Scitable

Scitable is a new free social learning site offered by Nature Education. The blurb says that it “brings together a library of scientific overviews with a world wide community of scientists, researchers, teachers, and student.” As well as student collaboration and learning it allows academics to “maintain an evidence-based online course pack for your students.”

The content is taken from Nature Group publishing as well as WH Freeman and Sinauer Associates.

There are topic rooms covering individual areas where you can find articles on a subject, key concepts and links to discussion areas. It is also possible to set up groups for classes, although this part of the site doesn’t seem to have been taken up particularly by users so far.

The first module covers genetics but there are plans to focus on other areas in the future. The sections so far added are:

• Chromosomes and Cytogenetics
• Evolutionary Genetics
• Gene Expression and Regulation
• Gene Inheritance and Transmission
• Genes and Disease
• Genetics and Society
• Genomics
• Nucleic Acid Structure & Function
• Population and Quantitative Genetics

It will be interesting to see how it develops.