Unlocking the Hidden Beauty of Science with Virtual Reality and Direct Volume Rendering

Lightsheet? microCT? Serial block face electron microscopy? Have you ever heard of these technologies? Very few members of the public know of the silent imaging revolution happening right now in the life sciences. In fact, in 2023 alone, there were 7,000 manuscripts about lightsheet microscopy, and 17,000 manuscripts about microCT—new technologies that can produce stunning high-resolution 3D image volumes. Why are these new techniques limited to the elite scientist researcher, and can we leverage these new datasets for something more?

Every day, research scientists across the globe are capturing breathtaking 3D image datasets, revealing the stunning intricacies of biological structures that most people never get to see. These datasets can be massive, ranging from tens of gigabytes to terabytes in size. Such sheer volume makes them difficult to share or even view using traditional methods.

Cleared mouse brain courtesy of 3i.

What’s more, most of us are confined to viewing these groundbreaking discoveries in 2D on a regular computer screen, missing out on the full beauty and depth these 3D volumes offer. It’s like trying to appreciate a sculpture through a photograph. Sure, it’s interesting—but it doesn't quite convey the same sense of wonder as seeing it up close from every angle.

But with recent advancements in "direct volume rendering" and virtual reality (VR), we can finally change this. Imagine stepping into a completely immersive experience where you can explore these vast datasets in 3D, interacting with intricate biological structures as if you were holding them in your hands. VR allows us to go beyond the limits of traditional screens and truly unlock the beauty and complexity that’s hidden within this data. Better yet, it opens up a new medium for scientific discovery and appreciation.

Cleared human eye, visualized in syGlass, courtesy of Marie Darche.

These new visualization tools allow us to change that. By making science more accessible, we’re inspiring curiosity and appreciation for the life sciences, showing the world that there’s a whole new world of microscopic discovery happening right now. Through VR, we can connect people directly to these groundbreaking discoveries, bringing the hidden beauty of science into the spotlight and inspiring a new generation of scientific appreciation.