Research Paper Topics and Assignment Details

BS-101 Spring 2019

Our Biology course requires that a research paper be written and submitted for evaluation. Due to the nature of this course and the broad range of topics it covers (and the broad interests of the students) there are general guidelines for writing your research paper and a list of topics from which to choose.

Research papers should be 3-5 pages, 12 pt. font, double spaced, in standard written English. Papers should have a title, introductory paragraph with thesis statement, and generally move from broad ideas to narrower ideas while moving through the paper.

Research papers require research… these are not opinion papers! Your feelings about a particular topic do not matter in the writing of the paper (though of course they matter to you!). These papers should be written using detailed information found in primary research or reputable secondary research. Examples of primary research include peer-reviewed scientific journals which are searchable and can be (mostly) readable online, or information found on websites like the World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control, or SETI. Secondary sources are things like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, Scientific American, etc. It is also possible to supplement your main sources with smaller amounts of information from tertiary sources like college websites, WebMD, or Cleveland Clinic.

The following are a partial list of acceptable topics you may choose depending on your interests. You will need to create a thesis statement for your paper!

Cloning: history, types, and the possibilities and problems of cloning in the future.

Hormones are responsible for the functioning of the mind and behavior and are disrupted by chemicals that can be found in the environment. What kind of regulations should be in place (and for which chemicals) to help protect public health.

Vaccines are controversial. Discuss both sides of the vaccination debate and describe the threats to public health of BOTH vaccinating and NOT vaccinating. Genetic diseases often appear in isolated populations and as such provide scientists with a way to study rare mutations. What are some of the biological effects of a small gene pool and how is the ability to study this changing with the ability to sequence DNA.

Aging has been slowed in many different kinds of organisms through a variety of interventions. Describe the experiments in aging research and discuss their applicability to humans. Can we slow down aging? Reverse it?

Evolution is not a controversy for scientists. Describe the intelligent design/evolution battle in the United States and discuss the reasons that this still appears to a lay-person to be a controversy.

What is the optimal diet for human beings?

What is the molecular evidence that humans once interbred with Neanderthals? With other, now-extinct species?

As women age, the risk for certain abnormalities in a fetus increases. Is this true for men as they age?

What are the potential benefits and risks of stem cell research?

Is it beneficial or harmful for wild animals to have interactions with people?

How does sleep deprivation affect health?

Are the effects of global warming reversible?

What is the best method of growing food crops? GMO, organic, Korean intensive, or something else?

Why are there albino animals and people? Is this mutation also found in plants?

How common is homosexuality in the animal kingdom? In insects? What research has been done investigating the DNA involved in homosexuality?

Recent experiments (in the last 50 years) show us that it might be possible to domesticate wild animals like foxes. How does DNA change as animals become more domesticated?

What makes the “immortal jellyfish” unable to die? How long do they live and what kind of genetic adaptations allow this organism to continue life without aging?