Virtual Tours in Biology
Want to explore the world of biology, but don't have time to take a field trip? Check out our biology virtual reality tours. Whether you want to travel through time between seasons, learn about a few venomous creatures in the desert, or shrink down to take a tour inside a bee hive, our virtual field trips are a good place to start.
How To Explore the Virtual Tours
On a computer, smart phone, or tablet you can click or touch the Location icon to move to the new area. When using goggles, you place the pointer on top of the Location Icon to move to a new area. Below are the other icons you will find in the different tours. Review the list below before you jump into these virtual worlds.
Bottom Menu Icons
Zoom into the VR image.
Zoom out from the VR image.
Auto rotate the VR image.
Open and close the tour thumbnail images.
When thumbnail images are open, checkmarks are visited locations.
Move between sterographic image options.
Gyroscope On/Off. Visible only with mobile phones and tablets for magic window experience.
Goggles. This icon is visible only when using mobile phones.
Enter full screen.
Exit full screen.
Tour Icons
Information Icon - information about a point of interest.
Location Icon - takes you to a different location.
Image Icon – opens close-up image.
Time Travel Icon – Move forward in time in the same location.
Time Travel Icon – Move backward in time in the same location.
Video Icon – opens and plays videos.
CC Icon – opens text box of any audio file that has a voice track. Usually located at the bottom right of the activation zone for the audio file.
Leave Virtual Tour – Leave the tour and go to additional information.
Take a Virtual Field Trip
 | Desert summers may seem too hot and dry to support much life, but plenty of plants and creatures can be found in the desert, if you just look and listen closely. Visit the Sonoran desert of Arizona (without breaking a sweat) to see what animals you find, then visit Delving into Deserts for more information. |
 | Grasslands may sound like they don't have much more than grass to explore, but all grasslands are very diverse places. Visit the United States prairie grasslands to get a peek at some of the plant and animal life found there. Then, visit Grasping Grasslands for more information. |
 | Savannas seem dry, but they are filled with many plants and animals that live in this biome. Join biologist Beth Pringle and her research team as they travel in the savanna of Kenya Africa. Be sure to find Beth and click on her to listen to her talk about her research and animals they see on this virtual tour. Looking for more? Try our Searching the Savanna story. |
 | Tropical rainforests are packed with life, whether it is up above you in the canopy, hiding behind a leaf, or marching alongside your feet. Though you won't be able to feel the humid air surrounding you, this virtual tour takes you deep into the rainforests of Panama. After you've explored all this biome has to offer, visit Revealing the Rainforest for more information. |
 | Temperate forests are known for their warm summers, chilly autumns, and freezing winters. Explore this forest across time and seasons to see the colors of the leaves change. If you don't get lost in all that this tour has to offer, make sure to visit Taking in the Temperate Forest for more information. |
 | Tundras are cold, wind-swept areas where low-growing bushes, grasses, and mosses seem to rule the land. Travel around the country of Iceland to check out many faces of the tundra, but without the biting cold. This tour has some extra stops, so make sure to check the thumbnail menu so you don't miss any locations. Want to learn about life in the tundra? Visit Trekking Through Tundra for more information. |
Take a Virtual Laboratory Tour
 | Universities do more than teach students. They have ongoing research programs that help us better understand how things work. They are also the incubators for many future discoveries that are used in products such as medicine for treating sick patients. University laboratories also provide opportunities for students to get hands-on experience doing research. This virtual 360 tour takes you inside the Varsani laboratory in the ASU Biodesign Institute. Here you get to learn a little about this team of scientists who are hunting for viruses. |
 | Taking a discovery and developing it into a usable product is often the work of new startup companies. This virtual 360 tour takes you inside a startup company called OncoMyx. Here the scientists are working with a virus that is being transformed into a tool for treating some cancers. Along with the scientists, there are non-science focused people who make sure all the things needed to run a company are in place. Jump into this tour and you will be able to meet a wide variety of people who help this company run. |
Watch Animal Behavior Virtually
 | What's all the buzz about in this bee colony? This tour takes you to a spot you'd never be able to visit physically... inside of an active bee hive. Learn about bees in this virtual tour and make sure to visit our paired bee story, Bee Bonanza. Educators note that video links in this tour are hosted on Vimeo. |
 | Learn about the hummingbirds that had to fight for their spot on this feeder. The hummingbird feeder tour gets you up-close and personal with a bird that's usually too fast to offer you a good look. Learn more about hummingbirds in our paired story, Hummingbirds. |
Additional images via Wikimedia Commons. Frozen wetland by Famartin.
View Citation
Bibliographic details:
- Article: Virtual Reality Tours of Biology
- Author(s): Dr. Biology
- Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
- Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
- Date published: January 19, 2018
- Date accessed: September 20, 2023
- Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/games-and-simulations/virtual-reality-tours-biology
APA Style
Dr. Biology. (2018, January 19). Virtual Reality Tours of Biology. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved September 20, 2023 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/games-and-simulations/virtual-reality-tours-biology
Chicago Manual of Style
Dr. Biology. "Virtual Reality Tours of Biology". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 19 January, 2018. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/games-and-simulations/virtual-reality-tours-biology
Dr. Biology. "Virtual Reality Tours of Biology". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 19 Jan 2018. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 20 Sep 2023. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/games-and-simulations/virtual-reality-tours-biology
MLA 2017 Style
Already explored all of our virtual tours? Make sure to check back soon, when we will be adding more virtual biology tours, including a tour of the freshwater biome.
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