Weekly Science Quiz

Science and Nature Trivia for April 15, 2026

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Test yourself with today's science quiz questions. Visit the quiz page once you're ready to take the challenge. Good luck!

Where or in what is haemolymph found?
1. In sharks
2. In cancerous lymph nodes in mammals
3. In invertebrates e.g. crustaceans, molluscs, and insects
4. In eyes

Where were the earliest fossils found of what became the now widespread household sparrow (known as Passer predomesticus)?
1. The Oumm-Qatafa cave in the desert southeast of Jerusalem
2. Apalle in central Sweden
3. Langenaltheim in Germany
4. Fujian in China

What is the medical term for a jawbone?
1. Terrible
2. Tangible
3. Mandible
4. Manticore

What is a kinkajou?
1. Small cat-size animal from Central and South America
2. Bird that migrates between north and south Africa
3. Tree growing mostly in Asia
4. Ancient Chinese instrument of torture

What is the next number in the series 1, 4, 9, 16, 25?
1. 64
2. 49
3. 36
4. 32

What was the last engineering work completed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel?
1. Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar River
2. Great Eastern steamship
3. Paddington Station for the Great Western Railway
4. Clifton Suspension Bridge

What word was coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorised" by physical mediums, said to be associated with formation of ghosts?
1. Spectrometer
2. Poltergeist
3. Doppelgänger
4. Ectoplasm

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Science and Nature Trivia for April 8, 2026

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200

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Which of these is an alloy?
1. Tungsten
2. Copper
3. Zinc
4. Steel

What is a common characteristic of the Titicaca Grebe, the Greater Rhea, the Inaccessible Island Rail, and the Campbell Teal?
1. They are flightless birds
2. They are native to northern hemisphere countries
3. They are carnivorous birds
4. They have wry beaks

What computer that began operation in 1954 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, UK, could make calculations in 20 seconds that, it was said, "would keep 100 girls using calculating machines occupied for 8 hours"?
1. ERNIE
2. TRIDAC
3. Big Blue
4. HAL

As what is the NZ-native nikau classified?
1. Palm
2. Fern
3. Hardwood
4. Gymnosperm

Which Greek letter usually denotes the brightest star in a constellation?
1. Delta
2. Beta
3. Gamma
4. Alpha

What is apiphobia the fear of?
1. Bunions
2. Birds
3. Bears
4. Bees

What is an eating disorder characterized by extremely low body weight, distorted body image and an obsessive fear of gaining weight which has an incidence of between 8 and 13 cases per 100,000 persons per year, and largely affects young adolescent women?
1. Opsophagos
2. Muscle dysmorphia
3. Paris syndrome
4. Anorexia nervosa

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Science and Nature Trivia for April 1, 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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What colour is the ozone layer?
1. White
2. Pale yellow
3. Colourless
4. Pale blue

Stainless steel is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 to 11% content by mass of what element?
1. Carbon
2. Chromium
3. Chlorine
4. Calcium

What is the natural habitat of the electric eel?
1. The river systems and Shields of Brazil and Guiana
2. The larger rivers in Africa
3. The warmest parts of the Pacific Ocean
4. The Great Lakes of North America

What is the acronym developed by the European Union as the geocode standard for referencing the administrative divisions of countries for statistical purposes?
1. NUTS
2. ISO 3166-2
3. FIPS
4. IATA

Which of these is NOT a form of trade barrier?
1. Border wall
2. Tariff
3. Scot
4. Quota

What is 32 in relation to the numbers 2 and 16?
1. Their quotient
2. Their product
3. A logarithm
4. The dividend

Rickets is caused by a deficiency in which vitamin?
1. A
2. C
3. D
4. B1

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Science and Nature Trivia for March 25, 2026

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Which seabird that ranges widely in the Southern Ocean has the largest wingspan of any existing birds?
1. Belcher's gull
2. Wandering, or Snowy, Albatross
3. Cormorant
4. Kittiwake

