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Welcome to Ask A Biologist. This site has a large collection of biology learning materials that includes stories, games, activities, videos, and a podcast.

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Battling bacteria can be tough, as they can evolve quickly and resist many of our treatments. But Shelley Haydel is working on new ways to fight bad bacteria.
Cancer, damaged DNA, COVID-19... our bodies deal with diseases and damage all the time, and finding that damage as early as possible can be helpful to fighting it. Joshua LaBaer has dedicated his career to solving health puzzles, and learning how to detect diseases earlier than ever before.
Humans change the world around us in many ways, cutting down trees, building roads, using resources. But what happens when we try to restore some of the things an area has lost? And should we try to do so?

A city saved and thanks to a last minute 100 Ugly Bug Contest votes, an amazing win for the Astonishing Treehopper.

We peek behind the curtain of SICB and the band of scientists who are investigating the world of animal communication. Scientists Kim Hoke and Nate Morehouse sit down with Dr. Biology and talk about how the Spatio-temporal Dynamics in Animal Communication group…

Extreme environments can be found on Earth, in space, and in the depths of the ocean. Dr. Biology and physiologist, astronaut, and mountain climber Scott Parazynski sit down and talk about what life is like to explore these environments. So hold on to your seat as we blast off…

Step-by-step tutorial for building your own Pocket Seed Viewer. You can use it to test the effects of light, dark, temperature and gravity on seed germination and plant growth.

An interview with biologist Rebecca Clark. Dr. Biology and his co-host Itzany Mendez look into lives of ants and learn some pretty cool things including how to build a slick ant farm using two music CD cases.
Cartoon of two scientists one male and one female.

Doctor Know

Play Doctor KnowPlay doctor in the 21st century! Practice modern medicine by examining all dimensions of the body, from organs to molecules, as an…
a cartoon of a human and some animals showing internal body parts

Animal Physiology

Read Focusing on Physiology and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

Pollen Gallery (Pollen up-close)

Pollen comes in many shapes and sizes. These are just a few of the thousands of examples.

Bone Zoom Gallery (Up-close Inside Bones)

Take a look at the microscopic world of bone in our virtual bone histology lab. Just pick a microscope slide from below and click on it to view under the virtual microscope.

Tiger Beetle Zoom Gallery (Up-close with tiger beetles)

Some of the fastest animals on Earth are below. That’s right, if these tiny insects were as large as a horse they would be running 200 miles an hour.

Plankton Zoom Gallery (Plankton up-close)

Plankton comes in many shapes and sizes. These are just a few of the thousands of examples.

Leafhopper

True Bugs

Not all insects are bugs, but all bugs are insects. How can this be? Learn about some particular insects that biologists call true bugs. Also in: Español…

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Ants in nest

Ant Farm

Farming ants might sound like a crazy thing to do unless you might like to eat chocolate covered ants. It turns out we can learn a lot from ants and the best way is to build your own ant farm.…

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Bird puzzle

Feather Biology

Almost everyone has wished at one time or another to be able to fly like a bird. Just the thought of soaring above your city or town without any mechanical device gives us a reason to envy…

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Sea Urchin

Sea Urchins Do Research

No, urchins are not indigenous to the desert. The usual home for Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is the ocean's rocky floor for grazing along the intertidal and subtidal areas. Also in:…

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