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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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The 2013 Ugly Bug Contest has come to an end and all the clues point to a single suspect.

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…

Dr. Biology along with a group of curious high school students learn why Detective Flora Delaterre is investigating plants and how they can be the perfect medicine for what makes you sick.

No, that is not a typo in the episode title. My guests today are collaborating on the study of animal movement, including humans. Both researchers use tools to document and analyze movement in animals. One tool is a symbolic language that has been in use since 1928 and the other is a new…

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…

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.

Love them or hate them, something is going on with male crickets on the island of Kauai. Once evenings filled with a chorus of these tiny singers has become strangely silent. Dr. Biology talks with biologist Marlene Zuk about how things are changing fast – maybe the fastest…

A True Bug is triumphant in the Ugly Bug Contest 2010.

scorpion game

Venom!

Play the Venom! GameThe shape of a molecule is very important. It’s what makes it possible for proteins to interact with other parts of the cell. In this…
Beetle Dissection

Beetle Dissection

Explore the Beetle Dissection

The outside of beetles can be shiny, dull, or extremely colorful. But what is going on inside of beetles? Take a…

a bat in the moon light

Bats

Read Bats and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

sketch activity

Catch and Sketch Plankton

Learn to focus on detail and make keen observations that could be overlooked in a picture in this lesson on scientific sketching.

Plankton Zoom Gallery (Plankton up-close)

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

Pollen Gallery (Pollen up-close)

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

Feather Zoom Gallery (Feathers up-close)

There is nothing like seeing a feather up close.

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.

Big Bad Beetles

A story of blood, love, and family… Learn about one of the biggest and fanciest blister beetles anywhere. This species goes by the scientific name of Lytta magister but has also been called the…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Desert Fruits Rock!

Desert Fruits Rock!

Desert flowers do not own the spot light when it comes to beauty. Many desert fruits deserve equal attention.Also in: Español |…

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Cloning Sheep

Cloning Ewe

What is cloning and do we have clones living among us today? The answers might surprise you or maybe we should say ewe.

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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