1. evolvingthoughts
  2. Bugs online

Bugs online

By evolvingthoughts on August 9, 2008.

This is cool. I always like to find historical documents online; even better when they're free. The Society for General Microbiology has scanned its journal International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM) back to the first edition in 1951 and made the archival articles free to all. Since the discovery of organisms is a once-off affair, subsequent researchers need access to the item that announced it in peer-reviewed print to be able to be sure they are working on the right species. So more than most sciences, taxonomy is a historical science, and since bugs (the technical term for bacteria, algae, and other microbes) have only really been deeply and widely studied in the past 60 years or so, this counts as "historical material". Congrats to the SGM, and now for the other professional publishers...

Tags
Biodiversity
History
Species and systematics

More like this

Historical OA
More and more societies are compiling their 'classical' papers. Here is another one. And here I wrote, among else: "In discussions of Open Access, we always focus on brand new papers and how to make them freely available for readers around the world as well as for people who want to mine and…
Answers Research Journal---HAHAHAHAHA!!!
So, Answers in Genesis cranked out the first issue of its new journal, and with all deliberate speed! It's remarkable. I'm guessing that creation research doesn't take quite as long as, say, real science. The pilot issue is a true testament to the idiocy of the Creation Cult. I guess we have to…
Here's some of my money for a research grant. Please charge me again.
If you live in the US pay taxes and some of those taxes go to support important basic research into the causes of disease. Most of that research is disbursed through an elaborate peer-reviewed granting system at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The point of doing that research is to tell…
Journal Print-E mix: one, the other, both, or neither?
Sometimes so many things come up at the same time it becomes difficult if impossible to ignore. Here's just a brief list: An oceanographer came to me and asked to see a print copy of an AGU journal article. If you've followed me here from elsewhere, then you'll know my place of work was mandated…

Now THAT is just plain beautiful. This is one journal that lack of free access to has been irritating me, so I'm excruciatingly happy to see them opening up...