Educational Science

Virtual Virus is First Simulation of an Entire Life Form

This is no ordinary computer virus. Using a real-life virus as a model, researchers have built a virtual version using more than a million digital atoms. Scientists have previously simulated small pieces of living cells, but researchers say this is the first digital simulation of an entire life form. The...

U.S. Army Orders Virtual Reality Training for Soldiers

To rehearse their assault on Osama bin Laden′s Pakistani compound, U.S. Navy SEALs had to construct a replica of the expansive hideout. The U.S. Army has a wealth of experience in building such structures, as they have created numerous buildings, shoot houses and even entire mock villages to help train...

As the ruins of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig gush 210,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico, federal officials are turning to virtual reality to forecast the disaster. Using a variety of simulation programs, emergency response teams are evaluating everything from deep-ocean pressure to winds at...

Google Glass Virtual Tour Lets You See Inside New Solar Plane

Two Swiss pilots who will attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered plane are planning to give the public a virtual tour of their high-tech ride today (April 10). André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard will host a guided tour of their newly unveiled solar plane, named Solar Impulse...

Virtual Reality Games Aid in Stroke Rehabilitation

Virtual reality games may help patients recover after a stroke. The results of a new study show these games can improve the patient's arm strength. Patients were more likely to improve their arm strength if they played virtual reality games than if they received standard physical therapy, which includes exercises...

Underwater Movie Maker: Q&A With Shaun MacGillivray

Shaun MacGillivray has brought audiences to some of the most extreme environments Earth has to offer: the dizzying heights of Mount Everest, the perils of polar bear territory, and underwater to explore the seafloor. The film company MacGillivray runs with his father, Greg — who started making surf films in...

Photos: Virtual Reality Puts Adults in a Child's World

Seeing the World From a Child's Perspective (Image credit: Courtesy of Mel Slater)A 2013 study by University of Barcelona researchers has found that virtual reality can make people see the world from a child's perspective. Seeing the World in a Child's Body With Virtual Reality (Image credit: Courtesy of Mel...

Oculus Rift: 5 Virtual Reality Uses Beyond Gaming

Social media behemoth Facebook just paid $2 billion for Oculus VR, the virtual reality company that makes headsets and software hotly coveted by gamers. But Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is setting his sights far beyond immersive, first-person shooter video games. After games, we're going to make Oculus a...

Virtual Reality Puts Adults in a Child's World

Virtual reality can make adults see the world through a child's eyes, new research suggests. In the study, adults who inhabited the virtual body of a child saw objects in the world as bigger, associated more readily with childlike words and chose to inhabit a virtual childish room versus a...

Virtual Reality System Lets You Explore Your Brain in Real-Time

AUSTIN, Texas — What if it were possible to explore your brain in virtual reality, watching your thoughts flashing before your eyes? A team of neuroscientists and software developers have created a way to do precisely that. A new system combines brain scanning, brain recording and virtual reality to allow...