• November 2025: We have just launched a site update
  • We have made a variety of fixes. Please contact us to let us know if you encounter any problems
  • Coming soon: user login with a dashboard so registered users can keep track of activities completed, and share with their teachers.
• Since April 2021, all VirtualUrchin modules are fully mobile compatible (in HTML)!
• An updated version of Analyzing Gene Function was launched in September 2024 with CRISPR/Cas9 content.
  • The prior material using morpholino microinjection is still present, though some of the earlier Flash content in that version of the activity is not yet available.
• We receive scattered reports of the interactive lab bench (used in several of the site's activities) seizing up on some users. In Sept 2024 we uploaded a fix for that problem. If users encounter such a freeze, scroll to the bottom of the bench and click the "do next task" button. That should reload the page and allow the user to continue where they left off.
  • Please contact us to let us know if this fix is working for you!
• Due to its highly interactive nature, this site has been optimized for use with a large screen and a mouse, such as a laptop computer. Devices with smaller screens and touch input, such as a tablet, are supported.
• The current HTML content should also work on mobile phones, but the activities are not optimized for a small screen size, and larger screens are preferred if available.
• At this point, non-English language support is only available for Our Acidifying Ocean (and only in Parts 1-3 of that activity). We're working to expand the choices. If you choose a language, we will remember it and display content in that language if possible!

Please help us by reporting any problems that you find, and feel free to give us any feedback (or email to larvador[at]uw.edu)!