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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Every year billions of babies are dried and buried, not to be unburied for weeks, months, years or even decades. Don't worry, these are not babies like your little brother or sister, these are baby plants, or as you might call them, seeds. Why would a mom do such a thing? Also in:…

The rainforest is the wettest biome on Earth and is home to half of all species.Also in: Français | Español | Italiano |

Many things change during the seasons, including the temperature and the amount of rain that falls. Plants and animals also change with the seasons.Also in: Español | বাংলা

There is more to our memory than you might think. In fact, we have three types of memory. Just how these memory systems work, and work together is the subject of this episode. We also learn that there are sometimes errors in our memory. Take a few minutes to learn how we remember things and even…

An interview with physicist Peter Vukusic. Dr. Biology gets the inside story about iridescent color, the science behind it, and believe it or not a link between science, surfing and snowboarding that you may not thought about.

Dead men tell no tales, but their bones can. It just takes a particular kind of scientist to read the clues that tell the story. Dr. Biology sits down with guest Tony Falsetti, a forensic anthropologist who knows his way around a skeleton. They talk about the…

Not everyone has been on a hike and very few have hiked with a park ranger. Dr. Biology hikes South Mountain Park with not one but two park rangers. Park Rangers Liz Smith and Justin Olson are our guides for the 2.5 mile trip up Holbert Trail. This episode…

Take a breath and breathe out. What you just exhaled is the subject of this podcast. It is a story of over 140 thousand molecules and what we are learning about them and what a single breath might tell us about our health. Dr. Biology catches up with bioanalytical chemist …

Mama Ji and DNA

Mama Ji's Molecular Kitchen

There are lots of sites out there full of molecular techniques and protocols, but very little information (either online or in readable hardcopy form) that explain how and why these techniques…

Monster game

Monster Maker

Play Monster Maker

Build your own monster by decoding the monster genome in Monster Maker, a DNA game. It is not very different from what…

Feather Zoom Gallery (Feathers up-close)

There is nothing like seeing a feather up close.

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.

Plankton Zoom Gallery (Plankton up-close)

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

Two ants carrying a puzzle piece

Ants

There are so many types of ants that it's funny the animated movie about them centers on one type that doesn't exist: a male worker ant. In this story you can explore some of the types of ants…

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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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Itty Bitty Beasts

Itty Bitty Beasts

Tardigrades are some of the toughest animals on earth. They can survive freezing, drying up, radiation, and space, all while being smaller than the tip of a pencil.

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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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