Tag: nature

  • Ologies II — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Tree Cookie.
    A cross-section of a Coast Douglas-fir tree.
    Royal Ontario Museum, Canada.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are further study of Ologies.

    One

    What is defined as ‘the study of the mechanics of body movements’ (Oxford English Dictionary)?

    Answer: Kinesiology.

    kinesiology /kɪˌniːsiˈɒlədʒi , kʌɪˌniːsiˈɒlədʒi /
    ▸ noun [mass noun] the study of the mechanics of body movements.

    – ORIGIN
    late 19th century: from Greek kinēsis ‘movement’ (from kinein ‘to move’) + -logy.
    – DERIVATIVES
    kinesiological ▸ adjective
    kinesiologist ▸ noun 

    — Oxford English Dictionary


    Two

    What does an ichthyologist study?

    Answer: Fish.

    An ichthyologist is a scientist who studies fish, while ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. The word ichthyology comes from the Greek ichthys, meaning ‘fish’, and –logia, meaning ‘study of’. An ichthyologist may study the anatomy, behaviour, evolution, classification, ecology, distribution, or conservation of all major groups of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (such as sharks and rays), and jawless fish (such as lampreys and hagfish). Because fish make up more than half of all known vertebrate species, ichthyology is one of the largest and most diverse fields within zoology.


    Three

    Nosology is the scientific study of which of these?

    • Diseases
    • Nasal biology
    • Negativity

    Answer: Diseases.

    nosology /nɒˈsɒlədʒi /
    ▸ noun [mass noun] the branch of medical science dealing with the classification of diseases.

    – ORIGIN
    early 18th century: from Greek nosos ‘disease’ + –logy.
    – DERIVATIVES
    nosological /ˌnɒsəˈlɒdʒɪkl / ▸ adjective
    nosologist /nɒˈsɒlədʒɪst / ▸ noun
    — Oxford English Dictionary 


    Four

    What is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the ‘science or technique of dating events, environmental change, and archaeological artefacts by using the characteristic patterns of annual growth rings in timber and tree trunks’?

    Answer: Dendrochronology.

    Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, is the scientific method of dating tree rings to the exact year they formed. Because trees produce one growth ring per year, the technique can precisely determine the age of wood and the timing of environmental changes, particularly past climate conditions. It is widely used in archaeology, art history, architecture, and to calibrate radiocarbon dating. Continuous tree-ring records in some regions extend back nearly 14,000 years, while newer isotope-based methods can date samples unsuitable for traditional ring analysis.


    Five

    Selenology is the scientific study of what?

    Answer: The moon.

    Selenology is derived from the Greek words Selēnē, meaning “Moon”, and –logia, meaning ‘the study of’ or ‘discourse concerning’. Literally, selenology means ‘the study of the Moon’. Selene was the ancient Greek goddess of the Moon, and her name became the root for several lunar-related scientific terms, including selenography (mapping or describing the Moon’s surface) and selenophysics (the physical study of the Moon). The term selenology came into scientific use in the 19th century, when lunar observation and mapping were becoming increasingly systematic. Today it refers to the branch of planetary science that studies the Moon’s geology, surface features, internal structure, origin, and evolution.


  • Can I have a ‘P’ please, Bob?

    Jaws film poster, 1975 (cropped).
    See question one.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are not date-related but the answers are consistant with the title.

    One

    Who wrote the book Jaws, which gave great white sharks such a bad reputation?


    Two

    In the human body, what is produced from the sudoriferous (or sudoriparous) glands?


    Three

    According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, 70% of a species of big cat live in Amazonia. This cat’s binomial name fits into today’s theme: what is that binomial name and what is its normal English name?


    Four

    Erle Stanley Gardner wrote more than 80 novels based on what character?


    Five

    Who was ‘the Gardener’s Daughter’ on Elvis Presley’s album Frankie and Johnny?


    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.


  • The Prancing Pony — Answers

    The Prancing Pony, Bree.
    Image LOTR Fandom

    Five random questions today, neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    In the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, who are said to be the inhabitants of Bree?

    Answer: Big Folk and Hobbits.

