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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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Natural history museums may not come to life as they do in a Hollywood movie, but they do have some amazing stories. They also have all kinds of cool stuff that many of us never get to see. Paleontologist Richard Fortey talks about the life and some of the treasures hidden…

Dr. Biology sits down with biologist E. O. Wilson to talk about science, his writing including his book, Superorganism, and future new novel, as well as his art. Along the way they discuss the Encyclopedia of Life web project and a very cool outdoor activity called a "Bioblitz…

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hold a baby Giant Panda in your lap? Listen in while Dr. Biology talks with two scientists who have gotten up close and personal with Pandas. Andrew Smith is a returning guest and WEI Fuwen is a visiting scientist…

Sometimes things don’t work as you expect them to, including periods. Learn more about what causes some girls to have irregular or painful periods.
Ants doing math? Could this be possible? Stephen Prattt from the ASU School of Life Science gives Dr. Biology a lesson about ant problem solving.
Dr. Biology learns how birds might have developed their ability to fly from ornithologist Ken Dial. The two talk about the evolution of bird flight and some of the other cool things birds can do - like are penguins really flying birds?

There are many types of relationships that exist in the living world. This episode dives into one special relationship that an insect has with some tiny microbes. It is a life and death story that microbiologist John McCutcheon has been exploring. Dr. Biology gets the…

The Ugly Bug Contest has been part of the Flagstaff Festival of Science and Mt. Campus Science Day since 1997. Ask-a-Biologist is pleased to extend the contest to the world via the Web.

Observing ants

Collecting Ants

There are several different ways to get ants for an ant farm, depending on when you would like to start the farm and how long you would like for your ant farm to last.

puzzle pieces with a two headed snake on them

Two Headed Snake

Read The Tale of the Two-Headed Lampropeltis getula californiae and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

some berries coming out of a medicine bottle

Medicinal Plants

Read Nature's Medicine and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

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-D…

Feather Zoom Gallery (Feathers up-close)

There is nothing like seeing a feather up close.

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.

Ant Gallery (Get up-close to ants)

Now is the time to check out these amazing animals from the safety of your own computer.

Monarch butterfly puzzle

Migrating Monarchs

Thousands of orange and black shapes flutter through the trees. Welcome to one of the few wintering homes of the monarch butterfly. Also in: Español…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Beetles puzzle piece

How Do Beetles Reproduce?

Every living thing must be able to reproduce and make offspring. Most of us are familiar with how humans and mammals make babies, but do all creatures reproduce in the same way? Do insects,…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Ant close-up

Secrets of a Superorganism

Ants are everywhere - they thrive in forests, fields, deserts, and cities all over earth. But what is the secret behind their success? Like humans, ants are social. They live and work together…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Ants in nest

Ant Farm

Farming ants might sound like a crazy thing to do unless you might like to eat chocolate covered ants. It turns out we can learn a lot from ants and the best way is to build your own ant farm.…

Wordsearch | Crossword