PLANET SCIENCE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 15 Stardate: Friday 20th December 2002 Did you know you can choose to receive this weekly news update free by email? sign up here YEAR END SPECIAL EDITION This week, a newsletter with a difference. There's no news! What we've got instead is: THE 'HAVE WE GOT SCIENCE NEWS FOR YOU' QUIZ Coming up are 52 teasers to match the 52 weeks of the year, and it's only fair to warn you that some of them are more directly linked to the news than others! You will breeze through it ... so long as your grey matter's in good working condition and you've been keeping up with the news over the past 12 months. Good luck Cybernauts! Round 01: JANUARY 1. The year began with the launch of the new Euro notes and coins in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain... But the one and two cent coins were later reported to have caused a few problems because: a). they were easily counterfeited b). some people developed allergic reactions c). they looked too similar to each other 2. British Telecom announced that they were changing their mobile brand name from BT Cellnet to O2. In chemistry what is 'O2' the chemical formula for? 3. At the top of the UK box office chart at the beginning of the year was the film, The Lord of the Rings. A 'ringing' sensation in the ears is a condition known as what? (Plenty more tenously-linked questions coming up, don't you worry about that!) 4. Scientists hit the headlines in January when they took cells from a cow's ear and used cloning technology to grow new organs in the laboratory. What type of organs were they? Clues: You have two of them and they remove waste from your blood. Round 02: FEBRUARY 5. Will Young released his first single, Evergreen, which later entered the charts at number one. Evergreens are trees that don't shed their leaves in winter. What is the name for trees that do shed their leaves in winter? 6. Iris-scanning machines were introduced at Heathrow airport as part of a trial to see if the technology could replace passports in the future. Which part of the eye does the iris surround? 7. A research paper linked the MMR vaccination to autism while another dismissed the claims. MMR stands for 'Measles, Mumps and Rubella'. What is rubella more commonly known as? 8. Scientists announced they had created a genetically cloned kitten using gene technology. Genes are sections of a chemical called DNA. What does DNA stand for? 9. This was the month that Ikeya-Zhang was first spotted in the sky, the brightest BLANKETY-BLANK to appear in the sky since Hale-Bopp in 1997. What are Ikeya-Zhang and Hale-Bopp? Round 03: MARCH 10. The winner of the best picture at the Oscars was 'A Beautiful Mind' about the mathematician John Nash, who developed Game Theory and won the Nobel Prize for Economics. Why couldn't he have won the Nobel Prize for Mathematics instead? 11. Mars was in the news in March, when just days into its mission, NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe discovered what could be water under the planet's surface. What other, colourful (hint!) name is Mars often known by? 12. 'The Deep', the UK's latest hi-tech aquarium, opened in Hull in this month. What organs do fish use to breathe underwater? 13. N'Sync boy-band member, Lance Bass, announced he was planning a journey to a far away place. Was it: a). the South Pole b). the International Space Station c). the Moon or d). the bottom of the Pacific Ocean? Round 04: APRIL 14. In the run up to the World Cup 2002, David Beckham's left foot became more famous than his wife Victoria. Can you remember which type of bone in his foot he broke? 15. Scientists announced the discovery of a gene involved in an inherited skin disease could open the possibility of more effective treatments for skin ageing. Ageing question: your ears never stop growing, even as you get older... True or false? 16. This month, researchers estimated that there aren't quite as many insect species on Earth as were once thought. They used to think there were 30 million, now they reckon there are 5 million. What is the name for someone who studies insects for a living? 17. At the BAFTA Awards, everyone's favourite TV show (!) Pop Idol, won the award for the best entertainment programme. Who made this all possible by inventing the television? And for a bonus point, in which year was the device first publicly demonstrated? Round 05: MAY 18. This 'purr-fect' all-girl group were 'feline' fine and said 'It's OK' in the Top 40 charts. The first name of their band is also the name of a nuclear bomb. What is it? 19. Scientists displayed a featherless chicken they had bred in the laboratory, much to the anger of animal welfare groups. Loosely related question: if a feather and a coin were dropped in a vacuum, which would drop to the bottom faster? 20. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones was released in this month, and was generally considered better than Episode I. The first clone made from cells from an adult animal was Dolly. What type of animal was she? 21. In this month, scientists produced a draft of the genetic make-up of the mouse, and cracked the complete genome later in August. In the animal kingdom, what 'order' do mice belong to - clues: the order is characterised by large chisel-shaped incisors, and includes beavers, rabbits and squirrels. 22. The last day of May marked the first match of the World Cup. At the beginning of the match the ball stayed at rest until it was kicked. Any object will stay at rest unless a force acts upon it. Which famous scientist stated this law? Round 06: JUNE 23. In June, Prince Charles lashed out at GM food research companies about the damage they cause to the environment. What do the letters 'GM' stand for? a) Genetically Made b) Greatly Modified c) Genetically Modified 24. A major study into the safety of mobile phones concluded that they may affect the health of people who use them. Mobile handsets give off low-emissions of what form of energy? 25. The long-awaited Spider-Man film was released in cinemas up and down the country. If someone is scared of spiders, what phobia are they suffering from? 26. Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Golden Jubilee, 50 years on the throne. The purest gold is described as being how many 'carats'? Round 07: JULY 27. It was revealed that an ancient skull, unearthed in Africa, was the oldest pre-human fossil found to date, and is around seven million years old. What organ of the body does the skull protect? 