We know you're curious. Curious about the universe, the environment, technology, and nature. Curious about animal intelligence and space travel and the human brain. Now, our research team wants to harness the power of all that curiosity to discover new story ideas for NOVA scienceNOW. So, tell us: What's your big question?

Our NOVA and NOVA scienceNOW Facebook and Twitter followers have already taken on the challenge. They're curious about everything from the soul to nanotechnology to energy--especially energy. Here are their big questions in a Wordle:

Some of the questions they've raised:

Tama Smith Filipas How does the variety of marine life living right on the thermal vents in the deep sea suvive and thrive?

Devon Kyle Why is there "something" rather than "nothing"... Has "nothing" ever even exisited???

Nicole Thomas I'd love to hear about the search for Earth-like exoplanets.

Leon Landry Is hydrogen a viable energy sources. Can we actually do artificial photosynthesis efficiently?

Robb Smith I'd like to see some segments on geo-engineering. Can we use it to control climate change? Can we use it to control extreme weather? Is terraforming Mars or an exoplanet even a remote possibility?

Ravi Narine Will we ever be able to leave our solar system?

Ryan Munkwitz Where happens to matter that enters a black hole?

Join the conversation: Let us know what your big question is, and you just might see it answered--or at least get to meet the scientists who are working every day to answer it--on NOVA scienceNOW.

Right now, 50 engineers and technicians at Fukushima are risking their lives to avoid a meltdown of crippled nuclear reactors at the plant. It's already the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, and the fact that this happened in Japan, a nation that's historically well-prepared for major natural disasters, made us wonder about our own nuclear plants in the U.S. How would they fare in the event of a quake or tsunami? And how do they train their operators to handle the wide range of emergencies that could pop up?

To find out, I drove down to Plymouth, MA, to talk to the training staff at Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station. Pilgrim is only an hour south of our offices in Boston, and it's one of 23 stations in the U.S. that use a similar reactor design as the Fukushimi Daiichi plant: a G.E. Boiling Water reactor with Mark I containment (the protective metal structure surrounding the core).

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Courtesy Entergy photographer Paul Nehrenz)

This ominous connection to the crippled plant in Fukushima is not lost on residents of the Boston area. Local TV, radio, and print journalists have been covering the plant extensively over the last few weeks, and have raised a number of questions about the plant's margin of safety.

Pilgrim, after all, is nearly 40 years old, and is approaching the tail end of its operating permit. Unless the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) agrees to extend that permit until 2032, the plant will have to shut its doors next year.