Science Trivia 2019

 What is the end cause of human death? Cerebral hypoxia – lack of oxygen to the brain is
the final cause of death regardless of what initiates it.
 What is the only rock that floats? Pumice – it has an average porosity of 90%, and initially
floats on water.
 What is the only bone in the human body that isn’t attached to any other bone? Hyoid bone
– located in the throat.
 Which planet will you find between Jupiter and Uranus? Saturn
 What is the study of fungi called? Mycology
 Pascal is the measure of what? Pressure
 What is the best-selling personal computer model of all time? Commodore 64 – 17 million
units with a 1MHz processor and 64KB RAM.
 What is the longest muscle in the human body? Sartorius – from the pelvis to just below
the inside of the knee.
 How many orbits has the Sun made around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in its life?
About 20
 Who first proposed the concept of contact lenses? Leonardo da Vinci
 What planet in our solar system has the shortest day? Jupiter – 10 hours
 What is the equivalent megapixels of the human eye? 576 megapixels
 Approximately 2% of all people have what eye color? Green. Brown is 55%; hazel and
blue are 8% each.
 How many constellations are in the night sky? 88
 What are the four states of matter observable in everyday life? Solid, liquid, gas and
plasma
 What is the largest two-digit prime number? 97
 Marble is formed by the metamorphosis of what rock? Limestone
 What is the densest naturally occurring element? Osmium – about 25 times denser than
water
 In its natural form, aspirin comes from the bark of what tree? White willow tree
 What metal has the highest melting point? Tungsten – 6, 192 degrees Fahrenheit
 What is the smallest organ in the human body? Pineal gland – in the center of the brain
 What is the largest 3-digit prime number? 997
 The European organization for nuclear research is known by what four letters? CERN –
from the French “Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire”
 What planet in our solar system has the longest day? Venus – 243 Earth days
 What are metals not considered precious called? Base metals
 What is the only planet in our solar system less dense than water? Saturn
 An astronomical unit defined by what distance? Earth to Sun – 93 million miles
 Located near the root of human hair follicles, the arrector pili muscles are responsible for
what phenomenon? Goosebumps
 What figure has four sides all the same length but no right angles? Rhombus
 What was the name of the first electronic general-purpose computer? ENIAC – 1946
 What blood type qualifies as a universal donor? Type O negative
 What year was the first email sent? 1971
 What is the only tree that grows in saltwater? Mangrove
 Most of the world’s supply comes from what type of tree? Oak – cork oak trees
predominatly in Portugal and Spain
 Due to its unique chemical qualities, what natural food can remain in an edible form for
centuries? Honey – 3000-year-old edible honey has been found in tombs.
 What is the smallest named time interval? Planck time – 5.39 x 10-43 seconds
 What is the effect of the Earth’s rotation on the wind called? Coriolis effect
 What is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust? Aluminum
 What name is given to a chemical reaction that takes in heat? Endothermic
 Who formulated the laws which first explained the movements of the planets properly?
Johannes Kepler
 What color is at the top of a rainbow? Red
 What gives onions their distinctive smell? Sulfur – when cut or crushed, a chemical
reaction changes an amino acid to a sulfur compound.
 What is the brightest star in the night sky? Sirius – dog star
 What standard international unit of power is equal to 1.341 horsepower? Kilowatt
 What is the number 10 to the power of 100 called? Googol
 What element is named after the Greek word for green? Chlorine
 What name is given to the socket in the human skull that holds the eye? Orbit
 How many vertebrae in the human spine? 33
 The atomic mass in the periodic table is stated relative to the weight of what element?
Carbon – more specifically Carbon-12
 What is the standard international unit of force? Newton – one newton equals the force
needed to accelerate one kilogram of mass at the rate of one meter per second squared.
 From what plant is the heart drug digitalis obtained? Foxglove
 The phenomenon where hot water may freeze faster than cold is known as what? Mpemba
effect
 What is the most abundant element in the universe? Hydrogen – about 75% of the
universe’s mass
 What is the opposite of nocturnal? Diurnal
 Stonehenge is made of what two main types of rock? Bluestone and sandstone
 The Saffir-Simpson scale measures the intensity of what? Hurricanes
 How long is an eon? 1 billion years
 What is the name for the point in a planet’s orbit when it is nearest the sun? Perihelion
 What is the name of the process where plants lose water into the atmosphere?
