Boston.com

The $350,000 scientific display device and its twin backscreen projectors are packed with software designed to impart three-dimensional form and even “feel” to virtual objects, whether a string of molecules seeming to swirl in mid-air, a hovering swath of DNA, or a simulated diseased organ about to be removed.

The 3D objects - which leap off the screen with such forcefulness that first-time observers often flinch or hop backward - can be manipulated to perform flip-flops and other twists and turns. It’s illusion, sure, but not just the scientific version of a parlor trick. The virtual forms enable researchers to scrutinize things they would not be able to easily view or handle otherwise.

“You can go deep into the structure of a chemical, an organism, or even a natural event,” said Zupan. “It is getting interest from researchers into everything from particle physics to how a caterpillar locomotes.”

The 8-foot high by 14-foot wide screen at the Tufts Center for Scientific Visualization, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and built by the Illinois firm Visbox Inc, is among the most sophisticated such devices in use on any US campus. Boston University and Brown University also have visualization systems, but the Tufts model uses an advanced German-designed filter to sift out “ghost” images and is equipped with twin projectors - as opposed to multiple projectors - for smoother images.

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