What sea creature living in the Arctic has a tapering tusk, spirally grooved, 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 feet) long?
1. Narwhal
2. Beluga whale
3. Sperm whale
4. Uniwhale

The terms hypoaesthesia or anaphia refer to partial or full loss of what?
1. Ability to distinguish between colours
2. Sense of balance
3. Sense of pain, temperature, and/or touch
4. Ability to express emotion

What type of design was used for London's Millennium Footbridge across the Thames, that opened on 10 June 2000?
1. Wrought iron bridge
2. Stone arch bridge
3. Steel girder bridge
4. Steel suspension bridge

Apart from a syringe which of these could also be called hypodermic?
1. A freckle
2. A deep stab wound
3. Some bruises
4. A hernia

Artemisinin and derivatives are drugs found to act especially well on which disease?
1. Dengue fever
2. Poliomyelitis
3. Tuberculosis
4. Malaria

What is another name for the Southern Boobook owl, also called the Mopoke or Ruru?
1. Kookaburra
2. Morepork
3. Pterodactyl
4. Bald eagle

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Science and Nature Trivia for March 18, 2026

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Honeycomb is made of wax cells in what shape?
1. Square
2. Duodecahedron
3. Hexagon
4. Triangle

What colour is "cochineal"?
1. Yellow
2. Blue
3. Red
4. Green

How did the fuchsia get its name?
1. After a 16th century botanist
2. Its discoverer, with a cleft palate, tripped over one
3. It has an unpleasant scent
4. It is difficult to pick the flower

What is another name for the larkspur?
1. Delphinium
2. Gladiolus
3. Hibiscus
4. Aspidistra

How did Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee die in 1967?
1. Crashed on the moon
2. Burned to death
3. As the result of a car accident
4. A Vietnamese mine

What is the function of the smallest skeletal muscle in the human body
1. To contract the iris of the eye
2. To control tics in the eyelid
3. To control the movement or vibration of the stapes in the ear
4. To contract the uvula at the back of the throat

What expression is used in mathematics to mean "if and only if"?
1. Ifif
2. If*
3. *if*
4. Iff

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Science and Nature Trivia for March 11, 2026

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Where or what is the Circle of Willis?
1. A Colleen Callaghan braided hair style
2. A stone circle southwest of Stonehenge
3. A Fokine ballet
4. A ring of blood vessels at the base of the brain

With what is the American inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth particularly associated?
1. A method of learning Morse Code
2. Pulp magazine "Weird Tales"
3. Farnsworth Art Museum, Maine, USA
4. Invention of the first fully electronic TV

Why, in November 2009, was the Large Hadron Collider, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, shut down?
1. A bird dropped some bread on an external power supply
2. An overheating atomic pile
3. A strike by scientists
4. An outbreak of swine flu

What is the overall name for a branch of applied mathematics used to study behaviour in strategic situations, in which an individual's success in making choices depends on the choices of others?
1. Game theory
2. Von Neumann's examination of mixed strategy equilibria
3. Logarithmics
4. Minimax mixed strategy

In which situation does REM rebound not happen?
1. After sleep deprivation
2. Following prolonged deep sleep
3. When sleeping aids are taken
4. Following alcohol intake

What, in calculus, indicates the slope of a curve at any one point?
1. Secant
2. Chord
3. Tangent
4. Plane

What is a simple container for stirring, mixing and heating liquids commonly used in many laboratories, generally cylindrical in shape, with a flat bottom and a lip for pouring?
1. Gonzo
2. Beaker
3. Kermit
4. Fozzie

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Science and Nature Trivia for March 4, 2026

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Which is a product of interaction between sulphuric acid and rust?
1. Oxygen
2. Water
3. Sulphur dioxide
4. Table salt

Which is one of the psychological challenges to emerge in the 21st century?
1. Behaviourism
2. Cyber-bullying
3. Functionalism
4. Cognitive science

What is the name for the reaction to infected living tissues or organs, such as skin, lung or bowel, which triggers the immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs?
1. Tetanus
2. Sepsis
3. Plague
4. Leprosy

