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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Whether you overeat or try to cut back, your body may be playing a strategic game based on the amount of energy you take in.

Step-by-step tutorial for building your own Pocket Seed Viewer. You can use it to test the effects of light, dark, temperature and gravity on seed germination and plant growth.

Little water, sweaty, hot summer days and frigid winter nights make the desert an uninviting place for most animals and plants. But hiding just below the surface, the desert is alive with microbes—tiny, living things too small to see without magnification.Also in:…

Dr. Biology interviews research scientist Kate Ihle at Barro Colorado Island in Panama. BCI is part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

How are some animals keeping cool and staying warm? Listen in as Dr. Biology talks with biologist Dale DeNardo and engineer and thermographic artist Arno Vlooswijk about thermoregulation. Could there be lessons for humans to learn from these animals?

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…

Bee Movies are not just for Hollywood. Dr. Biology catches up with bee movie maker and neurobiologist Brian Smith who uses film and video to unlock the mystery behind bees and how they sense and communicate with the environment. This movie director may not bee up for an Academy…

On this podcast, we like to explore how science meets the public. In this episode, we examine the art of communication, with biologist, author, and filmmaker Randy Olson. Dr. Biology learns how Olson uses humor and creativity as powerful tools. Inspired by platforms like The…

Poppy flower

Composting

Microorganisms in action! Turn a pile of grass clippings into an experiment.
a fig and a wasp

Fig Wasps

Read Life and Death of a Fig Wasp and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

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…

Four potential viruses that can be used in the game

Give It A Shot

Explore Give It A Shot

As our lives become more affected by viruses and bacteria that cause disease, how much does wearing masks and…

Learn about the peppered moth

Picking off the Peppered Moth

Play the Peppered Moths Game

Get your beaks ready, it's moth-hunting time. In the Peppered Moths Game, you take on the role of the hunter and…

bee dance

Bee Waggle Dance Game

Play the Bee Dance Game

Did you know that honey bee workers tell their sisters where to find the best flowers and nectar with a dance? It is called…