climate science? This site—developed for the interested public and journalists—aims "to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science." Viewers can post comments to further ignite active discussion.Go to: http://www.realclimate.org/

The National Interagency Fire Center tracks big wildfires blazing around the United States and identifies—via its InciWeb—which ones are contained, along with running totals for acres scorched so far this year. The site offers tables of multi-year fire records, interesting stats, as well as maps of current outbreaks.Go to: http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info.html

Most Westerners have come to represent numbers with Hindu-Arabic characters. But many cultures don't—and historically, a whole range of alternatives have been used. View many at this site, which was developed by Archimedes' Laboratory, a group that specializes in creating puzzles and brain teasers.Go to: http://www.archimedes-lab.org/numeral.html

During this—Chemistry Week—check out the "Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Chemistry." The site's periodic postings are offered up by Bryn Mawr College computational chemist Michelle M. Francl, who comments on events of the day—always inserting a gentle chemistry twist. She notes that her blog "began as part of an NSF grant to write materials for teaching physical chemistry that incorporate both modern research and the 'culture of chemistry'."Go to: http://cultureofchemistry.blogspot.com/

Light emitting diodes, better known as LEDs, are the coolest new light sources. They're tiny, long-lived, and rugged. But how do they work? Check out this site if you desire considerably more detail than can be found in a two-sentence summary.Go to: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm

What's a year? Why do we measure it in days and weeks? How do calendars differ? What's the earliest known date? (Hint: It's the year Egyptians invented the calendar.) Learn answers to these and other timely questions at Calendars from the Sky, a site developed in part with support from the National Institute for Standards and Technology's Time and Frequency Division.Go to: http://webexhibits.org/calendars

Do you enjoy chocolate? You can make it more nutritious by bugging it—with crickets, for example. Or how about ant-fortified tacos? This site introduces Westerners to the idea that many commonly encountered insects are edible. Indeed, most are lower in fat—and higher in protein—than beef, lamb, pork, or chicken. The site's author argues that "insects are the food of the future." And of course the site gives recipes.Go to: http://www.manataka.org/page160.htmlP.S. Skeptical about whether this entomophagy—eating insects—is for real? Consult the Ohio State University Exten...

They resemble mondo worms or perhaps eels and snakes. But caecilians (seh sil yenz) are actually legless amphibians, and along with deep sea fishes are among the least well known vertebrates on the planet. Some run to a meter or more in length. Although information on these elusive animals and photos of them are hard to come by, this site offers a good introduction.Go to: http://www.gymnophiona.org/

Ever wonder whether some chemical in a bathroom cleanser, herbicidal spray, or paint is toxic? Just how poisonous is that chemical described in last week's Science News? Toxicologists are developing one-stop shopping for such information at Toxipedia. Like Wikipedia, it allows the public—experts, advocates, or policymakers—to post information. Unlike Wikipedia, there is a rating system for entries that range from 0, for blogs and other material of potentially dubious accuracy or balance, to 4, where the information is peer reviewed with plenty of citations to published scientific dat...

Play with your food. That's encouraged at this Countertop Chemistry site. Its kitchen-based teaching projects have been compiled by the Science House, an educational outreach program of North Carolina State University.Go to: http://www.science-house.org/learn/CountertopChem/