Which of these is not one of the four main divisions of the Stone Age?
1. Monolithic
2. Eolithic
3. Palaeolithic
4. Mesolithic

The photosphere, chromosphere and corona are terms used for aspects of what?
1. The sun
2. The moon
3. An atom
4. A good cigar

The small dark Horsehead Nebula is in which constellation?
1. Sagittarius
2. Pleiades
3. Andromeda
4. Orion

Which of these is another name for geranium?
1. Puffinsbeak
2. Eagleshead
3. Cranesbill
4. Sparrowfoot

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Science and Nature Trivia for February 25, 2026

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Which of these is a type of horse?
1. Appalachian
2. Chattanooga
3. Appaloosa
4. Choctaw

Which of these is a rodent found in the alpine regions of Europe, Asia and North America?
1. Mummer
2. Marmoset
3. Mango
4. Marmot

Which of these is an animal?
1. Tansy
2. Tamarisk
3. Tamarind
4. Tamarin

Which is the only living marsupial species in which both males and females have a pouch?
1. Bandicoot
2. Thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger
3. Coligrueso, a lutrine opossum
4. Yapok, or water opossum

What name is given to a spasm of the diaphragm muscle caused by indigestion, intoxication or some forms of pleurisy?
1. Nervous tic
2. Hay fever
3. Hiccough
4. Palsy

What powers tropical cyclones, or hurricanes/typhoons?
1. Heat from warm water at the ocean's surface
2. Speeding ocean waves
3. Lightning
4. Trade winds which are hotter than usual

Which planet is closest to Neptune in size and composition?
1. Uranus
2. Jupiter
3. Earth
4. Venus

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Science and Nature Trivia for February 18, 2026

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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The simoom, Arabic for "poison wind", brings what?
1. Sudden intense heat and dryness
2. Toxic dust
3. Sudden torrential sleet
4. Acid rain

How far is our Earth from its sun?
1. approximately 8 light minutes
2. 4 light years
3. 8 light years
4. 9.3 light seconds

Which of these is a type of antelope?
1. Bongo
2. Conga
3. Tango
4. Komodo

What is taxonomy?
1. The avoidance of paying a contribution to a nation's revenue
2. The art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals
3. The science of the classification of living and extinct organisms
4. The art of cooking a Mexican dish of meat etc. in a folded or rolled tortilla

What is the common name for Hydrocephalus, a pathological condition whereby fluid is retained within the skull?
1. Liquid nails
2. Water on the brain
3. Fluid thinking
4. Think tank

What does "plantigrade" mean?
1. A style of walking, with toes and foot bones flat on the ground
2. A botanical classification system
3. The plantain family
4. Plants used in heraldry

What are or were ardipithecus and paranthropus?
1. Hominins (early parts of the human family)
2. Types of rock formation
3. Trilobites
4. Ancient palm tree types

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Science and Nature Trivia for February 11, 2026

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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The scientific study of life forms in the geologic past - their biology, including shape and structure, evolutionary patterns, relation with each other and with modern living species, geographic distribution, and interaction with the environment - is known as what?
1. Palaeontology
2. Palaeoanthropology
3. Palaeoecology
4. Paleolithology

What is the name given to the recurrent period of 28 years, whereby the days of the week recur on the same days of the month in any corresponding year?
1. Semi cycle
2. Cosmic year
3. Solar cycle
4. Gregorian cycle

When is generally accepted to have been the first record of what became known as Halley's Comet?
1. 1066
2. 1531
3. 240 BCE
4. 837

Which of these characterises an alkaloid?
1. It contains at least one nitrogen atom
2. It is neutral
3. It is a protein
4. It has stimulant qualities

When hair rises in reaction to cold or shock, the appearance of the skin is sometimes described as what?
1. Hedgehog hackles
2. Duck skin
3. Goose flesh
4. Alligator acne

What is the etymology of "malaria"?
1. Bad air
2. Singing sickness
3. Apple fever
4. Illness

