20 Big Scientific Questions to Get You Thinking
- 1. What is the universe made of? Astronomers still cannot account for 95% of the universe. ...
- 2. How did life begin? ...
- 3. Are we alone in the universe? ...
- 4. What makes us human? ...
- 5. What is consciousness? ...
- 6. Why do we dream? ...
- 7. Why is there stuff? ...
- 8. Are there other universes? ...
- What is the universe made of? Astronomers still cannot account for 95% of the universe. ...
- How did life begin? ...
- Are we alone in the universe? ...
- What makes us human? ...
- What is consciousness? ...
- Why do we dream? ...
- Why is there stuff? ...
- Are there other universes?
What qualities make a good scientific question?
- Curious. Scientists are curious about their world. ...
- Patient. Scientists are patient as they repeat experiments multiple times to verify results.
- Courageous. ...
- Detail-oriented. ...
- Creative. ...
- Persistent. ...
- Communicative. ...
- Open-minded and free of bias. ...
- Critical thinkers and problem-solvers. ...
What makes a good scientific question?
A good scientific question has certain characteristics. It should have some answers (real answers), should be testable (i.e. can be tested by someone through an experiment or measurements), leads to a hypothesis that is falsifiable (means it should generate a hypothesis that can be shown to fail), etc.
What are three criteria for a good scientific question?
The Criteria for Science and Scientific Theories
- What Is a Scientific Theory? Scientists don't use the term "theory" in the same way that it's used in the vernacular.
- The logical criteria are commonly cited in discussions about the nature of scientific theories and how science differs from non-science or pseudoscience.
- A scientific theory must help us understand the nature of our data. ...
What is a good science question?
What is “Good Science”?
- Science is a human endeavor. Scientists are all human, with the typical faults and foibles that non-scientists have. ...
- Science follows certain rules and guidelines. Exactly what these rules and guidelines are depends on what area of science a specific scientific procedure falls within. ...
- Facts versus opinions. ...
What are three scientific questions?
The 20 big questions in science1 What is the universe made of? ... 2 How did life begin? ... 3 Are we alone in the universe? ... 4 What makes us human? ... 5 What is consciousness? ... 6 Why do we dream? ... 7 Why is there stuff? ... 8 Are there other universes?More items...•
What is a scientific question in science?
Scientific Question. A scientific question is a question that may lead to a hypothesis and help us in. answering (or figuring out) the reason for some observation. ● A solid scientific question must be testable and measurable. ○ You can complete an experiment in order to answer it.
What are some scientifically reliable questions?
These are also questions we ask ourselves, before we cover a study.Did the study appear in a peer-reviewed journal? ... Who was studied, where? ... How big was the sample? ... Did the researchers control for key differences? ... Was there a control group?More items...•
What are 5 scientific questions?
20 Big Questions in ScienceWhat is the universe made of? Astronomers still cannot account for 95% of the universe. ... How did life begin? ... Are we alone in the universe? ... What makes us human? ... What is consciousness? ... Why do we dream? ... Why is there stuff? ... Are there other universes?More items...
How do you write a scientific question?
Remember to write a question that is going to be simple, measurable, attainable, relevant, and limited to a particular time and place. Avoid why questions. Next, write a prediction that answers your question. This is your hypothesis.
What are the 7 questions you should ask about any scientific claim?
Can You Believe It? Seven Questions to Ask About Any Scientific ClaimWhat's the claim?Who says?What's the evidence?How did they get the evidence?Is there anything (or anyone) to back up this claim?Could there be another explanation?Who cares?
What is the hardest question in science?
12 Tricky Science QuestionsWhy is the sky blue?Why does the moon appear in the daytime?How much does the sky weigh?How much does the Earth weigh?How do airplanes stay in the air?Why is water wet?What makes a rainbow?Why don't birds get electrocuted when they land on an electric wire?More items...•
What are the 10 questions science can t answer?
Fundamental questions science cannot yet answerWhat is the nature of dark matter? ... What is the nature of dark energy? ... What happened before the Big Bang? ... Are we alone in the Universe? ... The puzzle of the human brain and consciousness.
What is a scientific question problem?
A scientific problem is a question that you have that can be answered via an experiment. Not all problems that you have are scientific problems. That's because not all questions can be answered with an experiment.
What is a scientific question quizlet?
What is a scientific question? a question that is based on observations and that is testable. A scientist asks a question and discovers that increased temperature decreases the number of offspring that an organism produces.
What is a good scientific question?
A good scientific question should be objective and testable. It may be a verification question, theory question, or experimental question. A scient...
How do you write a scientific question?
To write a scientific question, start by brainstorming some ideas. After writing some questions, review the list and eliminate any questions that a...
What is an example of a testable scientific question?
