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

Where might we find life, and what should we even be looking for to see if life exists on other planets?. Sara Walker is going where others have not gone before in the search for life.

While cannibalism is fairly common among insects and crustaceans, most backboned animals avoid feeding on their own kind.

A tiny creature that flies and swims at the same time caught the attention of Arizona State University Professor Richard Satterlie a few years ago.

For many organisms, reproduction is a huge part of life. But what, exactly, does reproduction mean? Well, it can mean so many different things, including breeding or not, caring for young (or not), or giving birth (or not)... read on to learn about the diversity of ways that organisms reproduce…

Television portrays the lives and work of forensic artists, but what is it like to really be a forensic artist? Are the tools you see on the big and little screen really used by the people who recreate the face of someone when there might only be a skull or parts of a scull to use as a starting…

Not everyone has been on a hike and very few have hiked with a park ranger. Dr. Biology hikes South Mountain Park with not one but two park rangers. Park Rangers Liz Smith and Justin Olson are our guides for the 2.5 mile trip up Holbert Trail. This episode…

Dr. Biology travels to the Tres Rios wetlands, a place where all types of living things can be found. He talks with local biologists about many of the species and also gets a chance to sit down and talk with Quentin Wheeler who is starting a new Institute that will be exploring…

Cooperation is something that humans and animals are known to do. It turns out that the 30 trillion cells in our body also need to cooperate. Like some humans, there are cells that are cheaters when it comes to cooperation. They do not do their share of the work and cause a lot of other problems.…
An eye in puzzle pieces

Seeing Color

Read Seeing Color and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

Why do we have seasons?

Seasoned to the Tilt

Have you ever thought about your favorite season, and why it looks and feels the way it does? This activity will help you see and understand why Earth has seasons, and the two things that…

Thick blue pipes.

Virtual Water Treatment Plant

Virtual Water Treatment Plant

Have you ever wondered where the water in your home, school, or businesses come from? In this virtual tour, explore…

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…

A colorful DNA helix, three Cas9 proteins, and a handful of florescent markers.

Cracking CRISPR

Play Cracking CRISPR

DNA is the key to life, so it's no wonder that we've been working to crack the code. With the tool CRISPR Cas9, we'…

Human skeleton game

Skeleton Viewer

Explore the Skeleton Viewer

To explore the bones of the human skeleton, check out our Skeleton Viewer. Take a look further inside of a bone…