1 Aa
A An isthmus formed when a river meander is cut off, forming an oxbow lake
Advertisement
B A rough volcanic lava flow characterised by jumbled piles of loose, sharp blocks
C A haze of volatile organic chemicals given off by rainforest canopies
听
2 Boojums
A In physics, geometric patterns that form on the surface of superfluid helium
B In astronomy, Blue Objects Observed Just Undergoing Moderate Starbursts
C In botany, strange cactus-like trees (Fouquieria columnaris) found primarily on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico
听
3 Degeneracy
A When two different genetic sequences code for the same thing
B When two differently arranged quantum systems share the same energy
C When two different plants share the same bed
听
4 Frass
A Freshly cut grass
B Iron filings
C Insect excrement
听
5 Jerk
A In physics, the third derivative of displacement with respect to time
B In genomics, a discontinuity in a base sequence that disrupts replication
C In chemistry, a sudden, unexpected reflux through a distillation condenser
听
6 MACHOs
A Male Androgens Correlated to Hepatic Output, hormones implicated in differing metabolic rates between the sexes
B Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects, a possible identity for dark matter
C Molecular Anionic Compounds with Hydrophobic Oxygen Species, a common ingredient of soaps and face creams
听
7 Monorchid
A Of a plant, having only one fruiting body
B Of a taxonomic genus, having only one constituting species
C Of a scrotum, having only one testicle
听
8 Nutation
A Swimming with tucked-in feet to decrease water resistance, as practised by crocodilians and others
B A periodic variation in the direction of a planet鈥檚 axis of rotation
C The regular shedding of skin, characteristic of many lizards
听
9 Penguin
A An aquatic bird of the family Spheniscidae, primarily in the Antarctic
B A symmetry-violating process in particle physics in which a quark temporarily changes flavour
C A subroutine in a Google search that penalises sites artificially stuffed with highly searched keywords
听
10 Piloerection
A A molecular scaffold used to increase catalytic efficiency
B Spontaneous sexual arousal
C Goosebumps
听
11 Spaghettification
A The braiding of a river鈥檚 main channel that occurs with high sediment load
B The tangling of neurons in the brain that is a precursor to some forms of neurodegenerative disease
C The stretching of an object by gravity as it falls into a black hole
听
12 Struthious
A Of or resembling an ostrich
B Causing the contraction of biological cells; astringent
C Of a geometric shape, enclosing a finite volume within an infinite surface area
听
13 Tappen
A A plug of hardened faeces that seals off a bear鈥檚 rectum during hibernation
B A viscous resin produced by subarctic pine species that is prized for its antiseptic properties
C The proboscis through which a butterfly extracts nectar from a plant
听
14 Thunk
A In physics, the fourth derivative of displacement with respect to time
B In psychology, a thought forgotten as soon as it needs to be vocalised
C In computer programming, a subroutine used to feed a calculation into another subroutine
听
15 Wino
A A gene in fruit flies that, when mutated, causes unusual attraction to ethanol
B A family of three force-carrying particles that is postulated in supersymmetry theory
C An insect related to the pond skater and noted for its skittish movements on water (Tachygerris inexpectatus)
听
16 Wombling
A The act of making useful things from discarded litter, as practised by Elisabeth Beresford鈥檚 Wombles
B A mathematical method for detecting regions of abrupt change, for example in a genome, named after its inventor, William H. Womble
C Moving along with the belly touching the ground, a method of locomotion favoured by newts and salamanders
听
17 Ylem
A A historical term for the inert component of air, what we now know as nitrogen
B The primordial matter that filled the universe in the first instant of the big bang
C The proteinaceous component of the cytoplasm, the fluid that fills biological cells
听
18 CHEMISTRY CORNER: Which of the following is a genuine name of a chemical molecule?
A Fucitol
B Arsole
C Moronic acid
D Bastardane
听
19 GEOLOGY CORNER:Which of the following is a genuine name of a mineral species?
A Fukalite
B Cummingtonite
C Taconite
D Welshite
听
20 MATHS CORNER
鈥淕iven n measurable objects in n-dimensional Euclidean space, it is possible to divide all of them in half with a single (n 鈥� 1)-dimensional hyperplane鈥�
This is:
A The chicken nugget theorem
B The jam doughnut theorem
C The ham sandwich theorem
D The turkey twizzler theorem
Quiz compiled by New Scientist executive editor Richard Webb. He much prefers a bimble to a womble
Answers:
1 B
2 A, B and C
3 A and B
4 C
5 A
6 B
7 C
8 B
9 A, B and C
10 C
11 C
12 A
13 A
14 C
15 B (though there is a fruit fly gene variant that causes unusual attraction to ethanol, called LUSH)
16 B
17 B
18 CHEMISTRY CORNER: A, B, C, D
19 GEOLOGY CORNER: A, B, C, D
20 MATHS CORNER: C. If n = 3 and your three objects are bread, butter and ham, it says that you will always be able to slice a sandwich made from them to share all three things equally