Transpiration
 What part of the human body is the axilla? Armpit
 In the electromagnetic spectrum, what comes between X-rays and visible light? Ultraviolet
light
 What is the practice of concealing a file, message, or video within another file, message,
image or video called? Steganography
 After calcium, what is the second most abundant mineral in the human body? Phosphorus
 What are the Magellanic Cluds? Galaxies
 Lateral epicondylitis is the medical name for what common medical condition? Tennis
elbow
 Who is the author of “Coming of Age in Samoa”? The mostly widely read book in the field
of anthropology? Margaret Mead
 From what plant is the poison rich obtained? Castor oil plant
 What is an apparatus that converts molecules into ions and separates the ions according to
their mass-to-charge ratio called? Mass spectrometer
 What is rayon made for? Wood pulp
 On the periodic table, what is the first element alphabetically? Actinium
 What does AM stand for on radios? Amplitude modulation
 How much longer is a day on Mars than a day on Earth? 40 minutes
 Where on the human body are the most sweat glands? Bottom of the feet
 The chemical formula H2O2 refers to what? Hydrogen peroxide
 What is the point in the Moon’s orbit that is farthest from the Earth called? Apogee
 After nitrogen and oxygen, what is the third most abundant gas in the atmosphere? Argon
 What species is the oldest living individual tree? Bristlecone pine – 5,000 years
 What metal is the best conductor of electricity? Silver – it is slightly more conductive than
copper but much more expensive.
 Who discovered X-rays? Wilhelm Roentgen
 What is the only part of the human body that cannot repair itself? Teeth
 Thomas Edison was involved in a rivalry over which form of electricity would be
commercialized; Edison supported direct current; who was his rival that supported
alternating current? Nikola Tesla
 The Big Dipper is part of what constellation? Ursa Major of Great Bear
 Who invented carbonated soda water? Joseph Priestley – also discovered oxygen
 What is the male part of a flower called? Stamen
what are the four types of adult human teeth? Incisors, canines, premolars, molars
 Where does Earth rank in size among the planets in our solar system? Fifth
 Syncope is the medical name for what condition? Fainting
 What element has the lowest boiling point? Helium – (-452.1ᵒF)
 What is the heaviest naturally occurring element? Uranium
 Who invented the exploding shell? Henry Shrapnel
 During hot or dry periods, what is the equivalent of hibernation? Estivation
 The process where food browns during cooking is known as what? Maillard reaction
 What number on the Richter scale does an earthquake have to be considered major? Seven
 What scale is used to measure the hardness of minerals? Mohs scale
 On what planet, other than Earth, did a man-made object first land? Mars
 What color has the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum? Red
 Where in the human body is labyrinth? Ear
 What is the largest nerve in the human body? Sciatic
 What does the human lacrimal gland produce? Tears
 The Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales are the same at what temperature? 40
degrees below zero
 What device converts alternating current into direct current? Rectifier
 The small intestine is made up of jejunum, ileum, and what? Duodenum
 What scale is used to measure wind speed? Beaufort
 What planet is often called the Earth’s twin because it is nearly the same size and mass and
has similar composition? Venus
 A positive number that equals the sum of its divisors excluding itself is called what?
Perfect number
 What is saffron made from? Crocus flower – only the stigma part of the flower is used;
it takes 70, 000 to 250, 000 flowers to make one pound of saffron.
 What is the second largest planet in our solar system? Saturn
 The heat of chili peppers is measured in what? Scoville Heat Units
 The density of what is measured on the Ringelmann Scale? Smoke
 What two planets in our solar system don’t have moons? Mercury and Venus
 What is the lightest known solid element? Lithium
 The Fields Medal is awarded for achievement in what field? Mathematics
 What is extracted from the ore cinnabar? Mercury
 Who is the Bluetooth wireless technology named after? King Harald “Bluetooth”
Gormsson – he ruled Denmark in the 10th century.
 What medical condition is detected using the Ishihara test? Color blindness
 What condition is singultus? Hiccups
 In computing, what is the half of a byte called? Nibble
 What sense is most closely linked to memory? Smell
 What are the only two elements that are liquid at room temperature? Mercury and
Bromine
 Hansen’s disease is more commonly known as what? Leprosy
 What is the second hardest gem after diamond? Sapphire
 Au si the chemical symbol for what metal? Gold
 Which planet of the Solar System orbits closest to the sun? Mercury
 The ulna and humerus are bones in which part of the body? The arm
 What is the branch of medicine that deals with the manufacture of artificial body parts?
Prosthetics
 The patella is the scientific name for which bone of the human body? Kneecap
 What is measured using the decibel scale? The loudness of sound
 The thalamus, cerebrum, and cerebellum are found in which organ of the body? The brain
 True or false – alkalis have pH below 7? False
 By what is ethanol more commonly known? Alcohol
 Botany is the scientific study of what? Plants
 NaCl is the chemical formula of which common substance? Salt
 What is the fourth planet from the sun? Mars
 Solar energy is made from heat or light from what? The sun
 Which travels faster, light or sound? Light
 At what temperature in Celsius does water boil? 100ᵒC