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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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Dive into the behavior and physiology of two different primate species that are helping biologists explore the science of stress, aging, and immunity. Dr. Biology sits down with scientist Noah Snyder-Mackler from Arizona…

Alzheimer’s disease makes it difficult to remember many things – like where you live, the names and faces of family members, and even your own name. ASU professor Diego Mastroeni’s job is to study Alzheimer’s disease, and to hopefully find a way to cure it.

Welcome to an exciting journey that takes you through the wild and fascinating world of zoos. Our guest for this episode is none other than Bert Castro, the President and Chief Exective Officer of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation.…

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 drugstore—a vital and ancient one—all around us? Also in:

Professor Susanne Neuer from the ASU School of Life Sciences talks about her research and how a person in the southwest desert can be studying deserts in the oceans. Yes, we said deserts in the ocean. Listen in to find out why.
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.
It is surprising how much of the land on Earth is what scientists call drylands. You might think that these areas are not crucial to life on the planet, but in fact, they are. They are also some of the most challenging places to do research. Part of the challenge is what we see above ground is only…

Did you know the westerly winds in the Southern Ocean have been helping to keep our planet livable? Yes, they have been responsible for soaking up half of the human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) along with a whole lot of excess heat. Dr. Biology has the opportunity to talk with geoscientist

Cartoon of two scientists one male and one female.

Doctor Know

Play Doctor KnowPlay doctor in the 21st century! Practice modern medicine by examining all dimensions of the body, from organs to molecules, as an…
Some bacteria and antibiotics

Antibiotics vs Bacteria

Read Antibiotics vs Bacteria: An Evolutionary Battle and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

Leafcutter Ants

Life of the Leafcutter

Learn what makes leafcutter ants unique and understand how the different castes of ant work together to provide for the colony.

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.

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.

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
Bee with mites

Mite Mighty Foe to 'Killer' Bees in State

Africanized "killer" bees have fallen prey to a deadly predator of their own- parasitic mites whose infestation has dropped their wild colony numbers by as much as 70 percent statewide.

Wordsearch | Crossword
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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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