WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Energy Department says it has launched an updated version of science.gov, allowing users access to more science resources on the Internet.

The latest version -- science.gov version 5.0 -- was launched Monday. It allows users to search additional collections of scientific resources, more easily target searches and readily find links to information on a variety of science topics.

The service provides a gateway to science and technology information from 17 organizations within 13 federal science agencies. Version 5 offers seven new databases and portals that allow researchers access to more than 200 million pages of scientific information.

Officials said the new information includes thousands of patents resulting from U.S. Department of Energy research and development. The portal also offers access to comprehensive and peer-reviewed toxicology data for thousands of chemicals, as well as more than 3 million references to worldwide literature on the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms.

Science.gov is hosted by the Energy Department's Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

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