From a single cell to a real 3-D protein. Here's a good order to try.
The protein-structure pathway runs across two free, on-device, no-account sites — Spark & Anvil forges and the science tools at Fold Commons, a sister project. It's a good order to try, not a rulebook. Fold Commons links open in the same tab, in English.
Ages 9–14 — start here
- bioforge On Spark & Anvil
A living thing is built of cells, and cells are built of parts that each do a job.
- junior-explore opens foldcommons.org · in English
A protein has a shape you can turn and look at from every side.
- proteinquest opens foldcommons.org · in English
Different proteins have different shapes, and the shape hints at the job.
- geneforge On Spark & Anvil
A gene is an instruction, and a changed letter can change the protein it builds.
- notmarbles opens foldcommons.org · in English
A protein is a chain, not a bag of marbles — order matters.
- vanishpoint opens foldcommons.org · in English
A flat picture and a 3-D model tell you different things.
- twoislands opens foldcommons.org · in English
Parts of a protein clump together for a reason.
- microbelab On Spark & Anvil
Tiny living things run on proteins too — and we can study them safely.
- buriedbet opens foldcommons.org · in English
You can bet which parts of a chain end up hidden inside.
Ages 15–18 — the older track
- reactquest On Spark & Anvil
Chemistry decides which parts of a chain attract, repel, or bury.
- helixquest On Spark & Anvil
Local patterns — helices and sheets — come from the sequence.
- shapeforge On Spark & Anvil
Predict local structure from sequence; hydrophobic residues bury; sickle cell is one changed letter.
- numberreader opens foldcommons.org · in English
A model's confidence number tells you how much to trust each part.
- gripchain opens foldcommons.org · in English
How a chain grips itself sets what it can do.
- domaincuts opens foldcommons.org · in English
A big protein is made of domains you can cut apart.
- tolerancepaint opens foldcommons.org · in English
Some changed letters matter far more than others.
- splicesplit opens foldcommons.org · in English
One gene can build more than one protein.
- pocketscout opens foldcommons.org · in English
A protein's pockets are where drugs and partners bind.
- casptracker opens foldcommons.org · in English
We can measure how good structure prediction has become — and who checks it.
The moment it all connects
You came from ShapeForge. This is haemoglobin β — the protein whose one changed letter causes sickle-cell disease. Residue 7 is highlighted; tap it to read the model's confidence there.
Open haemoglobin β in the 3-D viewer → (opens foldcommons.org)Why these two sites
- Both are free forever — no ads, no accounts, no subscription.
- Both are on-device — nothing about you leaves your browser.
- One ordered journey — each step builds on the last, from cells to a real structure.
Browse all our science apps in the Spark & Anvil catalog, or see every Fold Commons tool.
Last updated 2026-09-23. Spark & Anvil is a non-profit; the apps are free forever.