Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 20th October 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | The symbol for what chemical element is derived from the Latin word plumbum? |
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Lead (Pb) | |
| 2. | In mental health terms, what do the initials ADHD stand for? |
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | |
| 3. | What is the collective noun for a group of monkeys? |
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A troop | |
| 4. | In electronics, what do the letters LED stand for? |
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Light Emitting Diode | |
| 5. | What element has the highest melting point? |
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Carbon | |
| 6. | "Consumption" was the most common nineteenth century English word for what disease? |
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Tuberculosis | |
| 7. | What highly contagious disease is caused by infection with the varicella zoster virus? |
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Chickenpox | |
| 8. | How many legs does a cockroach have? |
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6 | |
| 9. | In mathematics, what is the value of 5 factorial? |
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120 (5×4×3×2×1) | |
| 10. | What 'C' describes a type of hand saw used to cut intricate external shapes and interior cut-outs in woodworking or carpentry? |
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Coping saw | |
| 11. | What highly contagious disease is caused by the varicella zoster virus? |
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Chickenpox | |
| 12. | What 'E' is the medical term for a blockage inside a blood vessel? |
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Embolism | |
| 13. | What is inflamed if you suffer from nephritis? |
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Kidneys | |
| 14. | What name is given to a young cow before she has had her first calf? |
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Heifer | |
| 15. | What 'A' describes a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death? |
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Anaphylaxis / Anaphylactic (Ancient Greek: ἀνά, romanized: ana, lit. 'against' and φύλαξις (phylaxis) 'protection') | |
| 16. | What farm animal has the Latin name Gallus gallus domesticus? |
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Chicken | |
| 17. | What is the common term for somnambulism? |
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Sleepwalking | |
| 18. | What 'E' is the medical term for the outermost layer of human skin? |
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Epidermis | |
| 19. | Named after the scientist who published them between 1609 and 1619, three scientific laws describing the motion of planets around the Sun are known as _______ laws of planetary motion. (fill in the blank.) |
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Kepler's (Johannes Kepler) | |
| 20. | In the correct order, what three words are missing from this diagram? |
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Camber, Toe, Caster | |
| 21. | What 'S' is a fatal, degenerative disease that affects the nervous systems of sheep and goats? |
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Scrapie | |
| 22. | What name is given to the two instants of time each year when the centre of the visible Sun is directly above the equator? |
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Equinox (around 20 March and 23 September) | |
| 23. | Which two islands are the only places wild Orangutans currently inhabit? |
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Sumatra and Borneo | |
| 24. | What 7-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for iodine, rhenium, lanthanum, and neodymium? |
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Ireland | |
| 25. | In reference to a computer monitor, what does VDU stand for? |
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Visual/Video Display Unit | |
| 26. | Native to Australia, what type of animal is a taipan? |
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Snake | |
| 27. | Carrots are a rich source of beta carotene, converted by the human body into what vitamin? |
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A | |
| 28. | What type of creature is nicknamed the sea wasp? |
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Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri - Australian box jelly) | |
| 29. | What bone gets separated from the scapula when you dislocate your shoulder? |
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Humerus | |
| 30. | Named after a Titan of Greek mythology, what 'A' describes the highest vertebra of the backbone, supporting the skull? |
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Atlas (C1) | |
| 31. | For what important historical application is radioactive carbon-14 used? |
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Carbon dating | |
| 32. | At room temperature, what is the most malleable metal element? |
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Gold (a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square metre) | |
| 33. | Endemic to New Zealand, and also known as the owl parrot, what 'K' describes this large, flightless, nocturnal bird? |
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Kakapo | |
| 34. | By what name is the white crystalline powder diamorphine hydrochloride more commonly known? |
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Heroin | |
| 35. | Where are the smallest bones in the human body located? |
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Ear | |
| 36. | What 5-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for Tungsten, Silver, and Erbium? |
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Wager | |
| 37. | Nephrology is the study of what internal organ? |
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Kidney | |
| 38. | What 'P' describes an artificial device that replaces a missing body part? |
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Prosthetic / Prosthesis | |
| 39. | What was the surname of the German engineer who invented and patented the first rotary engine? |
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Wankel (Felix Wankel) | |
| 40. | Aurum is the latin name for what precious metal? |
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Gold (Au) | |
| 41. | Former British athlete Zola Budd was born in what country? |
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South Africa | |
| 42. | What 6-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for boron, uranium, rhenium, and gold? |
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Bureau | |
| 43. | What 8-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for nickel, cerium, titanium, and einsteinium? |
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Niceties | |
| 44. | Where on your body is the ethmoid bone and septal cartilage? |
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Nose | |
| 45. | Using higher temperatures than soldering, what 'B' describes a metal-joining process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, without melting the work pieces? |
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Brazing | |
| 46. | 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) | |
| 47. | In human beings, deep tenderness at McBurney's point is an indication of acute what? |
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Appendicitis | |
| 48. | In human anatomy, where are the metacarpals? |
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Hands | |
| 49. | One of the strongest muscles in the body, what 'M' describes the muscle that controls the lower jaw? |
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Masseter | |
| 50. | What term for something lacking pigmentation is derived from the Latin word for 'white'? |
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Albino (Latin: albus) | |
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