Bing’s latest search features include a look at the stars, molecule models & virtual Rubik’s Cube

In a continued effort to offer more educational resources for students and teachers, Bing has rolled out new specialized searches in a number of areas, including constellations, molecules, royal ancestries and citations. The site has also incorporated the “World of Word” game into search results and a virtual Rubik’s Cube.

Here’s a quick hit list of the education-themed search features Bing rolled out yesterday:

Constellation searches: A query for “constellations” or a specific constellation name now returns Bing’s interactive constellation viewer at the top of the search results. Using location technology, the constellation tool will display whatever stars and constellations are currently above or below the horizon

Molecule searches: Bing has launched 2-D models for any molecule query. Searches for molecules like methane (shown below), C4h2 molecule or h2o molar mass will return the interactive 2-D representation of the molecules at the top of search results.

Royal family tree searches: Queries for specific royal families and family members — including “Queen Elizabeth II family tree” or “House of Tudor” — will return an interactive ancestry tool at the top of search results.

Citations searches: For students writing papers, Bing now has a citation tool that will list sample citation text. For example, a search for “apa citation book” will display the correct way to list a book citation according to APA standards.

Along with APA standards, Bing’s citation tool includes MLA and Chicago Manual of Style examples for websites, books, videos and journals.

World of Words game play: Bing has added the “World of Words” interactive game to search results for word-play searches. A query like “words that start with a” or “words containing b and end with k” will surface the “World of Words” tool at the top of search results.

Rubik’s Cube solver: Bing now has a virtual Rubik’s Cube with rotate and drag functions to manipulate everyone’s favorite toy from the 80s. A search for “Rubik’s Cube solver or “Rubik’s Cube” will return the interactive Rubik’s Cube. Players can work the puzzle on their own or use Bing’s instant solver tool to see step-by-step directions to solve it.

In addition to its most recent educational tools, Bing launched a periodic table directly in search, as well as an interactive times table and geometry calculator earlier this year.