What do you wish scientists understood about life?
Ask one question about life.
It can be simple, broad, difficult — or something science cannot yet answer.
What happens to your question?
Questions are collected by the Asally Lab. We may choose some to explore on this website. Your question may be quoted anonymously. We may not have an answer — that is part of the point!
How we explore a question
What we know
What evidence already tells us.
What we don't know
Where our understanding runs out.
How could we find out?
What observations or experiments might help.
Start with any question
What makes something alive?
Can a cell remember?
When does a cell become dead?
Why do identical cells behave differently?
Do bacteria use electricity?
How does life stay itself while changing?
Why are we doing this?
A sense of wonder is a key ingredient of science. It is what makes us ask questions before we know how to answer them.
Science often makes progress by breaking big questions into smaller ones that can be tested. That is powerful, but the original question can sometimes disappear as we focus on the details.
This is why we create a place to share the questions about life that we genuinely want to understand.