Looking for the legacy site? Click here

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

Read our stories

Listen and watch

Enjoy our activities

View zoom galleries

Solve puzzles

DNA is the ultimate how-to guide used by all living things. It packages all the instructions for building maintaining all our life forms and it easily fits inside a cell.Also in: Español

An interview with limnologist James Elser from the School of Life Sciences. Listen in as Dr. Biology and co-host Michael Saxon learn about a biologist that studies life in and around fresh water, or you might think of him as the other marine biologist.
As our climate changes, wildfires seem to become more and more damaging. But are wildfires automatically bad? And how can we learn to live with a future filled with fire? Also in: Español | Français
One of the benefits of being a biologist can be travel. There are some researchers who travel the globe as part of their work. Arvind Varsani is a molecular virologist who studies viruses found around the world. Dr. Biology was able to catch Arvind between trips to talk about his…

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

We peek behind the curtain of SICB and the band of scientists who are investigating the world of animal communication. Scientists Kim Hoke and Nate Morehouse sit down with Dr. Biology and talk about how the Spatio-temporal Dynamics in Animal Communication group…

Biologist Bruce Hammock talks about life as a biologist, being a businessman and mountain climbing. How do these all fit together? Listen in as Dr. Biology learns how these pieces all work together in an interesting career.

It's tiny versus the mighty and a battle for an acacia tree. Dr. Biology catches up with Beth Pringle a biologist exploring the savanna of Kenya. The two talk about two animals that seem mismatched for battle that has a surprise ending. Beth is also the biologist who took us along…
some ants doing the word "supero"

Superorganism

Read Secrets of a Superorganism and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

Some fruits and food

What's GMO?

Read What's a GMO? and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

A cartoon illustration of a mosquito biting human skin

Epic Mosquito Quest

Play Epic Mosquito QuestMosquitoes go beyond annoying, to being downright dangerous at times. How can you reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home, to protect…
An illustration of DNA-themed award winners

DNA Discovery Awards

Let's take a dive into the history of genetics research... and see who helped build the foundations of knowledge that we still build new understanding on top of today.

Ant Gallery (Get up-close to ants)

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

Pollen Gallery (Pollen up-close)

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

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.

Feather Zoom Gallery (Feathers up-close)

There is nothing like seeing a feather up close.

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
Scorpion with laser beams

Not So Scary Scorpions

Scorpions are often misunderstood. Many people say that scorpions are so aggressive they will sting themselves to death, but this is not a natural behavior of scorpions in the wild. Also in:…

Wordsearch | Crossword
Bird puzzle

Feather Biology

Almost everyone has wished at one time or another to be able to fly like a bird. Just the thought of soaring above your city or town without any mechanical device gives us a reason to envy…

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