Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 2nd November 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | What 'R' describes an alternative medicine involving application of pressure to the feet and hands with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion? |
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Reflexology | |
| 2. | In what decade did the world's first solid-state desktop electronic calculator go on sale? |
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1960s (Friden model EC-130 in June 1963) | |
| 3. | Tapis, Minas, Western Canadian Select, and Midway Sunset Heavy are some of the classifications of what commodity? |
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Oil | |
| 4. | Named after the scientist whose 1965 paper described it, what "law" is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years? |
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Moore's law (Named after Gordon E. Moore. His theory held steady from 1975 until around 2012, but the rate has since began to slow.) | |
| 5. | What is the Latin name for the constellation known as the "Great Bear"? |
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Ursa Major | |
| 6. | What 'M' is the product of the mass and velocity of an object? |
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Momentum | |
| 7. | In computer terminology, what does LAN stand for? |
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Local area network | |
| 8. | Native to Australia and New Guinea, what 'Q' describes this animal? |
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Quoll | |
| 9. | In this electrical circuit diagram, what device is represented by the symbol highlighted? |
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Capacitor | |
| 10. | What allotrope of carbon is used in pencil leads? |
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Graphite (pencil lead is most commonly a mix of powdered graphite and clay) | |
| 11. | Perigee and Apogee are terms used to describe the minimum and maximum distances between what? |
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Earth and Moon (or any other Earth satellite) | |
| 12. | In reference to a coherent beam of light, what does the 'A' in the acronym LASER stand for? |
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Amplification (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) | |
| 13. | What 'M' describes this New World monkey species? |
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Marmoset (Common Marmoset - Callithrix Jacchus) | |
| 14. | What 10-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for carbon, iridium, copper, moscovium, iodine, and selenium? |
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Circumcise | |
| 15. | Where does an arboreal animal live? |
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In trees (From Latin arbor - "tree") | |
| 16. | Correctly spell the name of this dog breed. |
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Chihuahua | |
| 17. | What two elements make up the alloy brass? |
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Copper and Zinc | |
| 18. | Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, what 'P' is sometimes known as the "Christmas flower"? |
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Poinsettia | |
| 19. | Also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, what 'P' describes this breed of dog? |
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Papillon (French for "butterfly" (ears)) | |
| 20. | Rhinotillexis is the medical term for what bad habit? |
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Nose-picking | |
| 21. | The branch of mechanics that deals with the mathematical description of the motion and interaction of subatomic particles is called _______ mechanics. (fill in the blank) |
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Quantum | |
| 22. | What is the correct name for the three bird species of which the males are called peacocks and the females peahens? |
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Peafowl | |
| 23. | What crop is regularly threatened by the boll weevil? |
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Cotton | |
| 24. | Measured by diameter, what is the second smallest of the eight major planets in our solar system? |
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Mars | |
| 25. | What single word describes this equation? |
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Photosynthesis (Carbon Dioxide + Water → Sugar + Oxygen) | |
| 26. | By mass, what is the most abundant chemical element in the human body? |
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Oxygen (65%) | |
| 27. | The common hepatic artery is a short blood vessel supplying oxygenated blood to what organ of the body? |
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Liver | |
| 28. | Hallux is the medical term for what body part? |
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Big toe | |
| 29. | Otolaryngology is a technical term for the branch of medicine more commonly represented by what three letter acronym? |
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ENT (ear, nose, and throat) | |
| 30. | What is the term for an electrode through which conventional current (positive charge) flows into a device? |
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Anode | |
| 31. | What 7-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for rhenium, sulphur, copper, and einsteinium? |
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Rescues | |
| 32. | What is the brightest star in the Earth's night sky? |
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Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star") | |
| 33. | What organ is surgically removed in a nephrectomy? |
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Kidney | |
| 34. | Laying down the the foundation for classical mechanics, how many laws of motion were compiled by Isaac Newton in his 1687 Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy? |
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Three | |
| 35. | In engineering, what 'G' describes a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis? |
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Gimbal | |
| 36. | What is the only moon in our solar system known to have a dense atmosphere? |
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Titan (Saturn) | |
| 37. | Fulminology is the scientific study of, and astraphobia is the fear of, what? |
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Lightning / Thunder | |
| 38. | What is the title of the work of scientific literature first published by Charles Darwin on 24th November 1859? |
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On the Origin of Species | |
| 39. | In mathematics, what type of number has a real and imaginary part? |
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Complex number | |
| 40. | What is polyvinyl chloride better known as? |
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PVC | |
| 41. | What was the surname of the German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of electromagnetic waves in 1886? |
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Hertz (Heinrich Rudolf Hertz) | |
| 42. | Which organ in the human body regulates the amount of salt and water in the blood and helps remove waste products? |
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Kidneys | |
| 43. | Affecting mainly children and teenagers, what does the 'H' in ADHD stand for? |
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Hyperactivity (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) | |
| 44. | Also known as the 'common shoulder muscles', what 'D' describes these? |
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Deltoids | |
| 45. | What 'A' describes the study of human biological and physiological characteristics and their evolution? |
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Anthropology | |
| 46. | With wind speeds between 34 and 40 knots, a 'gale' is the description of what number on the Beaufort wind force scale? |
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8 | |
| 47. | What system of alternative medicine was created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, based on his doctrine of like cures like, a claim that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people would cure similar symptoms in sick people? |
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Homeopathy | |
| 48. | What island was home to the now extinct Dodo? |
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Mauritius | |
| 49. | What chemical element has the symbol As and atomic number 33? |
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Arsenic | |
| 50. | BCG is a vaccination against what disease? |
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Tuberculosis (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) | |
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