Are you a student or a fan of biology and the human body? The BioDigital Human is a great free resource that can provide education and fun by giving you a new way to look at and learn about the human body in general and even specific systems.
The BioDigital Human. Sounds like a modern remake of the Six Million Dollar Man, doesn’t it? It is actually a fantastic web based system that will let you visually and viscerally explore and learn about the human body and all the systems within it, in 3D.
You can sign up to use it for free with an email address, your Google account or your Facebook account. Like many of the more recent free bits of software out there, it also offers a premium version that costs a modest amount of money, but the free version is excellent in it’s own right.
Among the different features you can access immediately in the free version are things like 3D dynamic views of various systems inside the body. Systems like the circulatory or nervous system, as well as musculature and others are accessible as instant overlays on the basic skeleton you will first see. Everything is point and click and there are supporting (and easy to follow) menus on the left and right sides. Once you choose a particular system or combination of systems to view, you can then click individual parts to learn their individual names and even learn what they do and how they interact with other systems. There’s even a nifty button to have the computer give you the proper pronunciation of a given part once you select it.
The navigator controls will allow you to zoom in and out, pan and rotate your 3D view so you basically have a virtual cadaver in front of you to learn from, without having to deal with the smell of formaldehyde or morticians. Both male and female anatomy is available, so it may not be something you want your younger kids looking at too closely (especially the reproductive section) if you’re concerned with that kind of thing. Once you’ve explored specific systems to your heart’s content (no pun intended) you can also explore various symptoms and conditions that might be described by a living patient to learn more about that specific condition or symptom. Again, all of these features are totally free and the company that makes the program promises a high degree of accuracy. That makes this one of the best resources to learn about human biology on the web. Just imagine how useful this thing could have been just fifty years ago, and how useful it is even now, especially for those in school or even practicing medical professionals.
There’s more to explore and learn than just what I have mentioned here, and the whole experience is absolutely top notch, so I would recommend it for absolutely anyone that has any interest in human biology. Everyone from students to artists and even morbid poets and authors can find something to entertain and educate with the BioDigital Human and, let’s face it, it’s just downright cool! Until next time, my friends.
- Check out the BioDigital Human here.
