Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40895200›Full record

ArticleBiophysicist (Rockville, Md.)2025

Visualizing Cell Structures with Minecraft.

Tianyu Wu, Zane R Thornburg, Kevin Tan, Seth Kenkel, Stephen A Boppart, Rohit Bhargava, Zaida Luthey-Schulten

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biophysicist (Rockville, Md.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Tianyu WuCenter for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Zane R ThornburgBeckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Kevin TanNational Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Quantitative Cell Biology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Seth KenkelNational Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Quantitative Cell Biology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Stephen A BoppartNational Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Quantitative Cell Biology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Rohit BhargavaDepartment of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Zaida Luthey-SchultenCenter for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9749-8367

Funding

The Center for Label-free Imagingand Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB)P41EB031772 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · PI Stephen A Boppart · 2022 to 2026
$7.6M
Discrete Frequency Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging for Breast HistopathologyR01EB009745 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · PI BHARGAVA, ROHIT · 2010 to 2025
$5.1M
NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB031772NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB009745
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many microscopic images and simulations of cells give results in different kinds of formats, making it difficult for people lacking computational skills to visualize and interact with them. Minecraft-known for its three-dimensional, open-world, voxel-based environment-offers a unique solution by allowing the direct insertion of voxel-based cellular structures from light microscopy and simulations into its worlds without modification. This integration enables Minecraft players to explore the ultrastructure of cells in a highly immersive and interactive environment. Here, we demonstrate several workflows that can convert images and simulation results into Minecraft worlds. Using the workflows, students can easily import and interact with a variety of cellular content, including bacteria, yeast, and cancer cells. This approach not only opens new avenues for science education but also demonstrates the potential of combining scientific visualization with interactive gaming platforms for facilitating research and improving appreciation of cellular structure for a broad audience.

Indexed as

cell visualizationcomputational biologygame-based learningMinecraft

Identifiers

PMID40895200
PMCPMC12393818

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.