FunTrivia Sci / Tech Mix: Vol 36 Quiz

Answer: black hole

A black hole is a star that has gone supernova. The pull of gravity is so strong that even photons (the particles that make up light) cannot escape. That is why we cannot see a black hole, even with specialized telescopes. Scientists can estimate the position of a black hole by looking at the way light bends around it.

Question by player lmurphy

Answer: a native American tree with edible fruit

The Paw Paw is found in the eastern parts of North America. Though its fruit is quite tasty, it does not have a wide audience except in areas where it thrives.

Question by player convair240

Answer: Carbon footprint

The phrase "Carbon footprint" was reportedly first used by a British food magazine in 1999. It refers to a way to measure the amount of carbon dioxide and/or methane that an entity or individual releases into the atmosphere. Environmentalists hope that the use of the carbon footprint will provide information that will help society deal more effectively with climate change.

Question by player bigwoo

Answer: Prostate cancer

To be more specific, the Gleason score measures the differences that exist between normal cells and prostate cancer cells. It is used to evaluate the prognosis (the likely outcome) for this cancerous condition in the male reproductive system.

Question by player Creedy

Answer: Scams sent by SMS/text

As if phishing scams weren't exhausting enough, along came smishing: scams perpetrated through SMS text messages. The term 'smishing' combines 'SMS' (also known as 'texting') and 'phishing'. Sadly, smishing is categorised as 'a type of social engineering attack that relies on exploiting human trust rather than technical exploits'. Smishing texts are many and varied; they can come in the form of messages which appear to come from your bank, or from someone claiming you have an 'undeliverable package' or that you have won a lottery prize or an unpaid toll notice, fine, or tax bill.

Unfortunately, we all need to be hyper-vigilant of these. As a general rule, your bank and government departments will never ask for your personal information by SMS/text, especially bank account details. If you have any doubt at all, it is wise to contact the company cited in the text message directly by phone before clicking on anything.

Question by player heatherlois

Answer: Laser

Albert Einstein is credited with establishing the theoretical basis for the laser and maser (the microwave version) in 1917. However it was not until 1960 that the first functioning laser was made.

Question by player suomy

Answer: San Francisco, California

The 1906 earthquake was in San Francisco and killed about 3000 people. Sylmar (San Fernando) was the scene of a 1971 earthquake which killed 65 people. Unimak Island was hit by an earthquake in 1946 which killed 165 people. Reseda, Los Angeles, suffered an earthquake in 1971 which killed 72 people.

Question by player Spontini

Answer: Its light has taken so long to reach us

Betelgeuse is red supergiant star 640 light years away from earth which means that it may have already progressed to the next stage in the life cycle of such a star, a supernova, in which case it has exploded and will no longer exist. The shattered traces of the star will be visible for a very long time.

The Crab Nebula for example is the remains of a supernova in the Taurus constellation which was first seen in 1054 A.D. Betelgeuse is so massive that if placed at the centre of our solar system, the orbit of Jupiter would be inside it.

Question by player Spontini

Answer: Coriolis

In the early 20th century meteorologists used the Coriolis effect to understand the dynamics of wind direction. As a low pressure area forms, air will flow into it but will be deflected by the Coriolis effect, which is caused by the earth's rotation and the inertia of the substance (air) being acted upon. Bernoulli's effect explains the uplifting force as 'air flows faster on top of an airplane wing than the bottom portion of the wing'.

The Aeolian process involves the wind's effect on the deposition of sediment i.e., sand dunes The Tyndall effect occurs when light is scattered by particles in its pathway.

Question by player golfer46

Answer: a skeletal muscle

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped skeletal muscle located at the base of the chest, separating the thoracic (chest) cavity from the abdominal cavity. As a skeletal muscle, it is under both voluntary and involuntary control, meaning we can consciously control our breathing (like when we take a deep breath), but it also functions automatically during normal breathing.

Question by player trident