An example of a testable scientific question is one that includes two variables; the independent variable and the dependent variable. For example:...
20 Big Questions in Science
Astronomers still cannot account for 95% of the universe. Atoms, which were discovered to make up the world around us, is apparently only 5% of the universe’s makeup. In recent years, astronomers have postulated that a big portion of the remaining 95% may be a sort of dark matter or energy, but the question still remains to be answered.
Tips For Asking Good Scientific Questions
A crucial factor in doing good research is learning how to ask good scientific questions. By definition, scientific discoveries are proven through observation and evidence. In order to know where to look, scientists need to know exactly what they’re looking for, and how to word their questions in a way that will lead their scientific research.
Wrap Up
These big scientific questions are the foundation of all the major scientific discoveries.
Why do we use prime numbers?
The fact you can shop safely on the internet is thanks to prime numbers – those digits that can only be divided by themselves and one. Public key encryption – the heartbeat of internet commerce – uses prime numbers to fashion keys capable of locking away your sensitive information from prying eyes. And yet, despite their fundamental importance to our everyday lives, the primes remain an enigma. An apparent pattern within them – the Riemann hypothesis – has tantalised some of the brightest minds in mathematics for centuries. However, as yet, no one has been able to tame their weirdness. Doing so might just break the internet.
What percentage of the universe is made up of atoms?
Astronomers face an embarrassing conundrum: they don’t know what 95% of the universe is made of. Atoms, which form everything we see around us, only account for a measly 5%. Over the past 80 years it has become clear that the substantial remainder is comprised of two shadowy entities – dark matter and dark energy.
What is the singularity of a black hole?
Einstein’s general relativity says that when a black hole is created by a dying, collapsing massive star, it continues caving in until it forms an infinitely small, infinitely dense point called a singularity. But on such scales quantum physics probably has something to say too. Except that general relativity and quantum physics have never been the happiest of bedfellows – for decades they have withstood all attempts to unify them. However, a recent idea – called M-Theory – may one day explain the unseen centre of one of the universe’s most extreme creations.
How many people die from multidrug resistant bacteria in Europe?
Yet this legacy is in danger – in Europe around 25,000 people die each year of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Why do we dream?
We spend around a third of our lives sleeping. Considering how much time we spend doing it, you might think we’d know everything about it. But scientists are still searching for a complete explanation of why we sleep and dream. Subscribers to Sigmund Freud’s views believed dreams were expressions of unfulfilled wishes – often sexual – while others wonder whether dreams are anything but the random firings of a sleeping brain. Animal studies and advances in brain imaging have led us to a more complex understanding that suggests dreaming could play a role in memory, learning and emotions. Rats, for example, have been shown to replay their waking experiences in dreams, apparently helping them to solve complex tasks such as navigating mazes.
Can astronomers see water?
Perhaps not. Astronomers have been scouring the universe for places where water worlds might have given rise to life, from Europa and Mars in our solar system to planets many light years away. Radio telescopes have been eavesdropping on the heavens and in 1977 a signal bearing the potential hallmarks of an alien message was heard. Astronomers are now able to scan the atmospheres of alien worlds for oxygen and water. The next few decades will be an exciting time to be an alien hunter with up to 60bn potentially habitable planets in our Milky Way alone.
Is the prime an enigma?
And yet, despite their fundamental importance to our everyday lives, the primes remain an enigma. An apparent pattern within them – the Riemann hypothesis – has tantalised some of the brightest minds in mathematics for centuries. However, as yet, no one has been able to tame their weirdness.
What is the importance of studying the mammalian skull?
Pathobiology: the importance of studying the mammalian skull. The influence of the circadian rhythm of metabolism. The animal kingdom in Antarctica: adapting to subzero temperatures. Understanding the migration of cells in tumors to treat cancer.
How does scientific research help?
Proper scientific research can increase knowledge in a specific area. Of course, if you are a college student, you shouldn’t feel any obligation to solve unimaginable problems. However, even a small discovery could be a huge step in understanding an issue. 3 hours!
What to do when it feels like a topic is not for you?
If it feels like the topic is not for you, cross it out. You shouldn’t waste your time working on research that doesn’t satisfy you. It also needs to reflect your point of view. Last but not least, think about the approach of your research since it can also affect the topic.
What is ecological and environmental science?
The ecological and environmental science research unites all the studies about the interconnection between living organisms and their environment. You might find many ecology research topics, as well as multiple climate change research topics.
What is natural science?
Natural science focuses on our environment. We try to understand how and why everything around us works. Living organisms, natural phenomena, rocks, and even the stars, are under scientists’ observation. Research in this area is a continuous process.
Is physics research based on qualitative or quantitative research?