Glandular fever is caused by what?
1. Ebb-Kander virus
2. Einstein-Rosen virus
3. Epstein-Barr virus
4. Abbot-Costello virus

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Science and Nature Trivia for February 4, 2026

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Where would halophiles be found?
1. Glaciers
2. Equatorial sea areas
3. Hypersaline lakes
4. Deserts

The endocrine glands secrete their products directly into what (rather than through a duct)?
1. Skin
2. Mouth
3. Blood stream
4. Stomach

What is the next number in the series 1, 8, 27, 64, 125?
1. 218
2. 343
3. 512
4. 216

Apart from neighbouring Papuans, peoples (from current genome studies) from which modern country or countries are understood to be the closest relatives of Aboriginal Australians?
1. South-west Egypt
2. Iran and Afghanistan
3. India and the Philippines
4. Lao and southern China

How often is it estimated that polydactyly (having an extra finger or toe) occurs in humans?
1. One in 500 people
2. About one in 100,000 live births
3. 0.3-3.6 in 1000 live births
4. One in 143 live births

What was seen in earth's skies in 1910 and 1986 and is not expected again until 2061?
1. Halley's Comet
2. The Horsehead Nebula
3. Red Dwarf
4. The Asteroid Belt

Which of these is a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin B1, characterised by inflammation of the peripheral nerves with subsequent paralysis, dropsy and heart failure?
1. Malaria
2. Mumps
3. Beri-beri
4. Whooping cough

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Science and Nature Trivia for January 28, 2026

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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What is thought to have made the arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy particularly prominent?
1. A brush with its small companion galaxy, NGC 5195
2. Expansion of the black hole at the centre of the galaxy
3. A succession of supernovas at the end of each arm
4. Collapse of the bar between the two arms

What are Brodmann areas?
1. Areas in the lymph system
2. Areas of nerves in a living organism which react to light
3. The areas of the human body which react to invasion by foreign bacteria
4. Areas within the cerebral cortex of a primate brain

Which fabulous animal is attested to by Pliny around 77 AD , Aristotle around 350 BC and the Bible?
1. Unicorn
2. Minotaur
3. Hydra
4. Moa

Which of these is a rodent?
1. Giraffe
2. Cat
3. Elephant
4. Porcupine

What describes the smell of the easily detonated chemical ammonium nitrate?
1. Rotten eggs
2. Old urine
3. Bitter almonds
4. It does not have a smell

Which blood vessel supplies blood to the brain?
1. Internal carotid artery
2. External carotid artery
3. Brachiocephalic artery
4. Jugular vein

Which creature is best qualified to serve as a model for the mythical unicorn, having its main distinguishing characteristic?
1. Anteater
2. Hippopotamus
3. Giraffe
4. Rhinoceros

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Science and Nature Trivia for January 21, 2026

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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Most slugs have two pairs of tentacles; what purpose do they serve?
1. They sense touch and sound
2. They gather food
3. They sense light and smell
4. They hold the other slug while mating

What is the electrical capacitance which 1 coulomb of electricity will charge to a capacity of 1 volt?
1. Farad
2. Ohm
3. Erg
4. Watt

What is an ocean gyre?
1. The pathway of a major current
2. A large slowly-circling system of ocean surface currents
3. A tsunami
4. The sequence of tides

What is a Quagga?
1. A group of political lobbyists
2. A type of zebra, now extinct
3. A semi-independent government organisation
4. An energetic and distant galaxy with an active galactic nucleus

What can be clues for archaeologists to the region where someone has lived?
1. Shape of the thumb bones
2. Chemical signature of bones or teeth
3. Articulation of the ankle joint
4. Chemical makeup of the earth or other matter in which they are buried

Which area of the brain is the primary area for processing visual information?
1. Occipital lobe
2. Frontal lobe
3. Limbic lobe
4. Precentral gyrus

Which is the closest dwarf planet to Earth?
1. Ceres
2. Doc
3. Tyrion
4. Lord Minimus

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Science and Nature Trivia for January 14, 2026

