EPQ paleontology question ideas

I want to do an EPQ on a paleontology subject as I've always been very interested in it. I've seen I few questions that look interesting, like are current marine predators as well adapted as prehistoric marine predators? And questions about mass extinctions.
Does anyone else have any good ideas as to what I could do the project on and does anyone know if it will be a good idea to do a question like the one a mentioned

Reply 1

Kiwi789

10

Original post by Sopandre

I want to do an EPQ on a paleontology subject as I've always been very interested in it. I've seen I few questions that look interesting, like are current marine predators as well adapted as prehistoric marine predators? And questions about mass extinctions.
Does anyone else have any good ideas as to what I could do the project on and does anyone know if it will be a good idea to do a question like the one a mentioned

Hi, I don't know if you're still looking for an answer to this thread, I'll try to help if I still can. I completed an EPQ on a palaeontological topic before my application to university. AQA examination board.

As for the topic you wish to pick, what areas of palaeontology interest you the most? I did mine on Permian synapsids because I found them both mysterious and fascinating. Definitely pick a topic you can investigate in minute detail without growing bored as you will working on this essay for much of the academic year.

If you have any questions feel free to ask :biggrin:

. I'm a current Palaeontology student, so I should be able help out.

Reply 2

username2088165

20

I'm not sure whether this will be useful at this point, but I also completed an EPQ in a palaeontology topic, specifically whether the asteroid impact theory provides the best explanation for the extinction of the dinosaurs, in comparison to other extinction theories.

It's important to choose a topic which really interests you, and that you can write a lot about, so consider which palaeontology topics interest you most and do some research on them beforehand to see whether there is enough info on them to help you write your EPQ essay.

Don't panic if you start your EPQ on a topic and then realise it's unsuitable, you can change topics at almost any time as long as there is still time to finish it before the deadline. Good luck :smile:

Reply 3

englitstudent567

I'm just curious. If i was to write about bringing back a dinosaur would this be a successful EPQ? If so anyone have any ideas what i could right about as i want to talk about sooo much however i feel as though i might just be rambling on and not fully answering the question.

Reply 4

username2088165

20

Original post by englitstudent567

I'm just curious. If i was to write about bringing back a dinosaur would this be a successful EPQ? If so anyone have any ideas what i could right about as i want to talk about sooo much however i feel as though i might just be rambling on and not fully answering the question.

Hi there,

Generally EPQ questions are meant to be questions for which you can give arguments for and against when answering (at least that's what I was told when I did mine), and so they shouldn't be purely descriptive as that won't get you many marks.

So if you wanted to focus on something like bringing a dinosaur/other prehistoric creature back into existence, maybe you could focus on the ethics of that. For example, maybe you could have a question like 'Is bringing mammoths back from extinction ethical?' or something along those lines, as there have been programs recently showing scientists trying to do just that.

It's best to ask your head of EPQ/EPQ mentor what they think would be a suitable title though, as EPQ examiners are very fussy about titles (not too broad, not too specific etc). You want a title which will allow you to comfortably write a 4000-5000 word essay without running out of material halfway through (although it's not a disaster if that happens, you can change your title a bit at anytime to allow more scope if you're struggling) and which interests you, as you'll be spending a lot of time working on it.

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 5

Kiwi789

10

Original post by englitstudent567

I'm just curious. If i was to write about bringing back a dinosaur would this be a successful EPQ? If so anyone have any ideas what i could right about as i want to talk about sooo much however i feel as though i might just be rambling on and not fully answering the question.

It all depends on how you phrase the question. The title must be something you can argue for and against, basically you need to show self-criticism. My project started out rather broad, with all I knew was that I wanted to write about proto-mammals, but by the time I finished it the title had become very specific.

Make a draft title, and brainstorm from there for further questions you could ask within the frame of your title. In my EPQ basically the essay was a series of little essays that were linked together by an introduction and conclusion.
I got full marks for my EPQ, so it was well worth it.

As for suggestions for your topic in regard to bringing back dinosaurs, you could talk about the fragility/preservation of DNA, reverse engineering chickens, recent attempts such as with the gastric brooding frog on 2013 etc (but make sure to use them as arguments of their own for your main title, don't use them as factual filler).

Happy to help :biggrin:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

englitstudent567

I had a discussion with my EPQ mentor and agreed with this title; if I was to bring back a dinosaur, which one would it be and why?
With this title I could talk and pros, cons and ethics right? I would be able to create an argument, I don't know if it will go up to 4000-5000 words.
Also I cant make it too biological as DNA is in the AQA biology Alevel spec and am taking bio :s-smilie:

Im really struddling as my teacher would put it.

Reply 7

englitstudent567

Original post by Leviathan1741

Hi there,

Generally EPQ questions are meant to be questions for which you can give arguments for and against when answering (at least that's what I was told when I did mine), and so they shouldn't be purely descriptive as that won't get you many marks.

So if you wanted to focus on something like bringing a dinosaur/other prehistoric creature back into existence, maybe you could focus on the ethics of that. For example, maybe you could have a question like 'Is bringing mammoths back from extinction ethical?' or something along those lines, as there have been programs recently showing scientists trying to do just that.

It's best to ask your head of EPQ/EPQ mentor what they think would be a suitable title though, as EPQ examiners are very fussy about titles (not too broad, not too specific etc). You want a title which will allow you to comfortably write a 4000-5000 word essay without running out of material halfway through (although it's not a disaster if that happens, you can change your title a bit at anytime to allow more scope if you're struggling) and which interests you, as you'll be spending a lot of time working on it.

Hope this helps :smile:

Please see my previous post ..lit would help a lot

Reply 8

Saturn-_-V

3

Original post by Kiwi789

Hi, I don't know if you're still looking for an answer to this thread, I'll try to help if I still can. I completed an EPQ on a palaeontological topic before my application to university. AQA examination board.

As for the topic you wish to pick, what areas of palaeontology interest you the most? I did mine on Permian synapsids because I found them both mysterious and fascinating. Definitely pick a topic you can investigate in minute detail without growing bored as you will working on this essay for much of the academic year.

If you have any questions feel free to ask :biggrin:

. I'm a current Palaeontology student, so I should be able help out.

What epq ideas would you suggest to someone aspiring to study paleontology?

Reply 9

Kiwi789

10

Original post by Saturn-_-V

What epq ideas would you suggest to someone aspiring to study paleontology?

Hey, sorry for the late reply (this is actually the first time I've logged back onto Student Room in about five years) but I hope I can still help out. My question to you would be what areas of palaeontology interest you most: dinosaurs, marine reptiles, amphibians, forams? You want to be specific as possible with your question, but not too specific if there won't be enough literature to back you up on it. Do a little investigation and find out whether there are any outstanding questions that are current being investigated by scientists, picking the question can be tricky, make sure it's something you know you will enjoy engaging in.

I'll try to give some suggestions for epq ideas here, though if you tell me what area of palaeontology are you interested in most I could probably tailor my suggestions:

*Endothermy in dinosaurs (or early mammals if that interests you more), when did it first appear, or perhaps an investigation into the methods by which it might have developed.

*Causes for the Mass Triassic Extinction Event (this is also the time when the first mammals, true lizards and dinosaurs were beginning to rapidly diversify, so there might also be something in that) - the cause for this extinction event is still a matter of debate.

*A much contested question in palaeontology at the moment is whether or not the pycnofibers on pterosaurs are homologous to the feathers in the dinosaurs, or if they originated separately.

EPQ paleontology question ideas

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you