App and smartphones useful for science

The best scientific apps that can make us do incredible experiments: monitor earthquakes, create a virtual particle accelerator and more.

The smartphone is full of miniaturized sensors and equipment: instead of using them to take pictures or send messages to friends, you can use these tools for the sake of science. The software can transform a smartphone into a mobile scientific laboratory, making it possible to make surveys useful for research, monitor earthquakes, study birds, stars and elements and even project a virtual particle accelerator. Here are some of the best apps to use your smartphone for ‘scientific’ purposes.

1. eBird The app, managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, not only allows to identify and record bird sightings, but also facilitates the sharing of these results with other users, including scientists who track bird populations around the world.

First of all, the free app is installed, so its intuitive interface allows you to track the position and mark the birds located in the area. In addition to observation and sharing, the app also helps to identify doubtful species, provides data on common sightings in your locality, directs you to nearby sighting points and warns when the opportunity for a potentially rare sighting arises. If you ship to more remote regions, Bird also works offline, which is why it is one of the best scientific apps in circulation EBird is free for Android and iOS.