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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What product of photosynthesis, a carbohydrate occurring in the cells of plants, can be changed into both glucose and dextrin?
1. Sugar
2. Latex
3. Gluten
4. Starch

What is the only native venomous spider in New Zealand (that is native only to New Zealand)?
1. Katipo
2. Tarantula
3. Funnel-web
4. Huntsman

What were Denisovans?
1. Followers of ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's husband
2. A branch of the developing human family
3. Practitioners of cricketer Denis Lillee's bowling style
4. Protesters in 19th century Russia

What is the name given to a cataclysmic nuclear explosion caused by the accretion of hydrogen onto the surface of a white dwarf star?
1. Red Dwarf
2. Nebula
3. Pulsar
4. Nova

In 1949, Guinean writer, neographer and educator Solomana Kanté devised what alphabetic script?
1. Māori
2. Hangul
3. Abugida
4. N'Ko

After digestion, food passes from the stomach through the pylorus to where?
1. Bastille
2. Duodenum
3. Liver
4. Gall bladder

Which of these cloud types usually is the lowest?
1. Altostratus
2. Cirrocumulus
3. Cirrostratus
4. Stratocumulus

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Science and Nature Trivia for January 7, 2026

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +1300

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As what was thalidomide first introduced?
1. A tranquilliser
2. An all-purpose antibiotic
3. A diuretic
4. Something to relieve migraines

What shape are the 20 faces of an icosahedron?
1. Squares
2. Triangles
3. Pentagons
4. Hexagons

What is the value of 5! (i.e. factorial)?
1. 120
2. 125
3. 10
4. 5

What is the common name for the mixture of gases which can include hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide, esters, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides?
1. Dump gas
2. Sewer gas
3. Mine gas
4. Hot mud pool gas

What is an os palpebrae, found in crocodilians?
1. A plate in the footpad
2. An elbow spur
3. A bony plate in the eyelid
4. One of the bony spurs on the back

Seagrass, fungi and salt marshes are all important what?
1. Carbon sinks
2. Sources of silicates
3. Foods for shore animals
4. Developments after the dinosaur extinction event

What is "bergamot"?
1. A fruit or herb
2. Weaponry used in the Middle Ages
3. Highly technical language
4. The traditional rights of European "free cities"

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Science and Nature Trivia for December 31, 2025

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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Which of these is eukaryotic?
1. Seaweed
2. Diamond
3. Rainwater
4. Bacteria

The series of plates in a bony fish and the flap in chimaeras (cartilaginous fish) behind and over the gills is called what?
1. Pyloric caecum
2. An adipose fin
3. An operculum or opercle
4. Olfactory bulb

What did the International Avogadro Project aim to achieve?
1. Redefine the kilogram in terms of a fixed number of atoms in a sphere of silicon
2. Re-express the Avogadro constant
3. Explore new uses for the Avogadro constant
4. Apply the Avogadro constant to sports science

Which is the brightest star in Earth's sky apart from the Sun?
1. Canopus
2. Betelgeuse
3. Sirius
4. Vega

What name is given to the unit of electrical power represented by a current of 1 ampere flowing through a circuit whose potential difference is 1 volt?
1. Ohm
2. Watt
3. Kilowatt
4. Angstrom

Which sleek winged creature is the source of the name for the sleek French missile called Exocet?
1. A fish
2. The peregrine hawk
3. Fire dragon
4. A shag

What is the name given to a class of coal that contains a high percentage of fixed carbon and burns smokelessly with intense heat?
1. Atalicite
2. Dolomite
3. Pharmacite
4. Anthracite

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Science and Nature Trivia for December 24, 2025

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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Which of these is an evergreen shrub with leathery lance-shaped leaves?
1. Holly
2. Laurel
3. Aspidistra
4. Foxglove

Which chemical is one commonly used in match heads?
1. Iron
2. Sodium
3. Magnesium
4. Phosphorus

