Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 29th December 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | What name is given to this engine component? |
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Camshaft | |
| 2. | In network communications terminology, what does IP stand for? |
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Internet Protocol | |
| 3. | What is the Latin name of the constellation known as the "Little Bear"? |
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Ursa Minor | |
| 4. | Used for grooming horses, what 'C' describes this type of comb? |
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Curry comb | |
| 5. | What term is used to describe a packet of data sent by an Internet server to a browser, subsequently returned by the browser each time it accesses the same server in order to identify the user or track their access to the server? |
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Cookie | |
| 6. | Polysomnography is the scientific study of what? |
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Sleep | |
| 7. | What 'R' describes any quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length? |
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Rhombus | |
| 8. | In 5 seconds, a tuning fork vibrates 2000 times. What is its frequency in hertz? |
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400 | |
| 9. | Named for the markings on its back and sides, what name is given to this, the smallest and most common seal in the Arctic? |
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Ringed seal | |
| 10. | What is the chemical symbol for Titanium? |
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Ti | |
| 11. | In modem, mo stands for modulator. What does dem stand for? |
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Demodulator | |
| 12. | Where in the human body is the soleus muscle? |
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(Lower) Leg (The calf) | |
| 13. | What name is given to a second full moon occurring in the same calendar month as another? |
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Blue moon (as in the expression "once in a blue moon") | |
| 14. | What vitamin is produced by the action of ultraviolet light on the skin? |
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D (D3 - cholecalciferol) | |
| 15. | Sulphuric acid contains sulphur, oxygen, and what other element? |
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Hydrogen (H2SO4) | |
| 16. | What animal is feared by a hippophobe? |
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Horse | |
| 17. | What type of creature is nicknamed the sea wasp? |
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Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri - Australian box jelly) | |
| 18. | What part of the body is affected by scoliosis? |
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Spine (a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve) | |
| 19. | A U.S. government agency, what does NASA stand for? |
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| 20. | Former British athlete Zola Budd was born in what country? |
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South Africa | |
| 21. | What does the 'V' stand for in the fertility treatment IVF? |
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Vitro (In vitro fertilization) | |
| 22. | In the context of PTZ security cameras, what does PTZ stand for? |
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Pan-Tilt-Zoom | |
| 23. | What alkaline earth metal has the atomic number 12 in the periodic table? |
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Magnesium | |
| 24. | What does the letter 'D' stand for in RADAR? |
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Detection (Radio detection and ranging) | |
| 25. | What 'S' is a fatal, degenerative disease that affects the nervous systems of sheep and goats? |
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Scrapie | |
| 26. | What name is given to light in between the visible light and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum? |
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Infra-red | |
| 27. | In physics, what letter of the alphabet is used to represent the speed of light in a vacuum? |
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c (as in E = mc2) | |
| 28. | What 'S' is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state, without passing through the liquid state? |
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Sublimation | |
| 29. | What 4-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for tin, oxygen and tungsten? |
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Snow | |
| 30. | Ailurophobia is a persistent, irrational fear of what? |
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Cats | |
| 31. | Carrots are a rich source of beta carotene, converted by the human body into what vitamin? |
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A | |
| 32. | Also the name of an astrological sign, what constellation includes the two stars Castor & Pollux? |
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Gemini | |
| 33. | What 5-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for Tungsten, Astatine, Carbon and Hydrogen? |
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Watch | |
| 34. | What 'S' describes a form of therapy and the Japanese word for "finger pressure"? |
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Shiatsu (Kanji: 指圧) | |
| 35. | What 'A' describes this breed of domestic short-haired cat? |
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Abyssinian | |
| 36. | What is the collective noun for a group of monkeys? |
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A troop | |
| 37. | What 'D' describes the large muscle responsible for lifting the arm and giving the shoulder its range of motion? |
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Deltoid | |
| 38. | Oncology is the study of what? |
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Cancer | |
| 39. | What American statesman is credited with the invention of bifocal eyeglasses? |
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Benjamin Franklin | |
| 40. | What 6-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for tin, oxygen, rhenium, and sulphur? |
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Snores | |
| 41. | What is the lowest number on the Beaufort wind force scale? |
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0 (Calm - wind speed less than 0.7 mph) | |
| 42. | An adult male swan is called a cob. What is an adult female swan called? |
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Pen | |
| 43. | What does the I stand for in H.I.V.? |
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Immunodeficiency (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) | |
| 44. | What has the chemical symbol Pt? |
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Platinum | |
| 45. | A disorder characterised by pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep is known as sleep ... what? |
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Apnea | |
| 46. | For what important historical application is radioactive carbon-14 used? |
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Carbon dating | |
| 47. | Discovered in 1986, Cordelia is the innermost known moon of what planet? |
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Uranus (Discovered on 20th January 1986 in images taken by Voyager 2) | |
| 48. | What is the largest planet in our solar system? |
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Jupiter | |
| 49. | What allotrope of carbon is used in pencil leads? |
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Graphite (pencil lead is most commonly a mix of powdered graphite and clay) | |
| 50. | What 'G' describes the essential component of a sundial that casts a shadow onto the dial? |
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Gnomon | |
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