Bio Online™, which began life as the Biological Research Network, International (BRNI) in 1992, claims to be recognized as “the first life sciences web site”. Almost ten years on, and the site shows few signs of old age.

At the heart of Bio Online is a fresh-looking home page fronting links to a variety of sections. For the corporate-minded, the 'Industry news' and 'Industry reports and analyses' cover company reports and business issues in the biotechnology sector. 'Research news', on the other hand, gives short summaries of recent research. Although the papers highlighted reflect the site's slant towards biotechnology and medicine, the articles are readable and up to date, with links to useful web sites.

Each month, 'In focus' describes a cutting-edge technology, including a round-up of hot papers in the area and short transcripts of online discussions with leaders in the field. Proteomics and bioinformatics are featured in February and March, respectively, although some of the previous topics are a little more off-beat.

Right on track, however, is the 'Research and education' section, with extensive links to lab protocols and research tools. The 'Career centre' is also useful, featuring careers advice and a moderated career forum. Only the jobs database disappoints — most adverts are placed by US companies, few specific positions are offered, and a high proportion of those seem to be in sales rather than research.

Those behind Bio Online claim that it is used by “researchers . . . from academia and from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies”. This is a commercial site, though, and we suspect that researchers in industry will gain most from it.