Charles Darwin put the “remarkable and curious” Galapagos Islands on the map, and it’s been one of the most important destinations for the world’s biologists ever since. Thanks to “The Galapagos,” engaging programming brought to us by the Open University, you can visit the islands and see how scientists and the National Park Service work to preserve the Galapagos as a living laboratory of evolution.

Charles Darwin put the “remarkable and curious” Galapagos Islands on the map, and it’s been one of the most important destinations for the world’s biologists ever since. Thanks to “The Galapagos,” engaging programming brought to us by the Open University, you can visit the islands and see how scientists and the National Park Service work to preserve the Galapagos as a living laboratory of evolution.

Simple to install — just connect your iPhone to your computer using iTunes 8 and click Check for Update — the iPhone 2.1 Software Update reduces the number of dropped calls, provides significantly better battery life for most iPhone owners, improves email reliability, lets you create Genius playlists on the go, and delivers many other benefits. Learn more and install the iPhone 2.1 Software Update today.

PictureCode has just posted a pair of video tutorials for those using the new Noise Ninja plug-in for Aperture 2.1. One explains how to use the plug-in’s Luminance, Color, and Sharpening settings to achieve optimal noise reduction. The other illustrates how easy it is to take advantage of Aperture’s batch processing capabilities to reduce noise in multiple images at the same time — in the background.

The “stunning, sprawling glass display” on iPod touch “isn’t just for Coverflow or video viewing anymore,” say Tim Gideon (pcmag.com). “Calling it the ‘the funnest iPod ever,’ Steve Jobs wants you to consider the new touch a portable gaming device, and if Spore is any indication of what’s possible, he’ll get his wish.” To Gideon, “iPod touch remains the best portable media player on the market, period.”

Calling it “one of the best looking and most successfully executed flash players ever created,” Tim Gideon (pcmag.com) praises the new iPod nano (4th generation), gives it 4.5 stars (out of 5) and names it an Editors’ Choice. “Apple’s slimmed-down, slicker-than-ever iPod nano,” he says, “responds to your movements, creates playlists it thinks you’ll like, and makes the competition look like a bunch of clunkers.

Everyone has done it at least once — accidentally deleted a file. On a Mac, however, Leopard offers a numbers of ways to safeguard your documents. Using Time Machine tops the list, of course. But Mac OS X Leopard also lets you lock files or turn them into templates, actions you can accomplish with a single click. Find out how by watching the latest Quick Tip of the Week.

Out strolling with your camera, you find a great shot and nail the composition. But the scene looks really flat onscreen. Before reaching for the reject button, however, watch Richard Harrington’s “Aperture 2: Quick Tip” podcast on the powerful Levels tool in Aperture 2. With it, you can turn that lackluster shot into a great image. Harrington takes you step-by-step through the process. And makes it easy.

“Say you land in Baltimore and you have a sudden craving for crab cakes,” conjectures Michelle Higgins (nytimes.com). Thanks to iPhone, you can be noshing crab cakes in no time. “With a few taps, iPhone apps with names like Yelp, Urbanspoon and iWant can quickly guide you to Faidley Seafood or Obrycki’s Crab House.” Just as Higgins guides you to “some of the handiest apps for travel” on the App Store.

This week, Electronic Arts delivered Spore Origins to the App Store. In the game, you use the Creature Editor to fashion your own archetypal species. Then set it loose. Using the accelerometer on iPhone or iPod touch, you guide it through the primordial sea to search for food, score points, and fend off nasty predatory creatures. Got an iPod? There’s a version of Spore Origins for you, too.