Category Archives: IBDP Biology
IB Biology StatBook 2026
Almost 15 years ago, on i-Biology, I released the first version of the IB Biology StatBook: an interactive Excel workbook to support teaching the (now defunct) Statistical Analysis unit and for data processing & presentation*. Now, with the help of Claude Design, I’ve updated and turned it into a live web-app.
The new microsite is on https://ifyouuseme.ai/i-biology/statbook under “Stats & Data” and includes:
The new microsite is on https://ifyouuseme.ai/i-biology under “Stats & Data” and includes:
- Decision-trees for choosing statistical tools.
- Interactive examples of everything IB Biologists need to do.
- Worked explanations of the various methods, including t-tests (paired and unpaired), Chi-squared tests, Mann-Whitney U tests.
- Guidance on data processing and presentation.
- Statistics glossary.
- Comparing means with bars, X-markers, error bars and population distributions.
- R² best-fit and dot-to-dot plotting.
- Curve detection and explanation of different types of curves.
- Outlier detection.
- Fixing appropriate decimal places.
Students could put their own data into this tool to see how the different approaches might work, but it won’t give them the final product. They will still need to understand and present their work appropriately. Teachers can use this to demonstrate the different forms of tests and analysis live in class.
If you use these resources, you are not using any AI: it is all handled locally in your browser.
These resources are hosted on the support site for (If You) USEME-AI: Learning for Hope & Agency in an AI World.
*it’s still live, you can get it (and the slides) here.
IB Biology Knowledge Web
New Feature added to the IB Biology Study Guide: an interactive Knowledge Web that shows connections between topics on the syllabus, for HL and SL.
If you click on a node, it shows how it is connected to other topics:
IB Biology Review: Study Guide
It has been many years since I posted an IB Biology resource… with a lot of help from my friends Claude and Lovable, here we go. A text-based, mobile-friendly study support for students. There is still some work to do, but with the exams around the corner, it might help. Have a look around and see if it is useful. It is embedded in the (If You) USEME-AI: Learning for Hope & Agency in an AI World site, so you can use some of the Prompts & Poes and other resources to support your revision.
The Path to ATP
Back in 2014, Eleanor Lutz created “How To Build A Human” which has been shared a lot recently – so I went back to her blog to see what is there and wow!
Here is a new (and helpful) infographic for HL Bio, “The Path to ATP”. Think a simpler version of Gerhad Michel’s famous Roche Biochemical Pathways.
In Our Time: Science (Nature of Science)
If you’re into storytelling and discussion, why not try BBC Radio 4’s “In Our Time: Science” podcast. Good for Nature of Science and TOK connections in IB Biology… and great if you have a commute to kill. Click here for all episodes in alphabetical order.
For more NOS resources, check out Simon Underhill’s blog.
Space Twins & Epigenetics
Mark and Scott Kelly at the Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Sign up for the Teach.Genetics mailing list from GSLC here.
The ever-wonderful Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah sent this helpful email update to counter misconceptions around the Kelly Twins’ “Genetic Differences” as a result of Scott’s year on the International Space Station.
You may have seen the headlines about identical twin astronauts, Mark and Scott Kelly, now being “genetically different” after Scott spent a year in space while Mark remained on Earth. Yet much of the popular press has failed to explain that these differences are mostly epigenetic modifications leading to changes in gene expression. Or that several of the analyses were limited to circulating white blood cells and are thus mostly relevant to the immune system.
Here are some great resources they shared:
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Epigenetics on Learn.Genetics
The Epigenetics module on Learn.Genetics and Teach.Genetics explores how signals from the environment regulate gene expression, including an explanation of how differences in identical twins might arise
- Scott Kelley’s telomeres were elongated in space and shortened on Earth. Learn all about telomeres from this primer.
- The study also compared the microbiomes of the Kelly twins—which, it turns out, were quite different even before Scott Kelley traveled to space. Explore the Human Microbiome module on Learn.Genetics and Teach.Genetics.
Now go over and subscribe!
They have great resources for students at the Genetic Science Learning Center, and for educators at their new Teach.Genetics site. You can also follow them for Twitter updates here. Sign up for the Teach.Genetics mailing list from GSLC here.
Crash Course: Statistics
Crash Course are at it again, this time with a new statistics course. This introduction might be interesting as you think about your IA’s. How do we understand what are data are telling us… and how do we design tests that will give us data that we can actually use?
i-Biology 