Science May Find a Home — But Not a Utopia — in The Metaverse

The Metaverse offers scientists a host of benefits, but according to a team of researchers, scientists must also be prepared to mitigate a host of challenges and obstacles in the use of Web3 technologies for scientific ends.

According to the team, who released their findings in Nature Human Behavior, the Metaverse can serve science with a list of opportunities, from improving accessibility to aiding reproducibility. On the other hand, the researchers see a nearly as long list of potential problems, including what is controlling the Metaverse and who can afford it.

“The metaverse can improve the accessibility of scientific laboratories and meetings, aid in reproducibility efforts and provide new opportunities for experimental design,” the scientists write. “But researchers and research institutions must plan ahead and be ready to mitigate potential harms.”

The researchers define the Metaverse as “an immersive and persistent 3D environment in which people synchronously interact with others, with virtual agents and objects, and with representations of objects from the physical world.”

Opportunities for Science

For scientists, this virtual space provides a platform for addressing a number of issues with conducting science. The include:

Accessibility: The metaverse can overcome barriers to accessibility by providing a 3D virtual environment where researchers from around the world can collaborate and communicate, expanding access to scientific facilities and meetings. It enables remote participation, reduces travel expenses and restrictions, and fosters serendipitous discussions and social connections that are often limited in video conferencing.

Reproducibility: The metaverse offers a solution for enhancing the reproducibility of experimental results by allowing scientists to record and replicate laboratory conditions and procedures in immersive 3D simulations. These recordings, integrated with material states and instrument data, can be revisited by collaborators or reviewers, facilitating a deeper understanding of the research process. Implementing blockchain technology can further ensure the immutability and trustworthiness of these records.

Training and learning: The metaverse revolutionizes the training process by enabling virtual reality experiences that simulate laboratory procedures. It allows trainees to revisit and fully immerse themselves in previous research, reducing the limitations of location and enabling the sharing of techniques among research groups. Virtual simulation also provides a safe environment for learners to make mistakes without real-world consequences.

New experimental environments: Visualization in the metaverse surpasses traditional 3D object visualization on screens by providing a fully immersive experience. Researchers can explore and manipulate large-scale networks, molecular structures, and complex data in multiple dimensions. Additionally, the metaverse allows the creation of virtual and immersive environments that are otherwise challenging, expensive, or impossible to realize in physical laboratories, expanding the possibilities for behavioral studies and exploring inaccessible or hazardous locations.

A Metaverse of Challenges for Scientists.