Mr Burton, who now lives in the UK, said the app, called the Incomplete map of the cosmic genome, was originally going to be a documentary featuring interviews with science greats such as Brian Cox and Richards Dawkins.
‘We realised that an app gave us the freedom to be constantly adapting and evolving it with new ideas and new discoveries as soon as they were made, unlike a documentary which is more a snapshot of one particular time,’ he said.
‘This is like an interactive documentary, magazine, TV show all in one.’
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READ NOWMr Burton said a lot of people believed science was boring and difficult, but the app could show people the ‘wonder and importance of just being interested’.
‘On the flip side, we wanted it to be a smorgasbord of ideas for those people who already love science,’ he said.
‘Being able to sit down and watch or read people just being left to talk about their work, without being put through the prime-time TV filter can be quite liberating, I think.
‘Perhaps not everyone knows what Brian (Cox) looks like when he’s not backlit and standing atop a mountain or that he’s actually quite a brilliant scientist as well, not just a presenter.’
The app is available at iTunes for $9.49, which includes a three-month subscription.