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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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Imagine a world where animals have the capacity to show their natural behaviors and even engineer their own environments. For this episode, we're thrilled to have Danielle Wong, the Behavioral Enrichment and Animal Welfare Coordinator at the…

Humans think about food... A LOT. Our mouths might water thinking about the taste of pizza or a big salad or our favorite fruits. But how, exactly, does taste work? Also in: Español | Français

An imaginary conversation between two great thinkers, Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel. While the monk, Mendel, had read Darwin’s publications - Mendel's work only came to be known later. We can only imagine what the two might have talked about.

What life lies below the surface of the water? A question that marine biologist Susanne Neuer has been studying since her childhood days. Now it is a career that she loves.

If you think of the instruments used to study and explore the world of biology it is clear that most are visual.  So what if you cannot see? How would you understand the structure of – say a cell?   Dr. Biology discusses a new tool for learning about biology with newly graduated…

March Madness in the past has been reserved for college basketball. But in 2013, biologist Katie Hinde and a group of scientists, writers, and other creative souls started the ultimate animal competition that expanded beyond humans – March Mammal Madness. Don’t worry, the competition is virtual. No…
Do you need to run five miles every day to get in shape and be healthy? Dr. Biology has a chance to sit down after a workout session to talk about exercise and kids with metabolic biologist Gabriel Shaibi. What he and a group of researchers found might surprise you.
An interview with biologist Raul Gutierrez. Dr. Biology and his co-host Taylor Cheatham learn about some very cool desert plants and some non-desert plants that are just wicked.
Monster game

Monster Maker

Play Monster MakerBuild your own monster by decoding the monster genome in Monster Maker, a DNA game. It is not very different from what happens in every…
hand bones

Busy Bones

Explore the Bone Anatomy Viewer

Ever wonder what’s inside your bones? Here’s your chance to find out! Dissect a virtual bone and learn…

hand bones

Busy Bones

Explore the Bone Anatomy Viewer

Ever wonder what’s inside your bones? Here’s your chance to find out! Dissect a virtual bone and learn…

City pollution

Air Pollution

The Phoenix metropolitan area, like many large cities, has problems with air pollution at certain times of the year. You can do a simple study to determine some of the factors that affect air…

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.

Ant Gallery (Get up-close to ants)

Now is the time to check out these amazing animals from the safety of your own computer.

Ant close-up

Secrets of a Superorganism

Ants are everywhere - they thrive in forests, fields, deserts, and cities all over earth. But what is the secret behind their success? Like humans, ants are social. They live and work together…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Plants we use for medicine

Nature's Medicine

Medicinal plants come in all shapes and sizes. Probably some of the weeds growing in your yard, fields, or even cracks in your sidewalk are medicinal. Who knew there was a different kind of…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Wacky Weather

Crazy Climate and Wacky Weather

Climate is a hot topic in the news and on internet websites and blogs. But what exactly is climate? And how do we know it is changing?Also in:

Wordsearch | Crossword
Monarch butterfly puzzle

Migrating Monarchs

Thousands of orange and black shapes flutter through the trees. Welcome to one of the few wintering homes of the monarch butterfly. Also in: Español…

Wordsearch | Crossword