    Bree, east of the Shire, is the only Hobbit and Man settlement in Bree-land, inspired by the English village of Brill and Tolkien’s linguistics. The Prancing Pony in Bree is where Frodo’s use of the ring brings him to the attention of Aragorn and the Black Riders. 


    Two

    What is the world’s longest snake?

    Answer: Reticulated Python.

    The reticulated python is the only snake with verified human consumption, prompting a 2015 US import ban later partially rescinded. Documented fatalities and consumption of humans are recorded from 1638 to 2026, these are mainly in Indonesia.


    Three

    What is the nearest star to our Sun? 

    Answer: Proxima Centauri.

    Proxima Centauri, discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes, is the nearest star to Earth after the Sun, located 4.25 light-years away in Centaurus. A red dwarf which will remain a main-sequence star for four trillion years. Proxima Centauri has two confirmed exoplanets: Proxima Centauri b and Proxima Centauri d.


    Four

    In Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Wednesday is revealed to be an incarnation of what God?

    Answer: Odin.

    Neil Gaiman’s 2001 fantasy novel American Gods centres on Shadow and won Hugo and Nebula awards. A 2011 expanded edition, audio versions and a 2017 Folio Society edition followed. It was adapted for television in 2017 with Gaiman as executive producer.


    Five

    Which character from television’s Friends is also a moon of the planet Saturn? 

    Answer: Phoebe.

    Phoebe Buffay is a main character in Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and played by Lisa Kudrow. Phoebe, Saturn’s largest irregular satellite, was discovered photographically by William Henry Pickering in 1899. Cassini’s 2004 flyby enabled detailed study. Its retrograde orbit places it in the Norse group.


  • The Prancing Pony

    The Prancing Pony, Bree.
    Image LOTR Fandom

    Five random questions today, neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    In the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, who are said to be the inhabitants of Bree?


    Two

    What is the world’s longest snake?


    Three

    What is the nearest star to our Sun? 


    Four

    In Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Wednesday is revealed to be an incarnation of what God?


    Five

    Which character from television’s Friends is also a moon of the planet Saturn? 


    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.


  • Stand Trial — Answers

    Fossil of a coelacanth.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?

    Answer: The theory of evolution by natural selection.

    The Scopes Trial took place in Dayton, Tennessee, after teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act, which prohibited teaching human evolution in public schools. Although Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (a conviction later overturned on ##a technicality), the trial became an international symbol of the clash between modern science and religious fundamentalism. It also featured a celebrated courtroom confrontation between prosecutor William Jennings Bryan and defence attorney Clarence Darrow.


    Two

    What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?

    Answer: Luna 2; 1959.

    The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 launched on 12 September 1959 became the following day the first spacecraft to impact the Moon, depositing Soviet emblems and detecting no magnetic field or radiation belts. Nikita S. Khrushchev gave a replica pennant to Dwight D. Eisenhower; it is held in his Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.


    Three

    A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?

    Answer: Coelacanth.

    Coelacanths are an ancient group of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii) in the class Actinistia. As sarcopterygians, they are more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods (the terrestrial vertebrates including living amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) than to ray-finned fish. There is only a single living genus, Latimeria, with two described species. The name coelacanth originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus. Thought extinct 66 million years ago, Latimeria chalumnae was found in 1938, and Latimeria menadoensis in the late 1990s. Despite being called ‘living fossils’, fossil studies show diverse ancient forms, challenging this status.


    Four

    Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?

    Answer: Mad Max.

    In a near-future Australia, oil shortages and ecocide undermine order. Nightrider kills a Main Force Patrol officer and escapes in a Pursuit Special until Max Rockatansky forces a fatal crash, killing Nightrider and his girlfriend.


    Five

    What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?

    Answer: Point Barrow.

    Point Barrow, or Nuvuk, is Alaska and the U.S.’S northernmost point. It is at 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W and is 9 miles northeast of Utqiagvik and 1,122 nautical miles south of the North Pole. It separates the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.


  • Stand Trial

    Fossil of a ?
    See question three.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?


    Two

    What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?


    Three

    A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?


    Four

    Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?


    Five

    What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?


    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.


  • Gallimaufry XII — Answers

    Here’s the answers to the questions posted earlier.

