Scientists have long used models as a way to gain understanding of natural phenomena. As our technology has improved, so have our models. One ingenious tool for modeling objects is the KeckCAVES (Keck Center for Actual Visualization in Earth Sciences). It's a program that creates virtual environments and projects them into a room in the Planetary Sciences building at U.C. Davis. The KeckCAVES has been used to visualize everything from the microbial communities, to earthquake activity around the world, and also to help choose landing sites for the Mars Rover!
In the case of the microbialites, Dawn and Tyler can use x-ray technology and the KeckCAVES simulations to “see” the mineral concentrations within the microbial structures. This allows them to better understand how the modern microbial communities grow and interact with environmental conditions. Then, they can construct a representation of the morphology of ancient microbial communities, also using rock samples and the KeckCAVES.
I’ve had an opportunity to visit the KeckCAVES twice now, and it’s a fascinating experience. The CAVE is a three-sided room with four projectors that project two images on each of the four walls (including the floor). The images alternate at the same frequency as shutters in each eye of the glasses you wear in the CAVE. Each eye receives a slightly different view. The cave detects where your head is and projects the appropriate images to make it look like the object is in a consistent orientation in space. With the goggles and wand, you can manipulate virtual 3-D images to better visualize them. In the case of the microbialites, the 3-D model glows with different colors based on the type of mineral deposits contained inside, and can be rotated and examined as if it were a real object.
