Experiments

These biology experiments are designed for you to do at home or school using simple equipment. For some experiments, you may need a calculator. Here is a link to an excellent one provided by Web2.0calc.

To access experiments, click on one of the experiments listed below. In most cases, it is simplest to copy the experiment into a word processing program, and then print it out.

Make Your Own Podcasts

Written by: CJ Kazilek

Join the revolution. You can now produce podcasts for classroom, school, and beyond. Very little equipment required and costs are low. The benefits can be high. Clearly there are many different learners and the types of media that are effective for reaching them continues to evolve. Audio media is one more tool that can reach students.

Managing Mosquitoes

Written by: Karla Moeller, David Roman, Silvie Huijben

Learn about mosquito life cycles, the dangers of mosquitoes, and how to protect yourself and reduce breeding grounds for mosquitoes around your home.

Manduca Caterpillar Growth Experiment

Written by: Dr. Biology

Dr. Biology has teamed up with with the scientists in the laboratory of Jon Harrison and started an experiment to see how different temperatures can change how an animal grows. The Virtual Manduca Growth Experiment lets you see and graph the results. It also has some cool animations.

Monster Inheritance

Written by: Emma Gerrard

In this lesson, with a few rolls of a die, our Monster Maker game, and a presentation, you will learn a bit about how traits are inherited. Explore the activities for the basics, or dive in further to learn more about DNA and codons!

Mysterious World of Dr. Biology

Written by: Dr. Biology

Science is full of mysteries and unknowns waiting for you to discover. Beyond their usual research, there have been some unusual things happening in Dr. Biology's laboratory and they need your help. It is up to you to uncover what is happening.

Nanoparticles - A Matter of Scale

Written by: CJ Kazilek

You may not think about it, but size does matter. It is especially true when talking about the very tiny things that exist in the nano world.

Seasoned to the Tilt

Written by: Abel Torres, Daniel S. Brehony

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 work together to make seasonal changes happen.

Seeing DNA

Written by: Melissa Wilson Sayres

Every living thing uses DNA as the instructions for life. But how can we be sure that something so small is actually there at all? Here is one experiment that you can do at home or school that will actually let you see DNA.

Sooty Selection

Written by: Megan Rowton, Karla Moeller, Robin Greene

Discuss ideas of natural selection, play a selection-based game, and take a trip through time to see how scientists of the past figured out just how a trait is passed from a parent to its offspring.
Also in: Español | Français

When Water Gets Icy

Written by: Kyle Kinzler

In this experiment, we will look at one major difference between frozen freshwater and frozen saltwater.

How do viruses infect cells?

Be Part of
Ask A Biologist

By volunteering, or simply sending us feedback on the site. Scientists, teachers, writers, illustrators, and translators are all important to the program. If you are interested in helping with the website we have a Volunteers page to get the process started.

Donate icon  Contribute