In lieu of poking at a real one, spend some time with the app version of the human brain. 3D Brain lets users learn about the different parts of the brain, how they function, and what happens when a specific part is injured. Free, available for iOS and Android.
The Night Sky
If you’re looking to make sense of what you see when the sun goes down, The Night Sky will guide you through the celestial bodies. It also includes stargazing weather reports and pollution maps. $.99, available for iOS and Android.
Human Anatomy
This app is a quick reference guide to the human body, biological system by biological system, including respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular. Free, available for iOS and Android.
Monster Physics
Though geared toward a younger audience, Monster Physics is a colorful app that lets the user build machines like rockets, cars, tanks, and helicopters, using rubber, wood, plastic, and ice — and physics, of course. $.99, available for iOS.
Periodic Table
In need of 118 elements at the tips of your fingers? Try Periodic Table. This app features all 118, with electron shell diagrams for each one and info on various properties. And if you’re feeling fancy, an in-app purchase will get you a solubility chart. Free, available for Android.
Chemical Equation Balancer
If nothing else, download Chemical Equation Balancer to marvel at how much easier high school would have been had you had an app that balanced chemical equations for you. Free, available for Android.
Simple Rockets
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (sorry, low-hanging fruit) to dig an app that lets you be, well, a rocket scientist. Build rockets and rovers to explore the solar system while dabbling in astrodynamics. $1.99, available for iOS and Android.
Gravity Lab
Users create their own universe by creating particles, and manipulating mass and velocity, to learn about how physics influences the physical relationships between those particles. $1.99, available for iOS.
Sonar Ruler
Sonar Ruler has definite utility. It can calculate distances by measuring how long it takes the echo from a sound burst to come back. And now you know how sonar works. $.99, available for iOS.
Frog Dissection
High school biology would have been a lot less messy with Frog Dissection. Poke around the internal workings of a digital frog and learn about specific organs, as well as other info on things like types of frogs and their lifecycles. The one thing this app does not feature is the overwhelming smell of formaldehyde. $3.99, available for iOS and Android.