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

Travel with Dr. Biology as he heads to Washington D.C. to interview three people who are all involved with science even though two of them are not scientists. Interviews include Cheryl Zook (independent film maker), Elizabeth Pennisi (science writer), and…

Medicinal plants come in all shapes and sizes. Probably some of the weeds growing in your yard, fields, or even cracks in your sidewalk are medicinal. Who knew there was a different kind of drugstore—a vital and ancient one—all around us? Also in:

You might have heard of both gender and sex before, but what’s the difference? Sex is based in the biology of body parts, but gender is socially constructed and based on much more.
Knowing when you are sick and what illness you have is the first step to helping your body fight back. Immunologist Douglas Lake gets to design and build tests that can tell us what virus we have, or how well our body is fighting it.

When you visit a pond or the beach, what kinds of living things do you see in the water? Don’t let your eyes fool you… there’s a hidden world in water full of creatures too small to be seen!

Microbes are everywhere, but what are they? We get the inside story from microbiologist Valerie Stout about these tiny life forms including a slimy and gooey material many microbes make called biofilms. In fact, you have a daily encounter with biofilms and bacteria that can…

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.…

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.

a cartoon of peas

Genetics and Mendel

Read Solving a Genetic Mystery and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

a phyton with some eggs on it

Phyton Parenting

Read Perfect Python Parenting and then take this quiz to test your knowledge!

Cell viewer game

Cell Parts Game

Explore the Cell Viewer Game

Cells are the basic building blocks of life, but what all do cells hold? You can now look inside of cells to learn…

a drawing of a list

Endangered Species

Read Making the List 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…

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…

Four mini-illustrations of a water bottle, the sun, a child, and sun protective wear (hat, glasses, and light t-shirt)

Beat the Heat

Play Beat the Heat

Staying safe in the heat is more than just a game, it can be a life saver. Luckily, you can see if you have what it takes to…

COVID-19 game simulation

COVID SIM Pandemic Simulation

Explore COVID SIM

In the COVID-19 pandemic, how much does wearing masks and distancing matter? How important is it to get vaccinated? You can…