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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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Hospitals try to stay clean and reduce the spread of germs within their walls, but what happens when medicines and bacteria from the hospitals reach bacteria in the sewer?

What happens when a person wants to have a baby, but after years of trying, it just doesn’t happen? A lot of people want to become pregnant, but let’s learn about what may prevent pregnancy.
An interview with arachnologist Norman Platnick. Learn about the animal that has become famous through his Marvel Comics and movie action hero.

When you think of the Arctic, you might picture mostly empty ice. But the Arctic ecosystem is home to many organisms, from microscopic bacteria to large animals like whales and polar bears. Much of this life in the Arctic depends on tiny organisms called plankton which make up the base of the…

How are some animals keeping cool and staying warm? Listen in as Dr. Biology talks with biologist Dale DeNardo and engineer and thermographic artist Arno Vlooswijk about thermoregulation. Could there be lessons for humans to learn from these animals?
Honey bees use a waggle dance to communicate the location, distance and quality of a flower to other bee workers. But what does this dance actually look like?

This animal lives in almost every part of the world and kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. What might surprise you is that you certainly have had a close encounter with the world’s most dangerous creature. Dr. Biology catches up with evolutionary biologist …

Wait - there's more! Dr. Biology and co-host Jane Rector continue their visit with Jennifer Fewell, a biologist who is exploring the world of social insects including ants. There is even some talk of how professional basketball teams could learn a thing or two…

grassland biome

Grasslands Biome

Read Grasping Grasslands and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

a cartoon of tardigrades

Tardigrades

Read Itty Bitty Beasts and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

Ant Gallery (Get up-close to ants)

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

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.

Feather Zoom Gallery (Feathers up-close)

There is nothing like seeing a feather up close.

Plankton Zoom Gallery (Plankton up-close)

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

Two green salamanders

He Ain't Tasty He's My Brother

While cannibalism is fairly common among insects and crustaceans, most backboned animals avoid feeding on their own kind.

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Nerve impulse thumbnail

A Nervous Journey

Let’s take a ride. It is going to be a fast one, so be prepared. Where are we going? We are going to start at your head and end up at your toes. It may not seem like a long trip, but it is…

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Endangered animal list

Making the List

By the time the first endangered species list was made, many species had already gone extinct.  Some species, like whooping cranes, were almost extinct at that time.  But the US…

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Astronaut

Spaced Out Physiology

Being an astronaut is a cool job, but before you sign up you should know life in space isn’t all fun and games.  The lack of gravity can make our bodies act in strange ways.

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