The OpenScience Laboratory

An initiative of The Open University and The Wolfson Foundation

This online laboratory brings interactive practical science to students anywhere and anytime the internet is available. The laboratory features investigations based on on-screen instruments, remote access experiments and virtual scenarios using real data. Several activities are available to all, while others are available only to registered users.

Come in and look around.

Lab tour

If you close this box, you can still see it at any time by clicking About from the main header above.

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Popular experiments

  • A-level: virtual microscope

    Subject Bio

    A collection of slides covering animal and plant tissues in the school curriculum.

    Time required 1-2 hours or more
    Open to the public

  • Hominid skull evolution

    Subject Bio Earth Env

    Explore the features of a collection of hominid skulls and take measurements that will enable you to determine the evolutionary relationships between them, investigating the march of bipedalism through the fossil record.

    Time required
    Open to the public

  • Astronomy with an online telescope (Badged Course)

    Subject Astro Phys

    Details for Astronomy with an online telescope Badged Course users.

    Time required
    Open to the public

All experiments (filtered; page 1 of 5)

  • The Digital Geology Kit

    Subject Earth Env

    View mineral, rock and fossil specimens in high-quality images and videos.

    Time required 10 min - 10 h
    Open to the public

  • Light Harvesters

    Subject Env Bio

    Value the trees in your neighbourhood and see their environmental benefits using Treezilla.

    Time required 1-3 hours
    Open to the public

  • Leaf Structure as Environment Indicator

    Subject Env Bio

    Microscopic study of leaf structure relating to environment

    Time required
    Open to the public

  • Virtual Ocean Dives

    Subject Env Earth

    A VR opportunity to experience a series of dives in a submersible at key locations around the world

    Time required 3 - 4 hours
    Open to the public

  • Variation in vegetation: the heather hypothesis

    Subject Env Bio Earth

    Sample virtual transects to gather data on species of heather.

    Time required 2.5 hours
    Open to the public

  • DNA quantitation

    Subject Bio Chem

    Spectrometry, micropipette, dilutions, quantitation, quality checks, controls.

    Time required 2 hours
    Open to the public

  • Maps and landforms

    Subject Env Earth

    Learn how to interpret maps and how to use a compass.

    Time required 1 hour
    Open to the public

  • Elementary flame test

    Subject Chem Phys

    A simple demonstration of the characteristic colours produced by metallic salts in flames.

    Time required 1 hour
    Open to the public

  • The OpenScience Laboratory

    Subject Gen

    Time required
    Open to the public
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