What is a koi?
1. Weapon
2. Fish
3. Belt
4. Ladle

What is a common feature of Komodo dragons, aphids, and whiptail lizards?
1. They are indigenous to Indonesia
2. Live birth
3. They can survive for several months without water
4. The ability to reproduce asexually

What does anosmia indicate?
1. Impermeable membrane
2. Lack of sense of smell
3. Citizenship of Nosmeh in northwest Iran
4. Deficit of self-awareness

The longest word included in English language dictionaries, and probably contrived to be so, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. What does it mean?
1. Matter ejected during an eruption
2. A lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust, causing inflammation in the lungs
3. An eye disease that causes a permanent squint
4. A cold sore

In which stage of growth is the large, poisonous, prolific, invasive cane toad least toxic?
1. During the mating period
2. As a tadpole
3. The period between metamorphosis and subadulthood
4. None, all are equally toxic

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Science and Nature Trivia for December 17, 2025

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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Where do tropical cyclones usually form?
1. Close to major river outlets
2. In the centre of one of the two largest seas
3. Close to shores
4. Over large bodies of relatively warm water

What is a name for the sound of contents moving to and down the bowels?
1. Chorchori
2. Purpura fulminans
3. Forfora capelli
4. Borborygmus

Which of these is a small deciduous tree?
1. Quince
2. Artichoke
3. Chilean guava
4. Mangelwurzel

Dourine is a serious, often fatal, sexually transmitted disease affecting which kind of animal?
1. Mustelids
2. Bovine
3. Equine
4. Dolphins

What produces "royal jelly"?
1. Giraffes
2. Sperm whales
3. Macrocarpa trees
4. Bees

Which of these large fierce-looking relatives of the scarab beetle are found in every continent except Antarctica?
1. Goliath beetle
2. Shield beetles
3. Rhinoceros beetles
4. Warrior beetles

What basic food can be evaporated, condensed, pasteurised or dried?
1. Bread
2. Eggs
3. Dates
4. Milk

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Science and Nature Trivia for December 10, 2025

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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What device did French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville patent in 1857?
1. Graphophone
2. Biophongraph
3. Phonautograph
4. Phonograph

What is one of the effects of caffeine, for instance in tea and coffee?
1. Defoliant
2. Diuretic
3. Dilates blood vessels
4. Dilutes protection for skin against sun damage

Haemophilia is caused by a problem with what?
1. Heart
2. Skin
3. Blood
4. Liver

What is the name for the inherent property of matter to retain its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by external forces?
1. Inertia
2. Momentum
3. Vector
4. Friction

Which of these is a learned society for science, founded in November 1660, and granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II in 1662, with Lord Brouncker as its first President?
1. Royal Society of Chemistry
2. The Royal Academy of Arts
3. The Geological Society of London
4. The Royal Society

What is the freezing point of water, in degrees?
1. 32 Centigrade
2. Fahrenheit 451
3. 0 Fahrenheit
4. 32 Fahrenheit

What colour is hippopotamus "sweat"?
1. Dull gold
2. Green
3. Pale blue
4. Orangey red

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Science and Nature Trivia for December 3, 2025

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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Which is a fine, mineral-infused, free-draining, potentially highly fertile sediment?
1. Loeast
2. Moore
3. Moost
4. Loess

What is the name of the type of curve traced by a point on the rim of a rolling wheel?
1. Hyperbola
2. Parabola
3. Cycloid
4. Distribution curve

Which of these snakes is native to South America?
1. Python
2. Anaconda
3. Sunbeam
4. Elapids

Pelicans live in areas from the tropics to the temperate zone (usually in lakes, rivers, and along sea coasts), but not in the open ocean or in what other region?
1. Utah's Great Salt Lake
2. The inland desert of central Australia
3. Interior Amazonian South America
4. The Gobi Desert

What name is given to 2 distinct diseases, one of which is a condition due to deficiency of secretion of the pancreas, the other associated with diseases of the pituitary gland?
1. Alzheimer's
2. Diabetes
3. Strabismus
4. Stradivarius

