The View from a Drawbridge

Wow! How did I not know about this before? Thanks to the power of the internet, little old me (and little old you, for that matter) can help scientists make some pretty amazing breakthroughs.

Seriously, you have to check out the Zooniverse website. From there, you can link in to any number of amazing projects.

• At Galaxy Zoo you can help scientists classify the bazillions of galaxies in our universe. You might even be the first person to actually see a picture of a particular galaxy. EVER. This is my favorite.
• At Moon Zoo you can help visually classify features of the moon.
• At Solar Stormwatch, you can study explosions on the sun.
• At Planethunters.org, you can help find planets around stars.
• At the Milky Way Project, you can help scientists understand how stars form.
• At Planet Four, you can help them learn more about the weather on Mars.

Are you hooked yet? I am! But wait. There’s more.

• At Old Weather, you can help scientist study past weather observations made by Royal Navy Ships.
• You can classify over 30 years of tropical cyclone data at Cyclone Center.
• Help identify texts and documents to study the lives of the Ancient Greeks at Ancient Lives. (This one is fascinating, but I wish there was a way to get the translation once you’ve helped decipher it.)
• Help marine researchers understand what whales are saying at Whale FM.
• Study images of the sea floor to create a library of ocean habitats at Seafloor Explorer.  (This is one of my other favorites.)
• You can even help characterize bat calls at Bat Detective!
• And perhaps most impactful of all from a human standpoint, you can help find a cure for cancer at Cell Slider.

Honestly, I can’t believe every home-schooler and every student for that matter, every retiree, every unemployed person isn’t glued to one of these websites! You can learn so much and actually have an impact. How can you resist?