Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 6th April 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 Some questions and answers may be outdated.)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 consumer product did American scientist Edwin Land invent in 1947? |
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Polaroid / Instant Camera (Polaroid Land Camera Model 95) | |
| 2. | What 6-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for dysprosium, sodium, and molybdenum? |
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Dynamo | |
| 3. | In this electrical circuit diagram, what device is represented by the symbol highlighted? |
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Diode | |
| 4. | At 4.25 light-years, what is the nearest-known star to the Sun? |
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Proxima Centauri | |
| 5. | Carrots are a rich source of beta carotene, converted by the human body into what vitamin? |
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A | |
| 6. | What 'H' is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood? |
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Hematology / Haematology | |
| 7. | Native to China and closely related to the weasel, raccoon and skunk families, what animal is this? |
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Red panda / Lesser panda (also known as the red bear-cat, and the red cat-bear) | |
| 8. | In computing, what does CPU stand for? |
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Central processing unit | |
| 9. | In arithmetic and number theory, what does LCM stand for? |
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Least/Lowest common multiple | |
| 10. | On the internet, what does 'http' stand for?
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Hypertext Transfer Protocol | |
| 11. | What is the more common term for the medical condition hydrocephalus? |
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Water on the brain | |
| 12. | Priapism is a medical condition affecting which part of the body? |
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Penis (A prolonged state of erection) | |
| 13. | In meteorology, an okta is a unit of measurement used to describe what? |
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Cloud cover (0 = completely clear, 8 = completely cloudy) | |
| 14. | The giant-impact hypothesis, sometimes called the Big Splash, offers a theory about the creation of what celestial body? |
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The Moon | |
| 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 8-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for nickel, cerium, titanium, and einsteinium? |
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Niceties | |
| 17. | Osteomyelitis is an infection and inflammation of what part of the body? |
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Bone / bone marrow | |
| 18. | What is the term for an electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarised electrical device (negative electrode)? |
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Cathode | |
| 19. | When you swallow food, should it travel down your oesophagus or your trachea? |
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Esophagus / Oesophagus (the trachea is your windpipe) | |
| 20. | The alpaca is a camelid mammal native to what continent? |
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South America | |
| 21. | What is the only species of penguin that lives north of the equator? |
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Galápagos | |
| 22. | What 5-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for Protactinium, Nickel and Carbon? |
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Panic | |
| 23. | Astronauts Franklin Chang-Diaz and Jerry Ross jointly hold the NASA record for each having flown how many shuttle missions? |
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7 | |
| 24. | The chemical compound HCN is commonly known as Hydrogen ... what? |
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Cyanide (Prussic acid) | |
| 25. | What 'N' is the International System of Units (SI) derived unit of force? |
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Newton (named after Isaac Newton) | |
| 26. | What chemical element has the symbol As and atomic number 33? |
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Arsenic | |
| 27. | Dating from the Late Jurassic period, what type of dinosaur is this? |
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Stegosaurus | |
| 28. | In mathematics, what does the abbreviation LCD stand for? |
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Lowest/Least Common Denominator | |
| 29. | What is measured with an anemometer? |
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Wind speed | |
| 30. | Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix are the brightest stars of what constellation? |
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Orion | |
| 31. | What sort of animal is a Rhodesian Ridgeback? |
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Dog | |
| 32. | What company developed the ill-fated Betamax video format in the mid-1970s? |
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Sony | |
| 33. | What is a more common name for the medical term myopia? |
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Near/Short-sightedness | |
| 34. | Myopathy is a term used to describe any abnormality or disease affecting what part of the body? |
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Muscle / Muscle tissue | |
| 35. | Where on the human body is the common carotid artery? |
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Neck | |
| 36. | How many teeth do humans normally grow in a lifetime? |
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52 (20 milk + 32 adult) | |
| 37. | In human anatomy, what 'F' describes the soft membranous gaps on an infant's skull? |
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Fontanelle / Fontanel | |
| 38. | What 'F' describes the plant whose fibres are used to make linen? |
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Flax | |
| 39. | What four letter word is a more common name for hydrated magnesium silicate? |
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Talc | |
| 40. | To the nearest degree, what is the current axial tilt of the Earth? |
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23 (23.4°) | |
| 41. | What 6-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for Tin, Argon and Einsteinium? |
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Snares | |
| 42. | How many pairs of chromosomes make up the cells of a normal human body? |
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23 | |
| 43. | What name is given to a straight line that touches a curve but does not pass through it? |
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Tangent (from the Latin tangere, 'to touch'.) | |
| 44. | The anterior (ACL) and posterior (PCL) cruciate ligaments are located in what part of the body? |
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Knee | |
| 45. | A human profile measure, universally expressed in units of kg/m2, what do the initials BMI stand for? |
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Body Mass Index | |
| 46. | Completed in Pennsylvania in 1945, what five letters describe the world's first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer? |
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ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) | |
| 47. | Also called median nerve compression, what three words commonly describe a condition that causes numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand? |
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Carpal tunnel syndrome | |
| 48. | What 9-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for copper, lead, oxygen, argon, and darmstadtium? |
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Cupboards | |
| 49. | What chemical element is represented by the symbol P? |
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Phosphorus | |
| 50. | Dactyloscopy is the science of identifying what? |
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Fingerprints | |
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