200+ Biology Essay Topics

Biology is such a broad field of study that you can waste weeks looking for the right topic for your assignment. To save you the time and effort of fruitless research, we’ve compiled a list of research papers and extended essay topics on Biology. 

In this post, you’ll find the ideas divided by assignment type and research area. So you can skip ahead to the section you’re most interested in and skim through the options on offer. Remember to tweak and adjust the scope and wording of the topic to make it fit the difference between essay and research paper better.

Interesting Biology Topics to Write About for Any Assignment

Argumentative Biology Essay Topics

1. Biology journals should shift towards open-source publishing
2. Engineered bacteria can replace fossil fuels shortly
3. Genes harvested from wild plants can improve the disease-resistance of crops
4. Small parks and gardens influence the environment and should be protected
5. Marine ecosystems are resilient in the face of mass extinction
6. Climate change impacts the physiology of migratory birds
7. Coral reefs will stop growing within forty years due to climate change and pollution
8. Covid-19 fallout will lead to the coffee industry crisis
9. Ways to increase CRISPR gene editing accuracy
10. Plant roots must be adapted to hotter climates to relieve food supply chain pressure
11. Increasing urban green spaces can protect the bee population from a further decrease
12. The risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 from banknotes and coins is minimal
13. Machine learning is the driver of personalized cancer treatment
14. The hearts from overdosed donors are safe for transplant
15. A healthy lifestyle can mitigate the high genetic risk of cancer
16. Relaxing Covid-19 restrictions will lead to vaccine-resistant mutations
17. Practice is more dangerous for soccer players’ health than game time
18. Climate change will affect the spread of viruses and bacterial infections
19. Industrial exoskeletons put extra strain on the workers’ brains
20. Neighborhood oil and gas drilling affects the newborns’ weight
21. The Covid-19 pandemic increased the number of mental health issues among ICU staff
22. Increased bacterial acidity is the key to battle antimicrobial resistance
23. Cellular competition is vital for preserving healthy cells in organisms
24. Safe wait time between pregnancies is lower than recommended
25. The second dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is vital for boosting long-term immunity
26. Identical mutations cause different types of cancer
27. Declining fish biodiversity is a risk for human nutrition

Interesting Biology Extended Essay Topics

28. The differences between CRISPR and Retron Library Recombineering (RLR)
29. Theories on the sea star’s cloning ability
30. An overview of the current RNA-sequencing methods
31. Analyzing snakes to keep track of Fukushima radiation pollution
32. The application of lidar technology for forest monitoring and its downsides
33. The effect of antidepressant pollution on fish behavior
34. The relationship between genetics and gut microbiome
35. Nanobodies potential uses for stopping viruses
36. The differences between single- and double-stranded RNA
37. The relationship between neural learning processes and depression symptoms
38. The benefits of continuous glucose monitoring for Type 2 diabetes patients
39. The application of silicone wristbands for quantitative air quality analysis
40. An overview of brain repair capabilities and their relationship with epilepsy treatment
41. Current developments in non-intrusive heart condition sensors
42. The use of epithelial-cell-lined hydrogels for pathogen studies
43. The effect of toxic and nontoxic air pollution on human health
44. The relationship between the patient’s age and the vaccine immune response
45. New approaches to the long-term well-being of HIV positive patients
46. The relationship between the lack of breastfeeding and childhood health issues
47. The adaptive response of cancer cells to targeted treatments
48. Collagen-reparative properties of alphaCT1 molecules for scar treatment
49. Air pollution exposure among commuters
50. The likelihood of self-inflicted lung injury in Covid-19 patients
51. New approaches to antibiotics development for resistant bacteria
52. The application of organic tissue glue in emergency medicine
53. The effects of reduced oxygen content on marine life
54. New species classification as the first step to conservation

