World of Biology

Read about research projects being conducted at Arizona State University. Many of the articles you find on this page are written by graduate students in the life sciences departments. The list is always growing so be sure to come back and visit often.

Hardy Gilas

Written by: Karla Moeller

The desert is a tough place to live – food may be tough to find, rain only comes in certain seasons, and the temperatures can be hard to handle. How does one special lizard, the Gila monster, deal with these difficulties?

He Ain't Tasty He's My Brother

Written by: Steve Koppes

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

How Do Beetles Reproduce?

Written by: Jenny Drnevich

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, like the beetle, give birth to little insects?
Also in: Français | Español

How Do We Hear?

Written by: Emily Venskytis

Whether a friend whispers in your ear, or you hear a jet flying high in the sky, sound is all around you. But how does a tiny sound wave change from waves in the air to sounds or sentences that we can understand?
Also in: Français | Español

How Do We See?

Written by: Page Baluch, Ashleigh Gonzales

Have you ever wondered how an image is seen by your eyes, and how your eyes can tell your brain what they are seeing? Learn all about how your eyes and brain work together to show you the world.
Also in: Español | Français

How Do We Sense Smell?

Written by: Pierce Hutton, Megan Turnidge

Humans use smell more than you might think. It helps us find food and tell if it is edible, helps us avoid some dangerous situations, and even helps us taste. This story explores how smell works.
Also in: Español | Français

How Do We Sense Taste?

Written by: Shelley Valle

Humans think about food... A LOT. Our mouths might water thinking about the taste of pizza or a big salad or our favorite fruits. But how, exactly, does taste work?
Also in: Español | Français

How Do We Sense Touch?

Written by: Patrick McGurrin

Humans interact with their environment using their sense of touch. This story explores how touch works.

Also in: Español | Français

How to Find What You Need on the Internet

Written by: CJ Kazilek

Searching for things on the Internet can be like hunting for a needle in a large haystack. Just how large is the Internet?

Hummingbirds

Written by: Stephanie Bittner

When you think of hummingbirds, you may think about how they can fly in almost any direction. But there is a lot more to these acrobatic birds than meets the eye.
Also in: Deutsch | Türk

I Spy an Ecosystem

Written by: Tamara Harms

We hear the word ecosystems in the news and at school but just what are ecosystems? It turns out there are lots of ecosystems. You might even learn you have some inside you!
Also in: Français | Español | 中文 | українською

Indiana Jane: Uncovering Mysteries of Ancient Disease

Written by: Kelly Harkins

The past can be hard to remember, so how can we go about studying it? Indiana Jane takes us on a tour of humans from the past, ancient microbes, and the bioarchaeologists that study them both.
Also in: Español

Itty Bitty Beasts

Written by: Ioulia Bespalova

Tardigrades are some of the toughest animals on earth. They can survive freezing, drying up, radiation, and space, all while being smaller than the tip of a pencil.

Keeping up With Kangaroos

Written by: Karla Moeller

When you think of kangaroos, you may just think of a hopping furry creature that has a pouch... but there is so much more to learn about them. Let's jump into the lives of kangaroos.

Life and Death of a Fig Wasp

Written by: Dani Moore

Fruit may just be something that you like to eat. For the fig wasp, fig fruit is more than just a food--it's where life begins and ends.

Linnaeus and the World of Taxonomy

Written by: Ruth Kearns

Have you ever wondered how animals and plants get their names? People give them names, lots of different names! That was how it used to be before Carl Linnaeus created the world of taxonomy.

Making Life Crystal Clear

Written by: Martine Oudenhoven

Much like a mechanical watch, living things only work when all the gears work together. Some of the tiniest of gears are proteins. Learning about the shape and size of these proteins is the job of X-ray crystallography.

Making the List

Written by: Johnny Winston

By the time the first endangered species list was made, many species had already gone extinct. Some species, like whooping cranes, were almost extinct at that time. But the US government did not begin to protect animals as endangered species until they were put on the official endangered species list.

Mama Ji's Molecular Kitchen

Written by: Guruatma "Ji" Khalsa

There are lots of sites out there full of molecular techniques and protocols, but very little information (either online or in readable hardcopy form) that explain how and why these techniques work.

Mapping the Future

Written by: Adriana Manrique

Most of us wish we could predict the future. We want to know everything from who will win the big football game to whether or not our favorite superhero will defeat the super villain. Biologists want to know the future too.

A yawning baby; image by Martin Falbisoner

Why do we yawn?

Answer >>

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

World of Biology

Be Part of Ask A Biologist

Share this page

Be Part of
Ask A Biologist