However, the good news is that this is the area where it is easy to find many qualitative and quantitative research topics about science. Also, research is mostly based on conducting experiments, but most physics research topics in our list concern theoretical issues.
Is geology fun?
Contrary to popular belief, geology can be fun! You might ask yourself how fun an earth science can be… But this area actually includes much more than just studying the rocks.
What would happen if you fell into a black hole?
But if you fell into a somewhat larger black hole with less extreme tides, you could maintain your internal structure. Einstein's theory of time dilation suggests that if you looked forward toward the black hole's center, you'd see every object that has fallen into it in the past. Behind you, you'd see everything that will ever fall into it in the future. [ Learn more about life at the edge of a black hole]
What if Earth were twice as big?
If Earth's diameter were doubled to about 16,000 miles, the planet's mass would increase eight times, and the force of gravity on the planet would be twice as strong. All the plants and animals that currently exist would collapse under their own doubled weight, and new, stockier species would arise. [ Get the full explanation]
What if a giant asteroid hadn't wiped out the dinosaurs?
If that asteroid hadn't struck, the dinosaurs would in all likelihood still rule the Earth. After all, dinos dominated for 160 million years prior to the Earth-shattering event. Researchers have speculated that intelligent "dinosauroids" might have evolved in humanity's place, based on the relatively large brain size of late-emerging trodontid species, which were bird-like predators. [ Get the full explanation]
What if everyone on Earth jumped at once?
If all 7 billion of us crowded close together and jumped, we would make the Earth move just one-hundredth of the radius of a single atom per second. When we landed, Earth would move back in place, like a spring. [ Get the full explanation]
What if the moon had never formed?
Without it, life may never have arisen, or living things would have very different behavioral patterns to cope with the six-ho ur day and extreme climate changes that would exist on a moonless Earth. [ Get the full explanation]
What if humans were twice as intelligent?
If humans were twice as intelligent as we are now , experts think we would be more fulfilled on an individual scale, as well as healthier, better looking and less religious. But people would still have a diverse range of personalities, and so society as a whole might be just as conflicted as it is today. [ Get the full explanation]
What if we were closer to the Milky Way's edge?
Though there is just one-third the quantity of metallic elements at the galaxy's edge compared to where we are, life could still have arisen and evolve d in much the same way. However, gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn would not be able to exist, and the lack of such planets might spell doom for Earth by allowing more frequent asteroid impacts. [ Get the full explanation]
What is exploratory question?
Questions that are designed to understand more about a topic are exploratory questions. The objective of asking an exploratory question is to learn more about a topic without attributing bias or preconceived notions to it.
Why is qualitative research important?
Because qualitative research is more concerned with understanding an event or phenomenon, its open-ended research questions focus more on a group’s experience than on statistics or numbers . Qualitative research is primarily used in social sciences and includes surveys, case studies, focus groups, and ethnography studies.
What is descriptive question?
Descriptive Questions. As the most basic type of quantitative research question, descriptive questions seek to explain when, where, why, or how something occurred. They use data and statistics to describe an event or phenomenon.
What type of research is used to explain an occurrence?
If you’re exploring meaning and experience, you’re using qualitative research. If you want to use empirical evidence to explain an occurrence, quantitative research is your process. These types of research are useful in scientific, marketing, historical, and psychological studies.
What is a research paper?
Research papers are source-based explanations of a topic, event, or phenomenon. The two methodologies of research, known as qualitative and quantitative research, explore topics with different objectives. The methodology you choose will determine which types of questions you ask before, during, and after the research process.
What is relationship based question?
If you’d like to know how one variable affects or influences another, use a relationship-based question. These questions are common in quasi-experimental and experimental studies.
What is interpretive research?
Interpretive research studies people in their natural settings. They interpret how a group makes sense of shared experiences and attributes meaning to various phenomena. These studies gather feedback on a group’s behavior without affecting the outcome.
What Are Examples of Scientific Questions?
- A good scientific question is one that can have an answer and be tested. For example: “Why is that a star?” is not as good as “What are stars made of?” 2. A good scientific question can be tested by some experiment or measurement that you can do.
What Is Science of Man?
- (noun) A topic in David Hume’s 18th century experimental philosophy A Treatise of Human Nature (1739). It expanded the understanding of facets of human nature, including senses, impressions, ideas, imagination, passions, morality, justice, and society.
What Is Stability and Change in Science?
- All systems are characterized by stability and change. Systems are stable when all of the inputs and outputs are in balance so that internal processes can continue at a steady state. Change occurs when the inputs and outputs are not in balance so that internal processes are also changing.
How Do Chemist Study The Universe?
- To study the universe, chemists gather data from afar and analyze matter that is brought back to Earth. Describes the world of objects that are large enough to see with the unaided eye.