Would you like to change the color of your clothes in GAME FOR SCIENCE? It is now possible! If you have 25,000 neurons, you can now ask Magnus to dye some of your clothes. He can be found in the shop on Entry Island. Send me images of your favourite looks and I will publish them!

Getting to 25,000 neurons is too difficult? Not anymore! A new tutorial will guide you step by step and you will perhaps discover features you did not know about.
Happy discoveries!

Two new games await you!

Visit the Science Café and click on the dice to try the first one. In it, you will discover the life of a researcher, with all its ups and downs … Will you choose a life of honor or serenity? Will you be wealthy and famous for your discoveries? Check it out and find what destiny has in store for you!

The other game is a racing game. Come and test GAME FOR SCIENCE’s first green boat engine and prove to the world that ecofriendly boat engines are the highest performing engines on the market! The biochemist will help you formulate an eco-friendly fuel. Do you have the skill it takes to get to the top of the rankings?

A new game has just appeared on GAME FOR SCIENCE. Clim’Way is a simulation game available on our environmental archipelago, Environium. Your mission: take control of a region and create a climate plan to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.

You have 50 years to achieve this. No more, no less. Your tools are a range of actions involving public authorities, businesses and citizens. For example, you might install solar panels at a school, develop green tourism on the mountain, or recycle incinerator waste to build a road. Along the way, you can assess the effect of your actions. Did you manage to reduce greenhouse gas emissions this year?

According to different climate prediction scenarios, scientists foresee a global warming of between 1ºC and 5ºC by 2100. In order to stabilize this warming at an acceptable level (maximum of 2ºC), we must cut world emissions of greenhouse gasses in half by 2050.

The fight against global warming is a complex issue, but above all, it’s URGENT. Are you ready for the Clim’Way challenge?

Head over to Environium and click on the little robot called Decobob. You can also access the game from a machine on the first floor of the arcade on Entry Island. As a bonus, you can earn neurons and valuable questions for duels.

Back to work… I mean play.

The time has now come to put your knowledge to the test. You have answered questions from Sci-Jack and learned some fascinating things.  Measure yourself against other sciencenauts in the Neuromaster duel and win valuable rewards. You need to have at least 1500 neurons to become a duellist.

First hone your weapons: Open the duel menu by clicking on the boxing glove in your personal menu.

Click on the deck icon at the very top to open your deck editor. Your special cards inventory lies just below. The editor will allow you to create a ferocious deck to crush your opponents.

To boost your efforts, a visit to the new store will allow you to buy special cards : some offensive, some defensive. Which will be your style?

Once your deck is ready, it’s time to duel! The more you answer difficult questions and the faster you answer them, the more points you’ll earn. Stay focused! The issue of the battle could depend on it. Be careful, you only have 3 lives…
The winner will walk away with a bonus that changes with each fight: potions, special cards, Talent$…

You’re short on questions? Sci-Jack will be happy to hand you some more… if you know the right answer!
Login now to find opponents and good luck!

We are moving the virtual world to a more powerful server! Why? We were getting a little cramped in our old server. Connection and lag issues will be resolved with this update. Connecting to GAME FOR SCIENCE will not be possible during the update. The update will take place from Friday to Saturday afternoon.

The update will also improve how the virtual world is displayed. If your browser allows it, your game window will now be bigger. We bet new details will pop out at you on every island!

We are withdrawing the duel for the time being, as we put the finishing touches to the new version. We are certain the wait will be worth it for you! HUGE improvements are in the works.

As always, feel free to email us or if you come across a bug in the virtual world!

Do you have plans for the summer? Make sure to visit us over the coming weeks : we will have tons of new content for you throughout the summer. Also, the contest continues on Genomia Island! I will be happy to help you if you need a little help to free the Whippersnapper brothers. You could win an iPod touch!

This week, a new debate awaits you at the Science Cafe. Is it acceptable to test new drugs on humans? How can we know certain vaccines aren’t dangerous to our health? You will explore these issues and other fascinating ones by joining in the debate!

You will also notice a few small improvements to the virtual world. You may now move from island to island without using the ticket : simply click wherever you wish to go on the world map, from the same portal locations as before. The Sci-Phone has also been revamped. You wish to see how your sciencenaut journey compares to your friends’? Your Sci-Phone now allows you to check out the detailed specs of each of your friends. For example : need help in a quest? You may now see which of your friends has completed it! This is just the beginning, other applications are coming to the Sci-Phone. Your suggestions are welcome!

