It’s a sort of huge app – and it chews up more than 700 megabytes of space – but it’s also beautifully made and useful as anything.
Touchpress has announced that its Molecules by Theodore Gray app, which was initially used by Steve Jobs to demonstrate the power of the iPad in 2010. Now, its sequel is set to shape the future of the next generation of apps. Created for science enthusiasts and experts alike, Molecules is a fascinating, invaluable guide behind the scenes of our world.
Based on Theodore Gray’s book of the same name, Molecules combines beautiful photography with compelling stories, and adds state-of-the-art simulations so, for the first time, anyone can experience what it’s like to touch, stretch and twist molecules.
The app contains Gray’s book, and incorporates an implementation of the Nanoscale Molecular Dynamics (NAMD) system developed at the University of Illinois. The scientists working on this award-winning project have created software that can accurately model the physical behavior of individual molecules. Until now, this has only been available in labs using supercomputers, but Gray and Touchpress saw that such technology was perfect for iPhone and iPad.
With Molecules, you can bend and flex scientifically accurate 3D models of molecules, to experiment with their structural properties. Every molecule is different – some stiff, some floppy, some with complex bond structures that resist specific movements while encouraging others in ways that are important to their chemical and biological function.
Molecules by Theodore Gray retails for US$13.99 and requires iOS 7.1 or later to install and run.