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

We celebrate Earth Day every year, but in reality every day is Earth day. For our part here are some fun activities and things you can do to help the Earth.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hold a baby Giant Panda in your lap? Listen in while Dr. Biology talks with two scientists who have gotten up close and personal with Pandas. Andrew Smith is a returning guest and WEI Fuwen is a visiting scientist…

If you are a tobacco plant, you have a bad reputation. The link to cancer and other health related diseases is cause for any person to avoid you. But there is another side to this plant. Dr. Biology sits down with biologist Charlie Arntzen to talk about how tobacco plants are…

An interview with cellular researcher and explorer Carolyn Larabell of the National Center for X-ray Tomography. Dr. Biology learns about the new microscope being developed to see inside cells in a way never before possible.

An interview with biologist Gro Amdam, one of the members of the group that brought us the bee genome. Hey just what is a genome and could bees hold the answer to aging? In this show we learn the answers to these questions and why researchers are buzzing around bees.

How do animals keep warm when the temperatures drop? It is not like they can turn on heater or bundle up in a layers of warm clothes like humans do. Before you watch this video, try to think of ways animals might keep warm.

Can storytelling transform biology research? Join us for an engaging conversation with Kayla Burgher and Risa Schnebly, two visionary PhD students at Arizona State University.…

Looking into the past can be strange and exciting. To understand a past that goes back millions of years, we often depend on the stories told by fossils. Dr. Biology talks with anthropologist Donald Johanson about Lucy, a fossil of human ancestors that has taught us some…

Zoomed in picture of grassbug

Ugly Bug Contest 2011

Ugly Bug Contest 2012

an astronaut in space

Space Physiology

Read Spaced Out Physiology and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

a phyton with some eggs on it

Phyton Parenting

Read Perfect Python Parenting and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

An illustration showing little bug-like robots going from being alone to organized in a circular group

From Bits to Brilliance

Joshua Daymude studies emergent behaviors—what happens when a group follows basic rules, but their small actions lead to big behaviors. His work applies to many different groups, from ants to robots…
A colorful DNA helix, three Cas9 proteins, and a handful of florescent markers.

Cracking CRISPR

Play Cracking CRISPR

DNA is the key to life, so it's no wonder that we've been working to crack the code. With the tool CRISPR Cas9, we'…

An illustration of pea pods with different genes (yellow and green, and round and wrinkled)

Genetics Game

Play Garden Gene Genius

Our genes control much of how we look and who we are. But do you really know how genetics work? Take a moment to gather some…

An illustration of different cell sizes and a ruler, to measure nuclear cytoplasmic ratios

Cell Size SIM

Play the Cell Size SIM

Certain cell types should have a general size and have proportionate parts. But what if those sizes and proportions are…

Nano building game

Nano Building

Play the Bionanoengineering Game

Basic building patterns can be used to think about how technologies are built at the nano-scale. Try your hand…