    Despite a heart condition and arthritis that forced him to use a cane, Brigadier General Roosevelt led the assault on Utah Beach.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are a mixed bag and are not date-related. There is a bit of an alphabetical theme going on, though..

    One

    New York International Airport, which opened in 1948, was also commonly known by what other name?

    Answer: Idlewild.

    Now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), it is a major international airport serving the New York metropolitan area. Located in Queens, New York City, it is the busiest airport in the New York airport system and the busiest international commercial airport in North America. JFK features five passenger terminals and four runways, and serves as a hub for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.


    Two

    Supported by a walking stick, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr led the assault on which D-Day beach?

    Answer: Utah Beach.

    At 56, Roosevelt was the oldest general to land by sea with the first wave on D-Day, alongside his son, Captain Quentin Roosevelt II, who also landed with the first wave at Omaha Beach, making them the only father-son pair to participate in the invasion that day. Brigadier General Roosevelt, with Captain Leonard T. Schroeder Jr., led the 8th Infantry Regiment and 70th Tank Battalion at Utah Beach. Despite drifting off course, Roosevelt personally reconnoitred the area, coordinated with battalion commanders, and decided to attack from their landing point, famously declaring, ‘We’ll start the war from right here!’.


    Three

    What two word term is commonly used in the west to refer to the mythical humanoid creature which is said to inhabit parts of the Himalayas?

    Answer: Abominable Snowman.

    The Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, is a mythical humanoid creature believed to inhabit the Himalayas. Its existence is debated, with evidence such as sightings, videos, photos, and footprints, many of which are hoaxes or disputed. Despite numerous claims, the Yeti remains a subject of folklore and speculation. Folklorists trace the Yeti’s origin to Sherpa folklore and misidentified animals like bears or yaks, and it is often compared to North America’s Bigfoot due to similar physical descriptions.


    Four

    What flower with an eight-letter common name is the official flower of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, being the first to bloom there after the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945?

    Answer: Oleander.

    As the very first flower to bloom on the scorched earth of Hiroshima, where it was said that nothing would grow for 75 years, the oleander flower was a source of strength and hope for the residents of the city as they worked hard on recovery efforts. Blooming in the summertime, the oleander flowers reach their peak around the August 6 Peace Memorial Day, their beautiful blossoms reminding our citizens of a great many and profound feelings.
    — The City of Hiroshima


    Five

    In Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox steals the spaceship Heart of Gold. What’s the name of the ship’s computer?

    Answer: Eddie.

    Eddie, the Heart of Gold’s shipboard computer, is annoyingly cheerful with a Genuine People Personality, irritating the crew, especially Zaphod. He has a backup motherly personality but remains disliked. Eddie controls all ship systems and records conversations. In And Another Thing…, Zaphod’s Left Brain replaces him, being more competent


    Theme

    The answers started with one of English’s five vowels, although not in the correct order.


  • Gallimaufry XII

    Despite a heart condition and arthritis that forced him to use a cane, Brigadier General Roosevelt led the assault on Utah Beach.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are a mixed bag and are not date-related. There is a bit of an alphabetical theme going on, though..

    One

    New York International Airport, which opened in 1948, was also commonly known by what other name?


    Two

    Supported by a walking stick, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr led the assault on which D-Day beach?


    Three

    What two word term is commonly used in the west to refer to the mythical humanoid creature which is said to inhabit parts of the Himalayas?


    Four

    What flower with an eight-letter common name is the official flower of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, being the first to bloom there after the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945?


    Five

    In Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox steals the spaceship Heart of Gold. What’s the name of the ship’s computer?


    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.


  • ROYGBIV — ANSWERS

    Here’s today’s answers.

    Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question concerns today’s date, 10th July. The others aren’t date-related but connect to the first.

    One

    On 10 July 1985, the flagship of a campaigning organisation sank after explosions caused by two bombs planted by agents of the Directorate General for External Security.  Four questions:

    • What was the name of the ship? 
    • For what campaigning organisation was it the flagship?
    • At a harbour in what city did the sinking occur?
    • What nationality was the organisation which planted the bombs?

