Science & Nature50 randomly selected Science & Nature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 10th November 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Spongy in appearance, what 'P' describes a porous volcanic rock made of rough textured volcanic glass? |
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Pumice | |
| 2. | Medial epicondylitis is better known by what sport-related term? |
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Golfer's elbow (Tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis) | |
| 3. | Generally regarded as the first man-made thermoplastic, what substance is most commonly used today to produce table tennis balls and guitar picks? |
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Celluloid | |
| 4. | What 5-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for Sulphur, Protactinium, and Rhenium? |
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Spare | |
| 5. | What genus of bird is this? |
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Falcon (peregrine falcon pictured) | |
| 6. | What chemical element with the atomic number 27 can be used to create a blue pigment? |
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Cobalt (as cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide CoAl2O4) | |
| 7. | What 5-letter word can be spelt using the chemical symbols for Tin, Oxygen, and Rhenium? |
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Snore | |
| 8. | What is a more formal term for the disease called pinkeye? |
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Conjunctivitis | |
| 9. | How is the metal Wolfram better known in English? |
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Tungsten (Chemical symbol W) | |
| 10. | What type of tree is the most common source of resin distilled to produce turpentine? |
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Pine | |
| 11. | Native to Australia and regarded as the world's most venomous snake, what 'F' is an alternative name for the Inland Taipan? |
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Fierce snake | |
| 12. | What family of bird has the largest wingspan? |
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Albatross (Wandering Albatross) | |
| 13. | Oology is the study of what? |
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Birds' eggs | |
| 14. | What 'M' is the device that generates microwaves in a microwave oven? |
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Magnetron (Cavity magnetron) | |
| 15. | Aurum is the latin name for what precious metal? |
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Gold (Au) | |
| 16. | A fine imaging device, what do the initials SEM stand for? |
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Scanning Electron Microscope | |
| 17. | What type of owl is this? |
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Barn owl | |
| 18. | In what organ of the body is insulin produced? |
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Pancreas | |
| 19. | The fraction 22/7 is an approximate representation of what? |
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Pi π | |
| 20. | What 'A' describes the pigmented area on the breast around the nipple? |
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Areola | |
| 21. | What would you use to send a heliographic message? |
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A mirror (Greek: Ἥλιος helios, meaning "sun", and γραφειν graphein, meaning "write") | |
| 22. | What is the aquatic larva of an amphibian more commonly called? |
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Tadpole | |
| 23. | Species found in North America are called chickadees, while species elsewhere in the genus are called what? |
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Tits | |
| 24. | Jersey Giants are the largest breed of what domestic animal? |
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Chicken | |
| 25. | What is the base unit of temperature in the International System of Units? |
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Kelvin | |
| 26. | What crop is regularly threatened by the boll weevil? |
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Cotton | |
| 27. | If a million has 6 zeros, how many does an octillion have? |
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27 | |
| 28. | What name is given to the clear, straw-coloured liquid that holds blood cells in suspension? |
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Plasma | |
| 29. | Which is the flamingo's knee in this image; A, B, or C? |
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A | |
| 30. | Introduced in 1973, what is measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale? |
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Hurricanes (in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line) | |
| 31. | Nitrogen and Oxygen make up 99% of the Earth's atmosphere. At 0.934%, what is the third-most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere? |
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Argon (followed by carbon dioxide at 0.04%) | |
| 32. | 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 | |
| 33. | What ancient Greek physician is often referred to as the "father of western medicine"? |
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Hippocrates | |
| 34. | How many microseconds are there in one second? |
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1 million | |
| 35. | Jumbuck in an Australian English term for what animal? |
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Sheep | |
| 36. | Closely related to manatees, what 'D' describes this sea mammal? |
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Dugong | |
| 37. | What has the chemical symbol Pt? |
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Platinum | |
| 38. | The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is the floral emblem of what country? |
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Australia | |
| 39. | What 'P' describes several different carnivorous plants with modified leaves known as pitfall traps? |
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Pitcher plants | |
| 40. | What measurement is equal to 6,076 feet? |
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Nautical Mile | |
| 41. | Found in coastal areas in many parts of the world, what 'O' describes this bird? |
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Oystercatcher (American oystercatcher pictured) | |
| 42. | In the animal kingdom, an elver is a young what? |
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Eel | |
| 43. | In the International System of Units (SI), what is the unit of frequency? |
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Hertz | |
| 44. | Our solar system's sun generates its energy by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei, thus transforming them into what element? |
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Helium | |
| 45. | What element has the atomic number 6? |
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Carbon | |
| 46. | What name is given to a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin, antimony, copper, bismuth, and sometimes silver? |
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Pewter (lead may be used instead of antimony and copper in lower grades of pewter) | |
| 47. | To the nearest whole number, how many metres is 72 feet? |
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22 (21.9456) | |
| 48. | Used for grooming horses, what 'C' describes this type of comb? |
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Curry comb | |
| 49. | What name is given to a mesh cage used to protect electrical equipment from external static and electromagnetic fields? |
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Faraday cage/shield (named after English scientist Michael Faraday, who first constructed one in 1836) | |
| 50. | What 'D' is used to describe the nest of a tree squirrel or flying squirrel? |
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Dray / Drey | |
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