Research Topics in Biology for Undergraduates

55. The role of mRNA in converting DNA genetic data into proteins
56. New ways to diagnose and treat stealth fungal diseases
57. The effect of environmental stresses on coral offspring physiology
58. The relationship between deforestation and ocean water quality
59. Second-hand marijuana smoking increases the risk of respiratory infections in children
60. T-cell exhaustion in patients with chronic diseases
61. The long-term complications in youth-onset Type 2 diabetes patients
62. The application of cryo-electron microscopy in breast and ovarian cancer research
63. Unhealthy lifestyle and increased dementia risk correlation
64. The risk of harmful bacteria presence in microplastics accumulated in the food
65. Gene therapy neuroprotection to prevent glaucoma vision loss
66. The relationship between Omega-3 blood levels and life expectancy
67. Reducing the risk of collision for blind and visually impaired people through wearable devices
68. Antibiotics efficiency for melanoma treatment
69. Cell culture testing of embryos to detect dangerous toxic compounds
70. The correlation between cognitive decline, bone density loss, and fracture risk in women
71. Understanding fear regulation microcircuits in the brain to battle anxiety disorders
72. The risks of discovering viruses in melting icebergs
73. Identifying the exact date of the first case of SARS-CoV-2
74. The relationship between agriculture intensity and pollinator population in the tropics
75. Herbivore’s jaw evolution to counter mass extinction of the species
76. An overview of the successful examples of conservation efforts
77. The connection between historical natural disasters and mammal brain size
78. The biodiversity of artificial forest gardens
79. Dietary shifts that helped certain species survive natural disasters
80. Identifying the climate-change-resistant corals for reef conservation
81. The dangers of introducing foreign honeybees to native ecosystems

Biology Research Questions for Any Research Area

Evolutionary Biology Research Paper Topics

82. Rapid climate changes as a driver of human evolution
83. The evolution’s impact on taste receptors and food preferences
84. Viruses as a major cause of human evolution
85. Rapid plant evolution driven by environmental factors
86. Photosynthesis evolution research to help increase crop yields
87. Transmissible cancer as the cause of ongoing Tasmanian Devil’s evolution
88. The relationship between evolution and big developmental leaps
89. Increasing software accuracy for modeling evolutionary changes
90. Tidal waves as the cause for fish evolution towards life on land
91. Current examples of rapid plant and animal evolution
92. The possibility of parallel evolution in isolated organisms
93. Extreme nature events as a cause for aggressive spider evolution
94. Color pattern evolution and its rapid repetition
95. Calculating the rate of evolution after mass extinction events
96. Large iceberg melting as part of the ice evolution
97. Darwin’s evolution theories: proven and disproved
98. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 over the first year of the pandemic
99. The evolution of the relationship between insects and plants
100. The appendix is no longer an evolutionary artifact
101. Cell-level mistakes as evolutionary drivers

Marine Biology Research Paper Topics

102. Ecosystem-based management of endangered species conservation
103. Marine organisms’ response to climate change
104. The variability of biomass distribution in the Bering sea
105. The effects of ocean acidification on different species
106. Environmentally induced morphological variation in the reef fish
107. Long-term effects of high CO2 on growth and survival of marine species
108. The variability of stress responses among subtropical coastal marine species
109. Unpredictable consequences of coral reef death for ecosystems
110. The changes in food preferences caused by elevating ocean temperatures
111. The relationship between the heating rate and the metabolic response of the staghorn coral
112. Microplastic contamination of the sea turtle eggs
113. Fisheries management to prevents overfishing and habitat destruction
114. The potential use of deep ocean gases as an alternative energy source
115. The ecosystems supported by the hydrothermal vents
116. The minimally invasive approach to new marine species research
117. The risks of overheated sand for leatherback turtles
118. The changes in shark behavior connected to human activity
119. Estimated plastic pollution from Covid-19 face masks
120. Floating marine debris may promote invasive species distribution
121. 3D printing engaged in coral reef conservation efforts

Cell Biology Topics to Research

122. Age-related reduction in cellular function and activity
123. Effect of human dental pulp stem cell-conditioned medium on dentin-pulp regeneration
124. The impact of exercise during pregnancy on the structure of the maternal-fetal interface
125. Cellular behavior regulation by molecular signals from outside the cell
126. The study of stem cells at the level of cell biology
127. Cell and tissue mechanics at the frontier of cell biology
128. The mechanics of active and passive transport in and out of the cells
129. The mechanism of cell fluorescence photoactivation
130. Quantitative cell biology tools and applications
131. Cellular neurobiology of psychedelics
132. Theoretical modeling of the mitotic spindle
133. Factoring ciliate behavior in microscale robotics development
134. Nuclear envelope identity shaped by lipid and protein dynamics
135. Shaping of T-cell and lymphocyte development in vitro and in vivo
136. Software tools for creating a human cell atlas
137. The functions of cytoskeletal proteins in the cell nucleus
138. Modeling human synapse development and degradation using stem cells
139. Tubulin polymers structural diversity
140. Adhesion dynamics of single and collective cell migration
141. The intersection between secretory and autophagy pathways used in remodeling membranes during cellular stress

