Read our stories
Listen and watch
Enjoy our activities
View zoom galleries
Solve puzzles
Welcome to Ask A Biologist. This site has a large collection of biology learning materials that includes stories, games, activities, videos, and a podcast.
An interview with microbiologist Shelley Haydel from the School of Life Sciences and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University by co-host Marissa Henderson. This episode gives you something to think about when it comes to mud and why we say science is…
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
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…
What would life be like on other planets? This is just one of many questions that Biochemist and author Nick Lane talks about while visiting with Dr. Biology. Listen in as Nick explores not only life on our Earth, but also what it might be like on other planets. Nick also reads…
Travel with Dr. Biology as he heads to Washington D.C. to interview three people who are all involved with science even though two of them are not scientists. Interviews include Cheryl Zook (independent film maker), Elizabeth Pennisi (science writer), and…
Space travel and microscopic organisms. What interest are these two things to ASU School of Life Sciences Professor and Biodesign Institute researcher Cheryl Nickerson? Tune in to find out.
If you think of the instruments used to study and explore the world of biology it is clear that most are visual. So what if you cannot see? How would you understand the structure of – say a cell? Dr. Biology discusses a new tool for learning about biology with newly graduated…
Cell Parts Game
Cells are the basic building blocks of life, but what all do cells hold? You can now look inside of cells to learn…
Sooty Selection
Discuss ideas of natural selection, play a selection-based game, and take a trip through time to see how scientists of the past figured out just how a trait is passed from a parent to its…
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.
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.
Pollen Gallery (Pollen up-close)
Pollen comes in many shapes and sizes. These are just a few of the thousands of examples.
Face to Face with Ants
Imagine being the size of an ant. Be careful - a face-to-face encounter with an ant would be scary and potentially life-threatening! But, if you avoided being eaten, you could learn a lot about…
Wordsearch | Crossword
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…
Wordsearch | Crossword
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.
Wordsearch | Crossword
How to Find What You Need on the Internet
Searching for things on the Internet can be like hunting for a needle in a large haystack. Just how large is the Internet?
Wordsearch | Crossword