10 Best Science Apps for Your iPhone
By Stephanie Pappas and Jeanna Bryner (Live Science), Laptop, 10 April 2013.
By Stephanie Pappas and Jeanna Bryner (Live Science), Laptop, 10 April 2013.
For anyone with a sense of wonder about the world, apps can bring the adventure of science to your fingertips. From finding the season’s brightest constellations and exploring the latest in alien worlds to learning about the Higgs boson and finding out who discovered the DNA molecule’s structure, here are some of the most stellar apps for the science geek in all of us.
1. The Particle Zoo
Price: Free
Want to sound smart or have some of the coolest names (think Glueball and Squark) to throw around at your next get-together? Download the Particle Zoo, which reveals the universe's subatomic particles with bite-size descriptions and history, subatomic properties and the cutest little "particle animals" to boot. The Particle Zoo also keeps up with the latest experiments, such as the evidence found at the Large Hadron Collider of the long-sought Higgs boson particle (thought to explain where other particles get their mass).
2. Science Glossary
Price: Free
From the definition of Earth's crust and "folk taxonomy" to a short bio on Francis Crick (one of the discoverers of the molecular structure of DNA), Science Glossary is more than just a dictionary. If you're just feeling a need for a brain boost, Science Glossary has a Random button that selects various definitions and biographies for the user. The app also features various science-education modules associated with science terms that link the user to online educational material from Vision Learning. Happy science hunting…
More: 25 Best iPhone 5 Apps
3. QuakeFeed
Price: Free
If the earth shakes, this app will let you know. Quakefeed notifies you of any earthquake of magnitude-6 or above around the world and brings you data on recent quakes from the U.S. Geological Survey. You can filter the quake list by magnitude, starting at 2.5 or higher. Quakefeed’s sharp map feature (complete with fault lines) makes it simple to visualize a temblor's location. Last but not least, a curated news feed provides a one-stop shop for earthquake news.
Being notified of every magnitude-6 or above quake around the world may be a boon for some users and an irritant for others (according to the USGS, there are about 134 quakes of this size each year). A US$1.99 upgrade lets you customize quake notifications, alerting you to, say, only magnitude-4.0 and larger quakes in New Zealand.
4. The Night Sky
Price: US$0.99
Can't tell Cassiopeia from Orion? This nifty app can help. Using your GPS location data and smartphone compass, The Night Sky can identify the stars, constellations, planets and galaxies hovering above you. Even man-made satellites are included.
And for those night-sky enthusiasts who plan to bring along their iPhone to gaze at the heavens, the app includes a night-time mode that casts the screen in red light. That way, you can hold the phone up to the sky and see the outlines of the constellations as they should appear in real life. For a more Carl Sagan-esque experience, turn on the sound effects - the result is both cosmic essence and outdoor symphony.
5. iSeismometer
Price: Free
Typing away at your desk just got way more fun. The iSeismometer app turns your iPhone into a seismometer, detecting vibrations in real time. The app can store up to 10 seconds of data, and advanced users can go to a free online tutorial for ways to play with that data (pretty graphs, anyone?). The app makes it easy to export the data via Wi-Fi or email.
iSeismometer includes an optional alarm feature to detect sudden movement. Most people will probably just have fun playing around with vibrations from speakers, keyboards and the like, but if you happen to experience a real earthquake while using iSeismometer, the app lets you report the shaking with the tap of a finger.
6. Exoplanet
Price: Free
Exoplanet has some of the snazziest graphics of any science app out there, and it will make you feel less alone in the universe to boot. This app is essentially a database of all known exoplanets, or planets outside of the solar system. Each exoplanet has its own info page (supported by ads), complete with discovery year, information on orbit and home star and mass. For those who want to go in-depth, Web links lead to scientific papers on each planet.
The app includes accessible background information on what exoplants are and how they’re detected, as well as an exoplanet news feed and a graph feature that allows you to plot arbitrary bits of data, like discovery year versus surface gravity. Most enthralling is a gorgeous, swipeable map of the Milky Way that allows users to “fly” their way from exoplanet to exoplanet.
More: 5 Best AT&T Smartphones
7. 3D Brain
Price: Free
If exploring inner space is more your speed, the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory has you covered with 3D Brain. This app allows users to rotate and explore the human brain structure by structure. Away from your neuroscience textbooks and desperately need to know where Broca's area is? Tap 3D Brain’s list of 29 brain structures and find out.
3D Brain also explains the function of each area and links to research about each structure. One of the most entertaining features is the case study associated with each structure. Users exploring the prefrontal lobe, for example, will learn about lobotomies, and those curious about the little-known subiculum can discover its link to cocaine addiction.
8. Bio Hatcher
Price: Free
In Biohatcher, you play a scientist engineering life to survive in extreme extraterrestrial environments - sort of like Tamagotchis in space. To win, choose from four planets, ranging from icy cold to fiery hot, and develop the perfect microbe to survive in that environment.
This animated game may appeal more to kid science geeks than adult nerds, but the app is a neat introduction to the adaptations that allow extremophile microbes to survive in wild environments. And there's something strangely appealing about watching your microbes outbreed alien viruses.
9. iYoga Premium
Price: US$2.99
Whether you have time to push through a series of sun salutations or a lone downward dog followed by child's pose, iYoga will prepare you for perfection on the mat while revealing the inner workings of the human body. The app's motion capture technology reveals the proper positioning, in all its muscular glory, for 80 poses (with an additional in-app purchase, iYoga offers another 110 poses). Users can practice individual poses or choose a preset or personalized set of yoga poses. Preset programs include the 20-minute Lunchtime Energizer, a nearly 23-minute Calming program and 10-minute Morning Stretch.
For each pose, an all-knowing voice walks users through the nuances of body positioning and posture, while images show your muscles in action, from both a front and side view. Namaste.
10. Ripple
Price: Free
Living green isn’t always easy. That’s where the Ocean Conservancy's Rippl app comes in. Rippl reminds you to do the little things, like grabbing reusable bags for a shopping trip, that help keep consumer plastics out of the oceans. Each week, the app gives a new environmentally friendly tip, which you can choose to add to your routine or not. (If the tip of the week doesn't match your needs, you can pick from a list.) Rippl will then remind you of your Earth-loving commitments on a schedule you set. If you've got your own brilliant ideas about how to make the world a better place, you can suggest your own tip to the Ocean Conservancy. If it's a good one, they may add it to their list.
Related Posts:
1. 10 Brain-Boosting iPhone Apps
2. 10 Best Space Apps
3. 20 Cool Apps to Help You Stay Green
4. 20 Best Education Apps And Web Tools of 2012
1. 10 Brain-Boosting iPhone Apps
2. 10 Best Space Apps
3. 20 Cool Apps to Help You Stay Green
4. 20 Best Education Apps And Web Tools of 2012
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