craftcells

AppWizard
May 1, 2025
Zaida Luthey-Schulten and her team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed CraftCells, a project that transforms 3D cell data into interactive objects in Minecraft. This initiative originated from Luthey-Schulten's research on cellular life, where her team created software to segment cells into a grid for studying reactions in specific regions. Inspired by a conference remark about the resemblance of their software to Minecraft's blocky objects, they began converting imaging data into schematic files for the game. Players can download CraftCells from GitHub, allowing them to explore various cellular structures, including bacterial and yeast cells, and experience a rollercoaster ride along a DNA strand. The team plans to collaborate with science educators for feedback on enhancing the platform and aims to incorporate dynamic elements to illustrate cellular processes and expand the variety of cell types available.
AppWizard
February 11, 2025
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed CraftCells, a project that allows users to explore 3D models of biological cells within Minecraft. The project includes models of a yeast cell, healthy and cancerous epithelial cells, and a minimally viable bacterial cell. Users can interact with these models using modified Minecraft tools, including a rollercoaster ride inside a bacterial cell. The 3D representations help illustrate differences between healthy and cancerous cells, such as the elongated shape and enlarged nucleoli of cancer cells. The researchers published an article on CraftCells as an educational tool and made the Minecraft files available on GitHub for public access.
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