Molecular Biology

  1. Can microbial factories be an answer to the shortage of raw metals?
  2. Is the paleo diet (eating mostly meat) really the way prehistoric people lived? Is it the optimal diet for humans?
  3. Is Europe's opposition to genetically modified crops about science or economics?
  4. Can molecular biological research of rare genetic disorders help provide keys to understanding cancer and other illnesses? (seeLaronsyndrome)
  5. Scientists who studybehavioral epigeneticssuggest that traumatic experiences such as the Holocaust or the Cultural Revolution in China actually affect the DNA handed down to the next generation. Is behavioral epigenetics true? If so, how should we apply this idea?
  6. What is the molecular evidence that humans onceinterbred with Neanderthals? With other now-extinct species?
  7. As men age, do they pass on genetic abnormalities to their children?
  8. Is personalized medicine based on our own genome the wave of the future?
  9. Isstem cell treatmentreally promising?
  10. Will researchers really be able to use genetics to help uslive both longer and healthier?

Nanotechnology

  1. How can microelectronics be used to help people with chronic ailments?
  2. What developments in nanotechnology are currently being made for medical applications?
  3. What is the effect of nanotechnology on research and development of medical technologies?
  4. Can microelectronics inside of contact lenses help diabetics control their blood sugar?
  5. What is nanotechnology for medical use?
  6. How can "smart clothes" be used to help medical patients?
  7. How can nanotechnology be used to treat cancer patients?
  8. Do the benefits of nanotechnology for medical uses outweigh the risks?
  9. What are the risks of developing nanotechnology in medicine?
  10. How can nanotechnology be used to work with DNA?
  11. Should we use nanobots to produce and deliver drugs to human patients?
  12. Are nanofibers the answer to repairing spinal cord and brain injuries?
  13. Should we use nanotechnology to feed ourselves?
  14. What are the challenges of nanomaterials and nano designs?
  15. How could nanomedicine be used to better treat patients in remote regions or the developing world?
  16. Can nanomedicine potentially extend the human lifespan?
  17. Will nanotechnologies make it possible for people to live in outer space?
  18. How can nanotechnologies help us clean up toxic waste?
  19. What is nanomaterial?
  20. How should nanomaterial be regulated?
  21. How can nanotechnology improve diagnostic testing in patients?
  22. Can covering surfaces with nanoparticles improve airplanes, houses, and other structures?
  23. Is nanotechnology a viable commercial idea? Should we invest in further research and development?
  24. Is the desktop nanofabrication tool a viable option for low-cost, easy nanotechnology?
  25. Can nanomaterials be used to reduce CO2 emissions?

Health

  1. Is stem cell research ethical?
  2. What is a chimera and how could it help stem cell research?
  3. What are the potential benefits and risks of stem cell research?
  4. Are microbes that create chemicals and antibiotics going to help us prevent infections?
  5. What is the best treatment for leukemia?
  6. What is gene therapy?
  7. What causes skin cancer?
  8. What is the best strategy for people to avoid getting cancer?
  9. Which cancers are we closest to finding cures for?
  10. What has been the impact of colonoscopy testing on colon cancer rates?
  11. Why do so many women get breast cancer?
  12. Why is malaria such a difficult disease to eliminate?
  13. Will global warming make tropical diseases like malaria and dengue fever travel north?
  14. What is the best strategy to slow the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases?
  15. Why doesn't the flu vaccine work all the time?
  16. How likely is it that a pandemic will arise that will kill large numbers of people in the world?
  17. How well do childhood vaccines prevent diseases?
  18. What is the West Nile virus?
  19. Why do people get epilepsy? How can it best be treated?
  20. Do doctors rely too much on expensive medical imaging technologies?
  21. What causes Alzheimer's disease?
  22. Can memory loss and dementia be prevented?
  23. How do cells protect the body from disease?
  24. Does Chinese traditional medicine work better than Western medicine in some cases?
  25. What is the best indicator of an increased risk of heart disease?
  26. Areannual doctor's check-upsreally necessary? Are they really the best way to help people stay healthy?
  27. Why are some diseases that we thought we had eradicated (like the measles or whooping cough) returning to infect people?
  28. Is it beneficial or harmful for wild animals to have interactions with people?

Robotics and Computer Science

  1. Canrobots be used to help kill invasive species?
  2. How can robotic exosuits be used in industry and business for training and increasing production?
  3. How are robots going to improve medicine?
  4. A robot can now perform aroutine colonoscopy. What is the future of surgical robots?
  5. How will self-driving cars change the way people live?
  6. Will delivery drones be bringing us our pizza and mail?
  7. Is using drones for warfare a good or bad idea?
  8. How can research on improving the artificial intelligence in robots teach us more about ourselves?
  9. What is hacking? Is it always bad?
  10. Can using system like bitcom helpprotect identity theft?
  11. What is thefuture of computing and artificial intelligence?
  12. What are the important issues about privacy and big data?
  13. How is bioinformatics transforming biology?
  14. How can mining big data in the healthcare industry make us healthier?
  15. How can computer science programs and games likeEyewirehelp us understand the brain?

