Welcome to Ask A Biologist. This site has a large collection of biology learning materials that includes stories, games, activities, videos, and a podcast.

Ouch! You just got a paper cut on your finger. What happens now? Besides the sting you are feeling from the cut, there are germs on that paper that are preparing to invade your body. For your immune system, this means war.Also in: Türk

Nine months – that’s about the amount of time that healthy babies develop before they are born. But what if that nine months is a bit more flexible, and can change in response to the environment?

Every so often, cicadas rise up from their quiet underground burrows to “sing” their best ballads. Aside from their sound, what do you know about the patient, musical lifestyle of these insects?

All living beings are made up of cells. Some of them are made up of only one cell and others have many cells. Also in: Español | Français | Deutsch…

There is an endless march going on in the rainforest, as tiny farmers collect food to bring back to their fungus. Join us in the rainforests of Panama as we take a closer look at the life of the leafcutter ant.

Why do peanuts, pollen, or pet dander make some of us sneeze or swell up—but not others? In this episode, Dr. Biology talks with immunologist Esther Borges Florsheim from Arizona State University to explore how allergies start, why they’re becoming more common, and what’s really…

The race is on. It is one where biologists and citizen scientists are working as quickly as possible to find and identify all the species on Earth before some go extinct. It might not seem like an important race, but we learn from entomologist Kelly Miller that not knowing what…

An interview with biologist James Collins who is the person directing the biology section of the National Science Foundation. Listen in and learn about this important science funding agency.
Monster game

Monster Maker

Play Monster Maker

Build your own monster by decoding the monster genome in Monster Maker, a DNA game. It is not very different from what…

Hummingbird cartoon

Hummingbird Lunch

These daredevil birds can be perfect subjects for a backyard experiment.

Nano building game

Nano Building

Play the Bionanoengineering Game

Basic building patterns can be used to think about how technologies are built at the nano-scale. Try your hand…

EcoChains logo, a polar bear over an iceberg with text below that says EcoChains.

EcoChains: Arctic Futures

Play EcoChains: Arctic Futures

EcoChains: Arctic Futures is a game that introduces you to arctic life and ice that is so very important for survival.…

An illustration of pea pods with different genes (yellow and green, and round and wrinkled)

Genetics Game

Play Garden Gene Genius

Our genes control much of how we look and who we are. But do you really know how genetics work? Take a moment to gather some…

Comparative physiology game

Frankenstein's Lab

Play Frankenstein's Lab

Dr. Frankenstein needs your help to learn about how the bodies of different animals work! Build your own creature from 3…