【1987 Archives】

A crustacean with scores of tiny eyes987 Archivesbe your newest houseguest — in augmented reality, at least.

Google Arts & Culture released new AR offerings in its free app (for both iPhone and Android) Tuesday that allow users to visualize "ancient creatures" wherever you look through your smart phone. One such visitor is the Cambropachycope, a ten-limbed, lobster-like creature with one large eye made up of many other tiny eyes that scientists were able to visually reconstruct thanks to fossils. It looks like a cousin of the blast-ended skrewt come to life, and it's pretty delightful to envision certain furry housemates interacting with these cute old monsters.

Who the heck is this guy?! Credit: rachel kraus / mashable Ok fine, I guess he can stay. Credit: rachel kraus / mashable

Google Arts & Culture is Google's online portal dedicated to showcasing artifacts and experiences from the worlds of art and science. It serves as an enormous repository for online, digitized art collections. Some of its previous app experiences have allowed users to explore archaeological ruins or museums in VR, or even find a painting that best matches your selfie (a feature that was unfortunately a bit racially insensitive).

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

---

You May Also Like

---

---

The new explorations come thanks to partnerships with Moscow’s State Darwin Museum and London’s Natural History Museum. These AR overlays also include two other creepy-cool ancient marine animals, and the skeleton of a blue whale, which usually occupies London's Natural History Museum. Since a lot of the world can't visit museums these days, AR offers one way you can check out these artifacts from the safety of your home.

Finally, some shade! Credit: rachel kraus / mashable

Some other AR visualizations in the app include sculptures from ages past, or, more recently, the Apollo 11 command module.

AR may not be able to replicate the awe of seeing centuries-old fossils and sculptures in person, but being able to visualize these objects and creatures in your own home is fun and worthwhile on its own. You might just learn something, and have fun pestering your dog or cat in the process.

Topics Augmented Reality Virtual Reality

• Deals
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Science
• Games
• Tech
• Life

• GPU Availability and Pricing Update: April 2022
• Victor Moscoso on Zap Comix, Learning, and Unlearning
• The Thirteen Club: Dispelling Superstition Since 1882
• When Should a Series End?
• Nishioka vs. Alcaraz 2025 livestream: Watch Australian Open for free
• March 21 Is World Puppetry Day
• How to (Hypothetically) Smuggle a Cheese Ball Through Airport Security
• “Bankspeak”: Your New Least Favorite Language
• Preorder the new Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds with ANC for $159
• John Jeremiah Sullivan Wins Windham Campbell Prize

• Xiaomi unveils the Pad 6 Max, its largest tablet to date · TechNode
• 'What's up, brother?': Meet Sketch, the streamer taking over the sports world
• Foxconn begins iPhone 15 production in India: report · TechNode
• Tesla slashes Full Self
• Geely unveils intelligent autobrand JI YUE, in collaboration with Baidu · TechNode
• Orca mother ends 'tour of grief' for her newborn after 17 days and 1,000 miles
• Amazon deals of the day: Sony WF
• How to watch 'Argylle': When and where is it streaming?
• Chinese state
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for April 15

• Chiefs vs. Texans 2025 livestream: Watch NFL Playoffs for free
• Strife in the Fast Lane
• The Plain, Inescapable There
• Tim Kirkland, a Piano Tuner, Finds Religion in His Work
• Apple is advertising on Elon Musk's X again
• Watch Anthony Burgess on the Dick Cavett Show, 1971
• Where Does “In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb” Originate?
• What Are Songs For?
• China just built the world's biggest floating solar project
• Leave Your Comfort Zone with Joseph Mitchell & Jonny Greenwood

• Best Presidents' Day deal: Save $44 on Fitbit Charge 6
• Why Do We Personify the Weather?
• When Should a Series End?
• Need the Right Description? Let the Mustache Be Your Guide
• Then and Now: Six Generations of $200 Mainstream Radeon GPUs Compared
• “Mating” Book Club, Part 3: Party Life in Botswana
• Our Shrinking Vocabulary of Landscape
• The Plain, Inescapable There
• New 'browser syncjacking' cyberattack lets hackers take over your computer via Chrome
• The Red Carpet: Last Bastion of Psychiatry