Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 2nd June 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | In a complete cycle on a 2-stroke-cycle engine, how many revolutions of the crankshaft are there? |
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1 | |
| 2. | What unit of electric potential is equivalent to one joule of energy per coulomb ? |
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Volt | |
| 3. | In solar energy terms, what does PV stand for? |
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Photovoltaic | |
| 4. | What Englishman, born in 1791, is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer? |
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Charles Babbage | |
| 5. | A gas above -269 °C, at -272.2° C, what chemical element has the lowest freezing point? |
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Helium | |
| 6. | In radio communication terms, what does A.M. stand for? |
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Amplitude Modulation | |
| 7. | What 8-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for tungsten, argon, manganese, einsteinium, and sulphur? |
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Warmness | |
| 8. | What are Röntgen rays better known as? |
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X-rays | |
| 9. | What four-letter word is the mathematical term for the value that appears most often in a set of data values? |
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Mode | |
| 10. | A pseudoscience popular in the 19th century, what did a phrenologist study? |
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Skull / Brain | |
| 11. | In computing, what name is given to malicious software that threatens to publish the victim's data or perpetually block access to it unless a payment is made? |
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Ransomware | |
| 12. | What is the name of the space probe, launched in 1972, carrying this plaque depicting a guide to planet earth? |
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Pioneer 10 | |
| 13. | The heaviest known bony fish in the world, with adults weighing up to 1,000 kg, what species of fish is this? |
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Sunfish / Mola (Ocean sunfish / Common mola) | |
| 14. | What is the common name for the chemical compound NaCl? |
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Salt (sodium chloride) | |
| 15. | Carrots are a rich source of beta carotene, converted by the human body into what vitamin? |
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A | |
| 16. | Sugars, starches and fibres are all made up from what three chemical elements? |
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Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (Carbohydrates) | |
| 17. | What chemical element has the symbol V and atomic number 23? |
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Vanadium | |
| 18. | What star is also known colloquially as the "Dog Star"? |
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Sirius (the brightest star in the Earth's night sky) | |
| 19. | A U.S. government agency, what does NASA stand for? |
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| 20. | The great saphenous is the longest what in the human body? |
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Vein | |
| 21. | Where on the human body is the common carotid artery? |
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Neck | |
| 22. | Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of what? |
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Cancer | |
| 23. | Where does an arboreal animal live? |
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In trees (From Latin arbor - "tree") | |
| 24. | What genus of flower are these? |
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Iris | |
| 25. | What two body parts are connected by the Eustachian tube? |
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Ear and nose (a narrow passage leading from the nasopharynx to the cavity of the middle ear) | |
| 26. | How is the binary number 101010 represented as a decimal number? |
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42 | |
| 27. | In computing, what single unit of measurement is equal to 1000 terabytes? |
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Petabyte | |
| 28. | In reference to automotive gear arrangements, what does LSD stand for? |
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Limited-slip differential | |
| 29. | What 'H' describes this group of five chemically related elements: Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine? |
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Halogens | |
| 30. | 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 | |
| 31. | Accounting for around 46% by weight, what is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust? |
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Oxygen (Oxygen 46.1% Silicon 28.2% Aluminum 8.2% Iron 5.6% Calcium 4.2%) | |
| 32. | 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 | |
| 33. | What does the last letter 'R' in RADAR stand for? |
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Ranging (Radio detection and ranging) | |
| 34. | What 'D' describes any substance that promotes the production of urine? |
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Diuretic | |
| 35. | Used for grooming horses, what 'C' describes this type of comb? |
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Curry comb | |
| 36. | California ebony, Texas brown, Costa Rican red, Mexican pink, and Peruvian pinktoe are all types of what? |
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Spider (Tarantula) | |
| 37. | Invented at IBM by Alan Shugart in 1967, the first floppy drives introduced in 1971 used a disk that was how many inches in diameter? |
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8 (evolving into the 5.25-inch disk that was used on the first IBM Personal Computer in August 1981) | |
| 38. | 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 | |
| 39. | What is the only great ape native to Asia? |
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Orangutan (Bornean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan) | |
| 40. | A card securely storing the details of a mobile network account, what does SIM stand for? |
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Subscriber Identity Module (Subscriber Identification Module) | |
| 41. | Measured by diameter, what is the second smallest of the eight major planets in our solar system? |
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Mars | |
| 42. | 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) | |
| 43. | What is the most commonly used name for a compound with the chemical formula H2O2? |
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Hydrogen Peroxide | |
| 44. | What 'L' derives its name from the Latin for "wool oil"? |
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Lanolin (Latin: lāna, ‘wool’, and oleum, ‘oil’) | |
| 45. | Which element is most commonly added to silver to make sterling silver? |
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Copper | |
| 46. | Cynophobia is the fear of what type of animal? |
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Dogs | |
| 47. | How is the medical condition dyspepsia better known? |
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Indigestion or upset stomach | |
| 48. | What 'F' describes the bony projection on the lower leg of a horse? |
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Fetlock | |
| 49. | How is the number 9 represented in the octal numeral system? |
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11 | |
| 50. | What is the collective name for substances such as adrenaline, insulin, thyroxine and testosterone? |
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Hormones | |
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