Physics - Saturday Physics for Everyone

Explore the microscopic world—inside Minecraft!

Scientists at the University of Illinois have brought living cells to life in Minecraft, turning nanoscale biological data into precise, explorable 3D worlds. In this virtual universe, players can walk across a cell’s cytoplasm, dive through organelle membranes, and see what’s inside bacteria, yeast, and even human cells—including breast and cancer cells.

This groundbreaking project, called CraftCells: A Window into Biological Cells, is the first tool that lets anyone—from researchers to curious students—step inside an accurate 3D model of a cell and see how life is organized at the tiniest scale.

Led by Professor Zaida (Zan) Luthey-Schulten and her colleagues at the NSF STC for Quantitative Cell Biology, the team includes researchers from chemistry, physics, and bioengineering who combine cutting-edge experiments, simulations, and creativity.

Be sure to come early to try out the technology on our VR headsets!