28. First there were disposable cameras and then disposable mobile phones hit the shops in America. What waves do mobile phones use to communicate with one another? 29. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the rest of the crew hit the big screen. What were dogs originally bred from? 30. Steve Fossett landed his hot-air balloon in the Australian outback after a record-breaking around-the-world solo flight. Is hot air lighter or heavier than cold air? Round 08: AUGUST 31. The TV show, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here involved seven celebrities battling it out for the title of King or Queen of the jungle. Which of these is the name of a tree found in the jungle: a). roof fig tree b). curtain fig tree or c). kettle fig tree? 32. August also marked the end of the Commonwealth Games in the city of Manchester. Australia were the winners with 82 gold, 62 silver and 62 bronze medals. What is the chemical symbol for silver? 33. A warplane and a passenger jet experienced a near-miss close to Newcastle airport. What word is used to describe the shape of an aeroplane's wing? 34. This month also marked the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. What material were his blue shoes made out of? 35. The Sugababes released their long-awaited album, Angels with Dirty Faces. A mixture of a solid dissolved in a liquid, such as sugar in water, is called a what? a) solution b) solvent c) solute Round 09: SEPTEMBER 36. US sprinter, Tim Montgomery, took the title of 'World's Fastest Man'. He ran 100 metres in just 9.78 seconds. What a fast pair of legs! What is the name given to the human thigh bone? 37. The exams watchdog began to investigate claims that this year's A'Level results had been downgraded by examiners. If you were asked a question on photosynthesis in an exam, would you be sitting a chemistry, biology or physics exam paper? 38. A mysterious door in the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Giza was discovered, sparking discussion about what could be behind it. The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure in the world up until 100 years ago. Which building knocked it off the number one spot? 39. If you'd have entered New Scientist's bizarre reader competition, you could have won the chance to be cryogenically frozen, but what would you have to be before you were allowed the treatment? Round 10: OCTOBER 40. A series of Earthquakes hit the city of Manchester. What scale is used to measure the strength of an earthquake? 41. This is the name of a powerful explosive invented by Alfred Nobel in 1867, and also the surname of a young, female singer who won three Mobo awards this month. 42. Sicily declared a state of emergency after this volcano erupted. What is the name of the volcano? 43. British marathon runner, Paula Radcliffe set a new women's marathon world record in Chicago. Are animals that walk and run upright on two legs called bipeds or tripeds? Round 11: NOVEMBER 44. After long negotiations with the government, fire-fighters up and down the country went on strike. Can you name the gas that fire needs to burn? 45. If you looked up at the night-sky around the middle of this month, you might have witnessed the spectacular Leonids. What are the Leonids? 46. The long-awaited James Bond film, Die Another Day, hit the cinemas. A day on Earth is 24 hours long, the time the Earth takes to make a complete turn. What is the length of time called that the Earth takes to orbit the Sun? 47. The Prestige oil tanker sank off the north-west coast of Spain spilling tons of crude oil into the sea and causing a major ecological disaster. What is the term for liquids that don't mix easily, such as oil and water? 48. German Professor Gunther Von Hagens whipped up a frenzy of public debate last month when he conducted the firt public autopsy in Britain for 170 years. What is the science of understanding the human body called? Round 12: DECEMBER 49. Cherie Blair told the nation she was 'not a Superwoman'. But if she was, and could therefore fly, which is the main force of nature she would be defying? 50. ... And from Superwoman to superbugs. A sharp rise in deaths caused by these antibiotic-resistant bugs was reported in the news this month. The question is: are antibiotics used to fight bacteria or viruses? 51. It's the party season... but do you know which gas is inside those special balloons that float up to the ceiling...? 52. It's had a terrible press in the past for furring up your arteries, but it's a vital part of your diet. In fact, your body makes its own if you stop eating it. Found in cream, eggs and butter, it boosts mental clarity, keeps your skin supple, and your body makes male and female hormones from it. Enjoy your festive excesses! Which notorious substance are we talking about? OK AND NOW FOR THE ANSWERS: If you don't want to know the results, look away now. Otherwise, keep scrolling… Here they come ... Nearly... Nearly... Yes! 1. b 2. oxygen 3. tinnitus 4. kidneys 5. deciduous 6. the pupil 7. German measles 8. Dioxyribonucleic Acid 9. comets 10. because there isn't one 11. The Red Planet 12.gills 13. the International Space Station 14. metatarsal 15. true 16. entomologist 17. John Logie Baird; 1926 18. Atomic Kitten 19. they'd fall at the same rate 20. a sheep 21. rodents 22. Sir Isaac Newton 23. c 24. radiation 25. arachnaphobia 26. 24 (carat) 27. the brain 28. radio waves 29. wolves 30. Hot air is lighter than cold air. 31. curtain fig tree 32. Ag 33. Aerofoil 34. Suede 35. a 36. Femur 37. Biology 38. The Eiffel Tower 39. dead 40. Richter Scale 41. Dynamite 42. Mount Etna 43. Bipeds 44. Oxygen 45. A meteor shower 46. A year 47. immiscible 48. anatomy 49. gravity 50. bacteria 51. helium 52. chloresterol Hope you did yourself proud! If so, treat yourself to a lovely glass of Tizer! (And thanks a million to Emma Lewis for compiling those questions for us.) The next edition of the newsletter will appear on January 10th 2003... 'Til then, have a fantastically relaxing and rejuvenating holiday!! SEASONS GREETINGS FROM EVERYONE AT PLANET SCIENCE - and thanks for all your help, ideas, news, comments and jokes throughout the year. They are much appreciated. MAY THE FESTIVE FORCE BE WITH YOU!! Back to top