Teen science--investigators three teens' remarkable research projects help reveal the science behind drug abuse and addiction.

• Position: HEADS UP REAL NEWS: ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY

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Volunteering in a hospital in Texas, 17-year-old Kapil Ramachandran saw a patient admitted for an overdose of narcotics and alcohol. "What would possibly drive someone to inflict so much pain on themselves and their family?" he wondered. In Oklahoma, 17-year-old Ethan Guinn had read about the growing problem of video-game addiction in teens. Knowing how often he played, he wondered, "Do I have a problem with addiction?" In Florida, 15-year-old Shelby Raye noticed how some of her friends seemed "cool," others not. Raye wondered, "How are perceptions of coolness shaped? Is there a coolness factor?"

These teens had one thing in common: They were curious about something in the world around them and sought out answers to their questions. Sound easy? Not so fast. Being curious is only the first step. Scientific research involves taking a question at hand and exploring a hypothesis (a proposed explanation that can be tested), and then testing that hypothesis to come away with answers--and perhaps more hypotheses.

In their search for answers, each of these teens conducted unique and highly creative research, from the molecular level to the behavioral, which contributes valuable knowledge to addiction science. In recognition of their achievements, each was honored with a NIDA-Scholastic Addiction Science Award at the 2008 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the premier science competition in the world for high school students. Read on for more about these extraordinary teens and why their curiosity about the world around them, methods of research, and eventual discoveries in addiction science may have relevance for you.

FRUIT FLIES AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION

Kapil Vishveshwar Ramachendren

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Kapil's questions about what could propel someone to addiction despite its devastating consequences led him to a novel experiment with fruit flies. Working in a laboratory at the University of Texas, he was able to show that the deletion of a specific protein, called Diazepam Binding Inhibitor (DBI), prevented the flies from becoming tolerant to alcohol's behavioral effects. Tolerance, in this case, means that the flies are less affected by the alcohol the second time they are exposed to it, compared to the first. This is important because the ability to develop tolerance goes hand in hand with the risk of becoming addicted to a substance.

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Kapil, from Austin, Texas, hopes his findings about DBI will lead to the...