VisualizeBiology

Subject

Biochemistry Simulations

The chemistry that keeps cells alive: molecules you can turn and measure, enzymes you can heat and acidify, and energy you can follow from sunlight to ATP.

  • 5simulators
  • 3topics
  • 3in 3D

Nucleic acids

2 simulators
3D · 2D

DNA Structure 3D Model

Watch the double helix being built from one nucleotide, then turn it atom by atom: base pairs, 5′ and 3′ ends, grooves, A-, B- and Z-DNA, and Photo 51. Open simulator 2D

Interactive Codon Chart and DNA to Protein Translator

The genetic code as a codon wheel and table. Paste any DNA or mRNA and watch a ribosome translate it codon by codon, then change a base: silent, missense, nonsense or frameshift? Open simulator

Photosynthesis & respiration

2 simulators
3D · 2D

Photosynthesis Lab

Light a plant under a glass dome, count the bubbles from pondweed and float leaf discs in 3D, then look inside a chloroplast to see which limiting factor holds the rate back. Open simulator 2D

Virtual Living Cell

An animal cell and a plant cell that are alive: tap any organelle, then watch respiration make ATP, photosynthesis, the insulin gene become a protein and water move in and out. Open simulator

Enzymes & digestion

1 simulator
3D · 2D

Human Digestive System Simulator

Click any organ to see it alone and working, then feed the body a meal and follow it from mouth to anus in 2D and 3D: acid, enzymes, bile, villi and gut bacteria. Open simulator

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Molecules, enzymes and energy

Biochemistry in a school course comes down to three questions: what are the molecules of life made of, how do enzymes speed reactions up, and how does a cell capture and spend energy. Each simulator here answers one of them with a model you can change.

Which simulation for which topic

TopicOpen
Nucleotides, the double helix, melting temperatureDNA Structure 3D Model
The genetic code, codons and translating DNA into proteinInteractive Codon Chart and DNA to Protein Translator
Enzymes, pH, temperature, food testsDigestive System Simulator
Photosynthesis, limiting factors, the Calvin cyclePhotosynthesis Lab
Respiration and ATP in a working cellVirtual Living Cell

Why a model helps

An enzyme curve or an energy budget is easy to memorise and hard to understand. In these simulators the curve comes from the model: raise the temperature and amylase works faster until it denatures; cut the oxygen and the cell falls back on two ATP per glucose. Seeing the cause and the effect together is what makes the graph make sense.

Updated

Frequently asked questions

What biochemistry topics are covered?

DNA structure and base pairing, enzymes and the effect of pH and temperature, digestion, photosynthesis and its limiting factors, and respiration and ATP.

Is there an enzyme practical?

Yes. The digestive system simulator has amylase and lipase practicals with pH, temperature and bile, plus the food tests.

Which level is this for?

High school biology (AP Biology, GCSE, IGCSE, A-level, IB, NCERT) with enough depth for an introductory college course.

Are the enzyme and DNA animations interactive?

Yes. Change the pH or the temperature and the enzyme speeds up, slows down or denatures in the animation and on the graph, and the DNA helix can be turned and measured atom by atom.

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