California Academy of Sciences Uses Lenses to Take Snapchat Users on Expedition Reef

AR animations of creatures of the coral come to smartphones

The California Academy of Sciences is dropping some science on Snapchat users in the form of a new set of lenses.

Snapchat said this initiative marks the first known application of its lens technology by a scientific institution.

The scientific and educational institution’s in-house Visualization Studio tapped the messaging application’s Lens Studio to create five lenses that highlight scenes from Expedition Reef, the newest planetarium show at the California Academy of Sciences, which “aims to explore, explain and sustain the world’s coral reefs by making fundamental breakthroughs in coral reef biology, developing new conservation and restoration techniques and engaging the public through immersive exhibits and multimedia,” the Academy said in a press release.

The Academy’s Visualization Studio created the augmented reality animations of “realistic and scientifically-accurate virtual reef creatures” by collaborating with its scientists and referring to photo and video footage captured on its global expeditions.

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