    Answers

    • Rainbow Warrior
    • Greenpeace
    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • French

    The sinking of Rainbow Warrior on 10 July 1985, codenamed Opération Satanique, was a French state-terrorism act. The Rainbow Warrior was docked in Auckland prior to sailing to lead planned protests against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia in the South Pacific. Two French operatives sank the Greenpeace ship in Auckland, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. France initially denied involvement but later apologised, paid reparations, and the agents served two years in French Polynesia.


    Two

    This 1947 musical is set in ‘Missitucky’, U.S. and features a newly arrived Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun named Og. What is this musical?

    Answer: Finian’s Rainbow.

    Finian’s Rainbow follows Irishman Finian and daughter Sharon in Missitucky (a concoction of Missi-ssippi and Ken-tucky), where he buries a stolen leprechaun’s gold, believing wealth will follow. Leprechaun Og pursues the gold, turning increasingly human. A wish leads to chaos: transforming a bigoted senator, while love blossoms, and moral lessons unfold about dreams, humanity, prejudice, and the folly of greed.


    Three

    Which metallic element derives its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow?

    Answer: Iridium

    iridium /ɪˈrɪdiəm, ʌɪˈrɪdiəm/ ♫
    ▶ noun [mass noun] (Symbol: Ir) the chemical element of atomic number 77, a hard, dense silvery-white metal.
    Iridium is a member of the transition series and is one of the densest metals. Iridium–platinum alloys are hard and corrosion-resistant and are used in jewellery and for electrical contacts
    – ORIGIN early 19th century: modern Latin, from Latin irisirid– ‘rainbow’ (so named because it forms compounds of various colours).
    — Oxford English Dictionary 


    Four

    What is the common name for the bird pictured at the top of this post?

    Answer: Rainbow lorikeet.

    Rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus), a parrot species native to Australia, inhabit rainforests, coastal bush, and woodlands along the eastern seaboard. Rainbow lorikeets are medium-sized parrots with bright, colourful plumage. Males and females are visually indistinguishable, requiring surgical sexing or DNA analysis to determine sex.


    Five

    A ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg was written for a 1939 film where it would be sung by a character whose name in part is ‘Gale’. The song contains a reference to bluebirds. 

    • What is the song?
    • What is the full name of ‘Gale’?
    • What is the film?

    Answers

    • Over the Rainbow
    • Dorothy Gale
    • The Wizard of Oz

    Over the Rainbow, a ballad by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, was sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939). It won an Academy Award, became Garland’s signature song, and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2017 for its cultural significance.

    Over the Rainbow

    Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
    There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
    Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
    And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true 

    Someday I’ll wish upon a star
    And wake up where the clouds are far
    Behind me
    Where troubles melt like lemon drops
    Away above the chimney tops
    That’s where you’ll find me 

    Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
    Birds fly over the rainbow
    Why then, oh, why can’t I? 

    If happy little bluebirds fly
    Beyond the rainbow
    Why, oh, why can’t I?
    — AZ Lyrics


    ROYGBIV

    The mnemonic ROYGBIV helps remember the colours of the rainbow: Richard of York gave battle in vain.

    (mnemonic) A mnemonic phrase to help remember the order of the seven colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
    Wiktionary


  • ROYGBIV

    See question four. …? (Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question concerns today’s date, 10th July. The others aren’t date-related but connect to the first.

    One

    On 10 July 1985, the flagship of a campaigning organisation sank after explosions caused by two bombs planted by agents of the Directorate General for External Security.  Four questions:

    • What was the name of the ship? 
    • For what campaigning organisation was it the flagship?
    • At a harbour in what city did the sinking occur?
    • What nationality was the organisation which planted the bombs?

    Two

    This 1947 musical is set in ‘Missitucky’, U.S. and features a newly arrived Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun named Og. What is this musical?


    Three

    Which metallic element derives its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow?


    Four

    What is the common name for the bird pictured at the top of this post?


    Five

    A ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg was written for a 1939 film where it would be sung by a character whose name in part is ‘Gale’. The song contains a reference to bluebirds. 

    • What is the song?
    • What is the full name of ‘Gale’?
    • What is the film?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.