OnScreen DNA offered as Lite, Standard, Pro
updated 09:45 am EST, Thu January 25, 2007
OnScreen DNA 1.2
OnScreen Science has released three editions of OnScreen DNA 1.2, its interactive 3D visualization software designed to place understanding of the structure and workings of DNA within easy reach of Mac users. OnScreen DNA Lite deals with the structural details of DNA, including its double helix geometry and chemical components and bonds. OnScreen DNA adds 3D simulations of the critical DNA processes of replication and gene transcription. OnScreen DNA Pro enables users to take control of those simulations by activating the proper enzymes and selecting and dragging into position the building blocks needed to construct a double helix. The latest release of all three editions run natively on Intel-based Macs as Universal Binaries, and include minor bug fixes. The software requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, with the Lite ($50), Standard ($150), and Pro ($200) editions available online.
"OnScreen DNA stands out as the only software available that combines a 3D on-screen model and a linear representation of the DNA strands within a tutorial framework, complete with on-screen tests whose results can be saved to disk," wrote OnScreen Science. "While aimed primarily at high school and college biology teachers for use in classes or computer labs, OnScreen DNA can benefit anyone with an interest in this fundamental topic of modern biology."
Tutorial on-screen guides aim to provide both background and step-by-step explanations of the simulated DNA processes. All three editions obtain the identification of any component of the DNA when users click on it, and users can rotate the DNA model as well as zoom in or out to see it from different perspectives even while simulations with moving components are taking place. OnScreen DNA also serves as a supplement to other activities or as a self-contained guided tutorial on DNA's double helix structure, its chemical components, and its biological function. Instructors can use the software to project lecture hall demonstrations of DNA processes, pausing and resuming progress at will.
