________________________________________________________________________
                        Overview of sci.bio.*
========================================================================

As of August 1996, the Usenet hierarchy sci.bio.* has these newsgroups:

        Name                            Comments

        sci.bio.botany
        sci.bio.conservation            moderated
        sci.bio.ecology                 mailing list attached
        sci.bio.entomology.homoptera
        sci.bio.entomology.lepidoptera  mailing list attached
        sci.bio.entomology.misc
        sci.bio.ethology                mailing list attached
        sci.bio.evolution               moderated
        sci.bio.fisheries
        sci.bio.food-science
        sci.bio.herp                    mailing list attached
        sci.bio.microbiology
        sci.bio.misc                    replaces sci.bio
        sci.bio.paleontology
        sci.bio.phytopathology          moderated
        sci.bio.systematics
        sci.bio.technology              mailing list attached

Up for a vote now (see news.announce.newgroups):

	none

________________________________________________________________________
        Subscription information for gated mailing lists, etc.
========================================================================

* sci.bio.misc -- By far the oldest, most widely read, and often most
        active newsgroup for discussion of biology, sci.bio.misc (prev.
        sci.bio) welcomes discussions of all topics having to do with
        biology, especially those for which no other newsgroup exists.

* sci.bio.ecology -- This newsgroup is gated to ECOLOG-L, a mailing
        list of over 2000 subscribers.  ECOLOG-L is run by David Inouye,
        a specialist on pollination biology, via listserv@umdd.umd.edu.
        David Inouye "filters" the mailing list to catch mis-directed
        subscription requests and off-topic articles;  the newsgroup is
        not moderated.  Archived on the host site via LISTSERV, which
        supports full-text searches by e-mail.

* sci.bio.entomology.lepidoptera -- Gated to the LEPS-L mailing list,
        run by Larry Gall, an entomologist and museum information
        systems administrator, via listserv@yalevm.cis.yale.edu.  It
        is a forum for discussion of all things lepidopterological
        (re butterflies and moths), among amateurs and professionals.
        Archived on the host site via LISTSERV, which supports full-
        text searches by e-mail.

* sci.bio.ethology -- Gated to the ETHOLOGY mailing list, run by
	David Fleck and William Hayes via listserv@segate.sunet.se,
        for the discussion of animal behavior and behavioral ecology.
        This list has a strong European contingent.  Archived on the
        host site (http://segate.sunet.se/archives/ETHOLOGY.html). 
	As of March 1996, the ETHOLOGY list is moderated, so not all
	articles on sci.bio.ethology appear on the mailing list.

* sci.bio.evolution -- Gated to the EVOLUTION mailing list, run by
        Josh Hayes, a marine biologist, via evolution-request@
        pogo.cqs.washington.edu.  To discourage the permanent debate
        about evolution vs creationism from moving from talk.origins
        into this newsgroup, Josh Hayes moderates it.  The newsgroup
        is archived on sunsite.unc.edu, in the Ecology and Evolution
        section, where it can be searched and read via gopher.

* sci.bio.herp -- Gated to the HERP-L mailing list, run by Michael
        Eisen, an herpetologist, via herp-l-request@xtal220.harvard.edu.
        For discussion of the biology, ecology, evolution, biodiversity,
        and conservation of amphibians and reptiles.  Archived on the
        host site via LISTPROC.

* sci.bio.technology -- Gated to the BIOTECH mailing list, run by
        Dan Jacobs, via listserv@umdd.umd.edu.  BIOTECH is moderated,
        and has over 500 subscribers.  BIOTECH was one of the first
        mailing lists to have a gateway to the Usenet "mainstream".
        It is devoted to biotechnology and more applied biological
        research in general.  Archived on the host site via LISTSERV.

        +----------------------- Note! ----------------------+
        |                                                    |
        |  So far as I know, the other sci.bio.* newsgroups  |
        |   do *not*  have mailing lists attached.  Sorry!   |
        |                                                    |
        +----------------------------------------------------+

To subscribe to any of the mailing lists mentioned above (distinct from
the newsgroups!), send e-mail to the address given in the blurb (above),
and include the text

                subscribe <listname> <Your Name>

        +-------------------- An Example --------------------+
        |                                                    |
        |  Someone named Ima Biologist, who wanted to join   |
        |  BIOTECH, which is linked to sci.bio.technology,   |
        |  would send e-mail containing the message:         |
        |                                                    |
        |       subscribe biotech Ima Biologist              |
        |  to                                                |
        |       listserv@umdd.umd.edu                        |
        |                                                    |
        +----------------------------------------------------+

Enjoy!