What function is applied to 4 to get the result 64?
1. Cube
2. Square
3. Geometric progression
4. Factorial

What name is given to a tax minimisation deal whereby a profitable company makes a payment to a loss-making company in the same group?
1. Ransom payment
2. Subversion payment
3. Cash payment
4. Subvention payment

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Science and Nature Trivia for November 26, 2025

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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What name was given to the fossils, discovered in 2003 and 2004, of humans with large feet that stood about a metre high?
1. Peking man
2. Homo hobbitus
3. Homo floresiensis
4. Piltdown man

What laboratory instrument measures the electric current in a circuit?
1. Ammeter
2. Voltmeter
3. Ohmmeter
4. Electrometer

What does the number after a Mach rating indicate?
1. Relationship to the speed of sound
2. Depth of the bow wave in front of a travelling projectile
3. Muscle strength
4. Conductivity

An optometrist is concerned with what part of the body?
1. Heart
2. Eyes
3. Liver
4. Feet

Where are sacoglossans found?
1. In shallow warm sea water
2. In lichens
3. Attached to cancer cells
4. Growing near fungi

The Kaua'i mole duck, the Great auk, the Cuban giant owl and the Stephens Island wren are all flightless birds and are...?
1. Extinct
2. The subject of a New Zealand Department of Conservation ten year study
3. Particularly susceptible to lead poisoning from hunters' lead shot
4. Amphibious

What does "xylophilous" refer to?
1. A wood carver
2. Growing in or living on wood
3. Something constructed of wooden slats
4. A resonant ringing when beaten

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Science and Nature Trivia for November 19, 2025

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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What do Schwann cells maintain in the human body?
1. Heart valves
2. Kidney function
3. The peripheral nervous system
4. Production of synovial fluid in joints

What word best describes a triangle where one angle is equal to 90 degrees?
1. Obtuse
2. Isosceles
3. Scalene
4. Right angled

What does the science of biogeography study?
1. How geography affects evolution of animal species
2. Links between biological structure of organisms and habitat
3. Geographic distribution of living organisms and what influences its variation
4. How the relationship between animals and insects shapes an ecosystem

What type of being is a cicada?
1. Insect
2. Reptile
3. Mammal
4. Arachnid

What are Dyck paths in mathematics?
1. A series of steps diagonally left or right and up or down a lattice
2. Most direct path in air transport taking into account variables including air movement
3. Electrical charges
4. Water pathways as affected by underlying geology

What theory is set out in Charles Darwin's book "On the Origin of Species"?
1. Convolution
2. Revolution
3. Devolution
4. Evolution

What is a lizardfish native to the waters between Mumbai and Kutch in the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the China Sea?
1. Chinese Gooseberry
2. Greek fire
3. Bombay Duck
4. Mutton bird

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Science and Nature Trivia for November 12, 2025

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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In which field is the Carl Sagan Medal awarded?
1. Study of the origin of life in the cosmos
2. Study of multiple universes
3. Planetary science
4. Design of space vehicles

Sidereal time states the rotation of Earth relative to what?
1. Astrological star charts
2. The Moon
3. Stars other than the Sun
4. Signs of the zodiac

What name is given to ducks which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving?
1. Dabbling ducks
2. Puddle ducks
3. Webling ducks
4. Mighty ducks

What is a specialised stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support and attachment, usually by twining around whatever it touches?
1. Pantogram
2. Klingon
3. Tentacle
4. Tendril

If π is approximated to 22 divided by 7, what is the radius of a circle whose area is 154 square inches?
1. 22 inches
2. 7 inches
3. 44 inches
4. 5 inches

Which of these is a disease associated with the absence of nicotinic acid in the diet, characterised by dermatitis, mild diarrhoea and delirium?
1. Pellagra
2. Tuberculosis
3. Rabies
4. Ebola

Those who have taijin kyofusho are likely to be extremely what?
1. Workaholic
2. Bouncy and extrovert
3. Embarrassed, or fearful of displeasing others, with the functions of their bodies or appearance
4. Devoted to pet animals such as snakes and very small dogs

