As the name suggests, Ask a biologist.co.org is a website for biology geeks looking for information on all biology-related topics. It is a free website where users are not required to register. The main menu contains “Ask a question’, ‘Brows questions and answers’, ‘Meet the experts’, and ‘From the lab’.
The site is devoted to providing the highest-quality scientific information as it is staffed by academics and scientific experts from a variety of organisations around the world. The site is divided into 13 categories, which cover all aspects of biology: mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants and fungi, micro-organisms, fossils, genes, genetics and DNA, human biology and evolution, ecology, biodiversity and behaviour, evolution and general biology. There is also a special category dedicated to careers and training in biology.
Users can post questions which are not previously asked and they are then answered by one or more of the registered academic experts. The answers are then available for everyone to see and can be browsed by category. The site is a great source of enabling direct contact between the public and scientists.
Another site with a similar name but has interactive educational material and activities for students in grades pre-K to 12, and their teachers and parents is http://askabiologist.asu.edu/ by Arizona State University.
On this site, students can ‘ask a biologist’ any question in biology and also access the audio and visual media and educational activities that range from identifying birds to trying their own science experiments. The website is filled with puzzles, quizzes, games, videos, audio interviews, science career pages and teacher resources and materials. Common biological concepts are explained through fun and interesting activities and wonderful illustrations. The site also holds various contests.
So kids who love and want to indulge in the fascinating world of biology by doing activities, experiments, experts answering their biology questions and participating in contests will find both websites very useful.
Published in Dawn, Young World, March 5th, 2015
