Biology Labs Online vs Simbiotiks

Biology Labs Online is a free web collection of 12 interactive biology simulations and exercises for college and AP high school students. Topics include inheritance, evolution, genetics, population growth, protein structure and function, electron transport, plant physiology, cardiovascular homeostasis, and enzyme biochemistry. The inquiry-based activities are designed to reinforce scientific methodology, including principles that may be dangerous, expensive, or time-consuming to study in wet labs. They are not intended to replace traditional labs, operate as standalone tutorials, or serve as online courses. Older Java applets are converted to JavaScript through CheerpJ, a process the site says can have minor quirks. The listed tested browsers on Windows and Mac include Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Brave, plus Safari on Mac. The applets assume mouse input and do not work well on mobile devices. Many can export data and graphs, but pop-ups must be allowed for the output window to appear. Notebook data must be exported locally or copied elsewhere to preserve it. Instructors can request access to instructor resources by email.

Simbiotiks provides three interactive 3D biology atlases for undergraduate study: an animal cell, the human body, and E. coli. Each atlas offers Explore and Study modes, full nomenclature, and three reading depths; Study mode adds supporting papers. The cell atlas covers nine structures and includes narration. The body atlas presents six anatomical layers, and its page says a female model is coming soon. The E. coli atlas covers eight structures, identifies strain K-12 MG1655, and lists narration as coming soon. All three atlases run in a modern browser without installation. The site lists English, Spanish, Chinese, and Persian. Simbiotiks describes the resources as intended for undergraduate biology and biomedical science, with university-level learners as the primary audience. It says on-screen claims are checked against reference material before release and credits BodyParts3D, Z-Anatomy, and HuBMAP sources for anatomy. Students receive free access without an account; instructors can contact the maker about course content.