A Breakthrough for Ten-Year-Olds
Choose a recent scientific breakthrough and explain it as if you were speaking to a ten-year-old. Include analogies, simple language, and vivid imagery to make the concept understandable and engaging.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- State your main point in one sentence before you start.
- Include a counterargument and answer it fairly.
- Cut every sentence that only repeats the one before it.
Writing science books
How the world works, explained by someone who loves it.
Popular science makes research readable: black holes, genes, the brain, the climate. It's written for curious people without the background, and it succeeds when they finish feeling smarter rather than lectured.
What readers expect
- Complex ideas made clear
- Wonder and curiosity
- Stories of discovery
- Accurate, current science
A tip before you start
Lead with a mystery or a person, then bring in the science. Curiosity will carry readers through the hard parts.
More Science prompts
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- Science and Its LimitsDescribe the ethical dilemmas faced by researchers in a particular field of science (e.g., genetics, artificial intelligence). Write as if you are a…
- Changing Ideas About HealthCompare and contrast the scientific understanding of an aspect of human health (like nutrition or mental health) from 50 years ago versus today.…
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