Medicine

  1. What technologies are in development to help people who are paralyzed?
  2. How does sleep deprivation affect health?
  3. Should sugar be regulated like a drug?
  4. What are the benefits and disadvantages of individual genome profiling?
  5. What is the Human Connectome Project and how will mapping of the human brain contribute to scientific knowledge?
  6. Are some cancers caused by genes?
  7. Who are the Denisovans and how does their discovery alter our view of human evolution?
  8. Can we develop an anti-cancer vaccine?
  9. What can we do about crops which absorb toxins, such as the recent discovery of arsenic-tainted rice?
  10. What is the ideal weight for longevity? What is the connection between diet and lifespan?
  11. What is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)? Are we really in a post-antibiotic era as the CDC recently announced? What does this mean?
  12. Should scientific publication and grant systems be changed to give private citizens and younger scientists a voice if they have good ideas?
  13. Which diet choice is better: low fat, low sugar, or low carbs?
  14. How can polio be eradicated? Why has the disease resurfaced?
  15. How important are the bacteria living in your bowels?
  16. How close are computers to mimicking the human brain?
  17. How can video games be used to solve scientific problems?
  18. Do cell phones or microwaves cause cancer?

Astronomy and Physics

  1. How old is the universe?
  2. How important is it to explore our solar system? Is space exploration really necessary?
  3. What isdark energy? What do we really know about the universe we live in?
  4. What happened in the "Big Bang?"
  5. What have we learned about the universe from meteorites?
  6. Was there ever life on Mars?
  7. Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
  8. What caused the Astroid Belt?
  9. What has the International Space Station discovered that is most important?
  10. Is it realistic that people can live on another planet?
  11. How will private space flight companies change the future of space exploration?
  12. Should the United States return to the moon and try to go to other planets?
  13. It has been claimed that going into space is important for scientific development. Is that true? What scientific breakthroughs have come about through the space programs?
  14. What is the future of commercial space flight?
  15. What is the likelihood that a comet will strike the earth? What is the best way to detect and stop this?
  16. How can we solve the problem of "space junk"?
  17. How have meteorites changed our view of the Universe?
  18. Is it likely that there is life on other planets? What would it take for a planet to have life?
  19. What is "Dark Matter" and why is it important?
  20. What are black holes?
  21. How has the Hubble Space Telescope changed the way we look at the Universe?
  22. What is Higgs Boson? Will it destroy the Universe?
  23. How do sunspots affect us on earth?
  24. How will private space flight companies change the development of space resources?
  25. What is the likelihood that the Earth would be struck by a large asteroid or comet like the one believed to have killed off the dinosaurs? What can we do about it?
  26. Should humans really make the effort to find a way to live in space or on other planets?

Neurobiology

  1. Is autism a kind of brain damage?
  2. How can we helpautistic savantsbecome productive members of society?
  3. Why do we sleep? How much sleep do we really need?
  4. How is sleep related to memory?
  5. How did human speech develop? Are there clues we can find in researchingprimate social interactions?
  6. How do we remember things? Howreliable are our memoriesin recalling how things really happened?
  7. What is the importance oftime and space in brain development and disease?
  8. Why do mothersprotect their youngand even risk their lives?
  9. How does ourbrain really work?
  10. What ismental illness? Is there something we can learn from these different sorts of mental states?

Ecology

  1. Can endangered areas and animals be saved by helping local people develop alternative economies like raising tropical fish or ecotourism?
  2. Which of the current science fiction movies is the most plausible? (pick one or more and evaluate its representation of science)
  3. How well do science museums really teach science?
  4. Why do birds have such beautifully colored feathers?
  5. How are insects being used as models for miniature robots?
  6. Why do animals hibernate?
  7. Should disposable products be banned or limited?
  8. What isGreen building? How helpful is it to the environment and is it worth the extra cost?
  9. Should alternative energy companies get government subsidies?
  10. Is offshore drilling safe?
  11. Isrecycling metalreally important??
  12. How important is climate change legislation?
  13. Is hydraulic fracking going to destroy important ecosystems?

Resources

  1. Databases
  2. Science Daily offers many reviews of new topics in science. Search for your topic to find articles and links for further research.
  3. Los Angeles TimesScience and Health: This online science news source offers readable articles on many of the most current science topics. You can find good ideas for topics here as well as research for your own paper. If you are required to get peer-reviewed articles, then you can search here foreasy-to-read summariesand then look up the original articles online or in the library. Sites: and
  4. Live ScienceHealth:You can search this site for articles on science topics, including health science. This site often gives you links to original articles and government reports that can help you do your research. Sites: and
  5. Medical News Today:Contains over 250,000 articles on a variety of health topics. This site gives concise explanations of current research along with links to original papers or other information to help you further your research ideas. You can email or print the articles on this site and find out if they are from academic publications. Site: