Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 23rd December 2024 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Introduced in 1973, what is measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale? |
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Hurricanes (in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line) | |
| 2. | Medial epicondylitis is better known by what sport-related term? |
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Golfer's elbow (Tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis) | |
| 3. | How many degrees does the Earth rotate in one hour? |
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15 (360 ÷ 24) | |
| 4. | What organ is surgically removed in a nephrectomy? |
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Kidney | |
| 5. | In terms of distance from the Sun, what planet comes between Saturn and Neptune? |
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Uranus | |
| 6. | How is 16 feet 4.85 inches expressed in centimetres? |
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500 | |
| 7. | What 'C' describes a substance used to increase the rate of a chemical reaction? |
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Catalyst | |
| 8. | From what animal is cashmere wool obtained? |
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Goat | |
| 9. | What is the binary number 11111111 in decimal? |
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255 | |
| 10. | Named after mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss, what can be measured in gauss? |
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Magnetic field (aka "magnetic flux density" or "magnetic induction") | |
| 11. | What valuable product can be gained by mining kimberlites or lamproites? |
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Diamond | |
| 12. | What colour is orange blossom? |
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White | |
| 13. | Three 1.5 volt 500 mAh batteries are connected in series. What is their combined output voltage (v) and electric charge (mAh)? |
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4.5 v 500 mAh (If connected in parallel they would output 1.5 v 1500 mAh) | |
| 14. | How many carpal bones make up a human wrist? |
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8 (A Scaphoid, B Lunate, C Triquetrum, D Pisiform, E Trapezium, F Trapezoid, G Capitate, H Hamate) | |
| 15. | What type of owl is this? |
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Barn owl | |
| 16. | What 'W' describes a sharpening stone used to grind and hone the edges of knives and steel tools? |
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Whetstone / Water stone | |
| 17. | Historically called the pygmy chimpanzee, what 'B' describes this species of great ape? |
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Bonobo | |
| 18. | Delphinium and Consolida are two genera composed of around 340 species of perennial flowering plants. What 'L' is the more common name for them? |
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Larkspur | |
| 19. | Chalcopyrite is the main source of what metal element? |
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Copper | |
| 20. | Native to the Americas, what type of bird is a Muscovy? |
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Duck | |
| 21. | What name is given to the female reproductive organs of a flower, comprising the stigma, style, and ovary? |
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Pistil | |
| 22. | A member of the starling family, what 'M' describes this bird? |
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Myna / Mynah (Common or Indian myna pictured Acridotheres tristis - Thai: นกเอี้ยงสาลิกา) | |
| 23. | The seeds of many fruit, including apricots, cherries, plums, and peaches, contain a compound called amygdalin. When amygdalin is ingested and broken down in the body, what 'C' is produced? |
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Cyanide (Hydrogen cyanide) | |
| 24. | In an electrical circuit diagram, what device is represented by either of these symbols? |
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Resistor | |
| 25. | Named after the French physicist who accidentally discovered it in 1896, what is the SI unit for radioactivity? |
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Becquerel (Antoine Henri Becquerel) | |
| 26. | Nepetalactone is the chemical compound that gives what species of plant its characteristic scent? |
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Catnip / Catswort / Catmint (Nepeta cataria) | |
| 27. | When the acronym EHF is used to describe the Ebola disease, what does the 'H' stand for? |
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Hemorrhagic (Ebola hemorrhagic fever) | |
| 28. | What is the name of the planet that orbits between Mars and Venus around the sun? |
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Earth | |
| 29. | Cynology is the scientific study of what animal? |
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Dogs | |
| 30. | Endemic to Africa and largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot, what 'S' describes this bird of prey? |
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Secretarybird | |
| 31. | What element has the chemical symbol Au? |
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Gold | |
| 32. | What is the largest known animal ever to inhabit our planet? |
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Blue Whale | |
| 33. | In most vertebrates, bile is stored in the gallbladder, but by what organ is it produced? |
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Liver | |
| 34. | In electrical engineering, what is defined as the potential difference across a conductor when a current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power? |
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1 Volt | |
| 35. | What does a palaeontologist study? |
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Fossils (the scientific study of life existent prior to roughly 11,700 years before present) | |
| 36. | What 8-letter word can be spelt out using the chemical symbols for tin, astatine, carbon, helium, and sulphur? |
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Snatches | |
| 37. | What consumer product did American scientist Edwin Land invent in 1947? |
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Polaroid / Instant Camera (Polaroid Land Camera Model 95) | |
| 38. | In human beings, how many teeth normally make up a full adult set? |
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32 | |
| 39. | How many of the eight major planets in our Solar System have no moons? |
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2 (Mercury and Venus) | |
| 40. | What colour are the berries of the mistletoe plant? |
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White | |
| 41. | Where in your body would you find the rods and cones? |
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Eyes (Photoreceptors) | |
| 42. | Most notable for their superb ability to mimic sounds, what 'L' describes this bird, native to Australia? |
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Lyrebird (superb lyrebird - Menura novaehollandiae) | |
| 43. | What measure of force per unit area is abbreviated Pa? |
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Pascal | |
| 44. | Spell correctly the geometric term for the longest side of a right-angled triangle? |
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Hypotenuse | |
| 45. | What is the single word term for a cubic decimetre (dm3)? |
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Litre / Liter | |
| 46. | Also the name of an astrological sign, what constellation includes the two stars Castor & Pollux? |
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Gemini | |
| 47. | A goitre or goiter is a swelling resulting from the enlargement of what gland? |
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Thyroid | |
| 48. | What is the only element in the periodic table whose English spelling has no letters in common with the phrase "THREE WISE MEN"? |
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Gold | |
| 49. | On what part of your body is your ulna? |
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Arm (Forearm) | |
| 50. | Who invented the first thermoscope (thermometer) in 1593? |
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Galileo Galilei | |
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