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Science and Nature Trivia for November 5, 2025

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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What is the name for sedimentary rock, or sand, made all or mostly from crushed shells?
1. Coquina
2. Conker
3. Cockalorum
4. Costal

A dugong is different from a manatee in what?
1. They grow 20% larger on average
2. Having a fluked tail, like a dolphin's
3. They do not have tusks
4. They are omnivorous

Which do kulan have?
1. Flippers
2. Hooves
3. Claws
4. Webbed feet

The term "operculum" can refer to a protective structure in the human body, in the uterus and …
1. Under the wrist
2. Behind the kneecap
3. In the gum
4. At the base of the skull

Lise Meitner with Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered what, for which Hahn received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944?
1. Laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions
2. That the uranium atom splits when bombarded by neutrons
3. The use of radioactive isotope tracers to study chemical processes
4. The structure of proteins, especially that of insulin

What is a kittiwake?
1. An alert cat
2. A species of gull
3. Anne Frank's affectionate name for an imaginary friend
4. A central pool of cards or cash in a game

Which of these animals is not a marsupial?
1. Koala
2. Platypus
3. Virginia Opossum
4. Eastern Grey Kangaroo

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Science and Nature Trivia for October 29, 2025

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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What is the name given to the rare meteorological phenomenon of long bands of roll clouds?
1. Morning Glory
2. Surfing Splendour
3. Nighttime Delight
4. Long Roll

A hectare is roughly the size of which of these?
1. Twice the floor space of the White House (the ground, floor and residence floors)
2. Twice the size of a cricket ground
3. 20 singles tennis courts
4. A quarter of the floor space of Buckingham Palace

What seashore or land water animal would use an operculum?
1. Crab
2. Limpet
3. Snail
4. Sand hopper

What device is used to regulate a person's heart rate?
1. Metronome
2. Running hare
3. Pacemaker
4. Treadmill

Chromium and nickel content in stainless steel can act as a catalyst for what?
1. Water
2. Intergranular corrosion
3. Carbon deposition
4. Ferrous Oxide

What is a characteristic of trees in mangrove forests?
1. They grow in low-oxygen soil
2. They are typically deciduous
3. They tend not to be able to use nitrogen
4. The wood is generally soft

Which of these is an infectious disease caused by a virus that affects the brain and spinal cord?
1. Poliomyelitis
2. Tetanus
3. Pellagra
4. Rabies

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Science and Nature Trivia for October 22, 2025

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1300

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What word means walking using the whole sole of the foot?
1. Digitigrade
2. Facultative
3. Plantigrade
4. Ungulate

What do the Harvard Plate Stacks hold?
1. A collection of 2,000 years of steles recording knowledge of astronomy at the time
2. A collection of geological shales
3. A century's worth of glass plate negatives of the night sky
4. A collection of two centuries of photographic portraiture in North America

The following were influential in developing which subject in China: Liu Hui, Zu Geng, Li Chunfeng, Yang Hui, Shen Kuo, Liu Xin, Zhang Heng, Zu Chongzhi and Wang Xiaotong?
1. Medicine
2. Mathematics
3. Religion
4. Architecture

Modern versions of which appliance (commonplace by the 1970s in domestic residences in the USA) are descended from the 1886 invention of Josephine Cochrane which she unveiled at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair?
1. Sewing machine
2. Microwave oven
3. Vacuum cleaner
4. Dishwasher

What does the Euclid mission, launched by the European Space Agency in July 2023, aim to explore or to do?
1. To explore matter and radiation between stars
2. To shuttle astronauts to the International Space Ship
3. To explore dark matter and dark energy
4. To test a method of planetary defence against near-Earth objects

Before the 21st century developments in AI, climate change and pandemics, traditionally accepted economic theory was broadly described as what?
1. Marxian
2. Keynesian
3. Platonic
4. Salamancan

Bitumen is made to go onto or into what?
1. Ice cream
2. Roads
3. Feet
4. Garden plants

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