Plant Biology Research Project Ideas

142. The evolution and ecology of plant species under climate change conditions
143. The ecosystem functions and value of plant-microbial symbiosis
144. The study of the plants’ water usage and interactions at different scales
145. The ways photosynthetic organisms perceive and react to their environment
146. Plant metabolic networks’ organization, function and evolution
147. The differences in plant development under sunlight and grow light conditions
148. The increasing pesticide and fungicide resistance in crops
149. Plant secondary metabolites production as a defense reaction to stress
150. Adaptive mechanisms in plants to handle drought
151. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in agriculture through molecular and agronomic techniques
152. Increasing soil salinity tolerance in crop plants for arid climates
153. The effect of cadmium contamination on plants’ development and crop yield
154. The use of kaolin for improving apple quality in irrigation deficit conditions
155. Seasonal changes of antioxidant activity in crops
156. The use of pea and rice proteins in probiotic drink recipes
157. Crop residue handling best practices for sustainability and climate change control
158. The relationship between tomato pigmentation and flavor
159. The use of corn processing byproducts for biodegradable plastics production
160. The effect of rising nighttime temperatures on crop yields
161. The benefits of planting mixed-culture fields

Neuroscience and Biology Research Paper Topics

162. Hormone deficiencies that cause neural circuit and synapse defects
163. Environmental factors that promote Alzheimer disease
164. Neuronal loss and structural changes caused by chronic sleep deprivation
165. Identifying brain circuits regulating addiction
166. Genetic analysis of neural circuit organization
167. Imaging technologies for neural circuits research
168. The causes for neural circuits degeneration
169. The relationship between social behavior and neuron connections
170. The possibilities of reversing age-related memory loss
171. The increase in opioid overdoses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic
172. The connection between air quality and the risk of dementia
173. Effective methods of repairing peripheral nerve injuries
174. The negative effect of excessive coffee consumption on brain function
175. Magnetic field use in glioblastoma treatments
176. Permanent brain structure changes in professional rugby and American football players
177. The increase of mental health conditions among medical personnel throughout the Covid-19 pandemic
178. The effects of Daylight Saving time shift on early birds and night owls
179. The risks of brain-computer interface based on electroencephalography
180. The impact of nature on children’s cognitive development
181. The use of computer tomography for patients with concussion

Genetics and Biology Research Paper Topics for College Students

182. The relationship between culture and genetics in human evolution
183. The genetic bases of eating disorders
184. The complicated genetics of human eye coloring
185. The correlation between genetics and health issues
186. Symbiotic microbe genetics controlled by plants
187. The effects of genetics and lifestyle on the human microbiome
188. Genetics influence communication behavior, including social media use
189. The applications of genetically modified bacteria in materials science
190. The use of genetically modified grass to clear toxins from soil
191. Stopping the spread of malaria and Zika virus through mosquito genetic modification
192. The use of genome editing technology to climate-proof crop plants
193. Increasing the efficiency of endangered species conservation efforts through genetics research
194. International transparency requirements for food gene editing
195. The possibilities of genetic manipulation for increased longevity
196. The similarities between cat and human genome for research purposes
197. The ethical implications of precision genome-editing medicine
198. Genetic risk factors that increase the chances of severe Covid-19
199. An overview of methods and tools used for psychological genetics analysis
200. Identifying the genes connected to obesity risk
201. Aquaculture genetics’ current state and future potential

We’ve got even more ideas for your Biology paper where these came from. Just reach out, and we’ll be happy to craft a tailored idea for your assignment. And we can take over writing a college essay, research paper, or even a thesis!