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?

Welcome back! Glad to see you’re not crumbling under a pile of math homework keeping you away from SCIENCE IN GAME’s adventures. We’re glad you’re here : this is why we’ve built a new zone for you to explore and earn even more neurons! What’s more, this one could help you with your math homework…

Enter Mathematicos. This is the island where everyone on GAME FOR SCIENCE can buy things they need for their scientific research or simply things they’d enjoy wearing. At the HyperMarket, there’s something for everyone. You’ve got Talent$ to spend? You’ll find shoes, clothes, accessories… It’s time to refresh your wardrobe!

Obviously, there’s more to the HyperMarket than fancy duds. You’re a math whiz? Marty, the manager, needs your help. His clients need a little mathematical assistance to figure out exactly what they should buy. Help them solve their problems and you will earn great rewards. There’s a total of 15 puzzles to solve in order to complete the quest. Also, you might need characters you haven’t met before… Who knows when or where they’ll show up next!

What other items should we add? Check it out and let us know what you think!

Greetings, sciencenauts! On Genomia Island, the ancestral tree has taken one of the Whippersnapper brothers hostage. Why? None of the gnomes have figured it out entirely. However, we know that the four brothers are conducting research on tree genes. They aim to unlock the keys to stronger, faster growing trees.

Until someone like you helps them, their work is on hold. You might have already heard Dobby, a laboratory technician by trade, has been trapped by the tree. Now it seems his brother Chester Whippersnapper, the bioinformatics scientist of the family, is missing and likely trapped too… Head to the condominium the four brothers share. There, dig around. You will find a number of clues that will help you free him. Be careful! The ancestral tree is in an ominous mood, he may try to lash out at you too…

So that’s one challenge for you. Others await too! You will require cunning to complete either of them. Some might even say you’ll require talent. We all have talent! As far as Talent$ go however, some of you might wonder how you could earn more and spoil yourself to a new spiffy haircut. Here’s a tip : check your Progression Manager for quests you have yet to complete. Completing quests earns you Talent$, neurons and you might pick up a few questions for the duels on your way too. Rumor has it there are many other ways to spend your Talent$ just around the corner…

In fact, if I were you, I’d start saving up right now. There is a new quest on Rana that will help with that! In this quest, you’ll learn all about industrial cleaning. The Bufos’ plant explosion didn’t just affect the water, and someone has to go down there and clean it up! Join Dori on Rana Island and he’ll show you the ropes. You will find that time and water are two crucial resources in the fight against contaminants!

This quest is unique : each month, the 20 operators who have cleared the most rooms and the most efficient operators will be rewarded with a sizeable pay.
The leaders will have every incentive not to rest on their laurels because from month to month, we will only compensate them for improvement! Click here to see the current standings. Our “Employee of the Month” will appear on this page from the first pay, which happens at the start of February. Do you have what it takes to make the list?

If your friends have not tried SCIENCE IN GAME, it’s a very good time to invite them. The greater total number of cleaned grows, the better the payout of the month. Click on “Invite your Facebook friends” in the quest screen or the or the “Invite a friend” link ingame at any time to do so. See you in game!

Have you played the FORESTIA forest simulation game yet? Now’s the time to give it a whirl! Not only will you learn many things about the forest and forestry occupations, but you will earn neurons while adding some questions to your duelling arsenal.

Why invite you to play this game now? Because we are working on a new version! We want to know what you like about the game and what you don’t like as much. For example, you could tell us about the sound design, graphics, the time it took you to complete the game…

If the game seemed too easy at times or too difficult, we want to know it! Tell us what you think right here on this blog or write us at creoinfo@creo.ca.

DUEL CHAMPIONSHIP – ONE WEEK TO GO!

The second part of our Grand Duel is happening very soon! Next week, from June 11 to June 13, all duelists are invited to compete for glory and to win a Nintendo DS Lite! All contest details are here. Be ready!