Do you have what it takes to tackle the mysteries on Genomia Island?
Complete The Mysterious Dissapearance of the Whippersnapper Brothers I, II, or III in the virtual world or as independent games from our games page for a chance to win an iPod!
Invite your friends, too, as you get an extra chance for every friend who enters the contest!

Here are the contest rules:

• The only way of entering the contest is the form which appears at the completion of quests or games from Genomia Island.
• The contest will begin June 17, 2011 and will run until September 6, 2011.
• A drawing from all those people who qualified to participate will be made.
• The winner will win a 32GB iPod Touch, valued at approximately $ 319.99.
• Winners will be announced September 7 at 12pm on the GAME FOR SCIENCE blog: http://www.gameforscience.com/blog/
• Genome Quebec is responsible for shipping the prize to the winner by mail or courier the week of September 12.
• Employees of Genome Quebec and CREO, their representatives, agents and persons with whom they are domiciled may not enter this contest.

Any dispute regarding the organization or conduct of this contest may be submitted to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.
Good luck!

Do you enjoy debates? You’ve probably noticed the Science Café by now. It is a great place to share opinions, meet new people, relax and discover some famous scientists : the Café’s walls are adorned with portraits of inspiring teachers and discoverers… Linda the barista has a quest for you, to help bring a little more life to the Café’s walls. Linda also sells potions with various surprising effects! I suggest you try them all and see which is your favorite. She’s constantly working on new formulas, too. Who knows what she’ll brew next! What kinds of potions would you like to see added to her offerings?

The Café is a very lively place. Each month, a new debate will be added. The first debate focuses on scientific innovations. Do you think it’s important to allow potentially controversial research to happen even if it might have some undesirable consequences, so as to make sure innovation isn’t stifled? On the contrary, do you think it’s better to wait until there is a high level of certainty to avoid possible problems? Whatever your opinion, you will follow the debate between Ganda and Victor with great interest. In addition, if you give your opinion during the debate, you will gain new Talent$ (enough to fetch a few extra potions!).

The Science Café isn’t the only place where there’s action! Head over to Rana : 2 new quests will challenge your capacity to react to environmental catastrophes. More on this soon!

Enjoy your discoveries!

Lots of new things online for you to explore! First, GAME FOR SCIENCE inaugurates its Science Café. Science-themed debates will soon be held there. In the meantime, if you’re hungry for new quests, hop to Physica Island : a new quest awaits you there! We will tell you all about it soon…

April Fool’s Day is upon us, we suggest you try the diodon potion. It will turn you into a strange fish. Check out your inventory manager and you’ll find a sample.

Diodons are a genus of fish with spine-covered skin who can inflate themselves to scare away predators. When they feel in danger, the bodies of these animals swells to become almost spherical. How do they achieve that? They accumulate water in their stomach and esophagus. If a predator, such as heron, catches them, they can also defend themselves by ballooning up with air.

Photo : Getty Images

Impossible for a potential predator to swallow it whole! It wouldn’t make a very nice snack anyway because their bodies contain a highly toxic substance. These “porcupine fish” accumulate a toxin called tetrodotoxin.

Look what happened to the diver who annoyed a diodon!

Despite the toxic substance they contain, these fish are considered a delicacy in some Japanese restaurants. They are prepared by chefs who are trained to remove the poisonous pockets.

There are several species of Diodon. These fish usually live near the coasts in the tropics and subtropics. They eat sea urchins, hermit crabs and coral, thanks to their very strong teeth. Indeed, the word “Diodon” means two teeth. All of the Diodon’s small teeth are welded together to form two large teeth. Thanks to them, they can crack the shell of shellfish they eat.
In some countries, artists inflate and dry this amazing fish before inserting a lightbulb into its body, turning it into a bedside lamp… Can you imagine yourself turned into a bedside lamp?
If you have other questions on Diodon, do not hesitate! And why not do a little research on your side exploring the powers of animals. If you find something interesting, you could suggest new potions for the Science Café!

We will soon open the Café and I would appreciate your opinion on some of the new characters. You might have already filled the form as it popped up when you visited the site. If you haven’t,  just click here to complete the survey. It’s short, only 3 questions… and you get to peek at new characters!

Despite the fact that there are many possible appearance combinations, we sometimes find identical twins roaming about.

Here are the accidental twins of the month, cspatiale and flo123:

Feel free to send me your screenshots, I will publish them here!

What new accessories would you like to see in the virtual world?