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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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Nicholas Stephanopoulos works with tiny structures so small you can only see them by using powerful microscopes. Some might say he's a builder, but he actually gets the molecules to do the building themselves.

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.

The taiga, or boreal forest, is the largest land biome in the world. It is deep and dark, often green, and always cold. But even in this frigid place, many animals and plants thrive.Also in: Español | Français |…

Periods are a natural, normal part of life, and many people around the world experience them. So let’s talk about why and how they happen.
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.

If aliens were to contact us, what would you say? How would you say it? These are just a few of the questions that Dr. Biology talks about with guest Lucy Hawking. The two have fun with these ideas and more as part of the…

The life of a biologist may not be what you expect. It is not all white lab coats and microscopes. There are remote islands, makeshift shacks that serve both for sleeping and a field laboratory. For this guest, it also includes cricket serenades and nighttime scuba dives in the ocean filled with…
Dr. Biology sits down to learn from two of the best science journalists in the world. Listen in as he gets some pointers from Pauline Davies and Robyn Williams.
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…
COVID-19 game simulation

COVID SIM Pandemic Simulation

Explore COVID SIM.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, how much does wearing masks and distancing matter? How important is it to get vaccinated? You can now…

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.

Ant Gallery (Get up-close to ants)

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

Pollen Gallery (Pollen up-close)

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

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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Monarch butterfly

Metamorphosis – Nature’s Ultimate Transformer

Transforming robots are favorites of television and movies, but nature has some of the best transformers. Animals that can change in ways that almost seem unbelievable. Also in:…

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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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Peas

Solving a Genetic Mystery

The life and work of Gregor Mendel has some surprising pieces. Known as the father of genetics, his work was mostly unnoticed for 30 years after he published his famous paper. It is also…

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