Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning: What has science done for us in 2024?

1. Earlier this year, the company Intuitive Machines’s vehicle named ‘Odysseus’ became the first commercial vehicle to land here. It carried a library, art, the internet archive and portions of Project Gutenberg. Where did it land to provide info for millions of years?

2. This year, a new species of animal was found in the Caribbean islands. Named E.akayima, its DNA proved to be completely different from the other species we are familiar with. Easily one of the largest in the world, what animal is this, that proves there is still so much to discover on our planet?

3. In February, astronomers from Carnegie Institution added three new items to a list of 290 already known. What is this a list of, which Saturn has the most and Earth the least?

4. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labelled them the ‘World’s deadliest animal’. They have killed 52 billion people, nearly half of all humans who have lived on Earth. To counter this, billions of genetically engineered versions of the same animals were released in Brazil in March, which will limit the effect of its fatal nature. What animal is this?

5. In April this year, the University of Maine showcased their ‘Factory of the Future 1.0’. It has the ability to produce items as big as 96 ft. long and 32 ft. wide, made of thermoplastic polymers. This is the world’s largest example of what device?

6. A study done for more than 20 years at the University of Nevada has now proved that ‘Retrowalking’ is highly beneficial and strengthens the spine. Usually practised by football referees to have a good view of the game, it is also a sport by itself. What do researchers say one has to do 20 minutes every day?

7. A study that has been going on since 1986 among elephants at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve has concluded. They identified 469 distinct calls, and how certain members of the family responded to each call. What interesting (and almost human) inference did they make?

8. Since 2003, when the Concorde aircraft was retired, commercial supersonic flight has not been active. The ability to cut down travel time by half is there, but one of the main issues was a physical phenomenon that disturbed those on the ground. This year, the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) is ready to fly. What iconic factor will be missing from this aircraft’s supersonic flight?

9. A devastating fungal disease wiped out entire species of a certain animal in 2023 and researchers were looking at ways to combat its spread. This year they finally found a low-tech immune boost, which helps them fight the fungi. A hot bath or sauna stops the Chytrid disease. What animals are these, which ironically also feature in a story about not perceiving slowly approaching danger?

10. Artemis 2 will be the first mission to carry humans to the moon since 1972 and this year the rocket stacking operations began for the operation scheduled to take off in April 2026. In Greek mythology, Artemis the goddess of the hunt and nature is the twin sister of which god?

Answers

1. On the moon (Lunar Library)

2. Anaconda

3. New moons of the Solar system (2 for Neptune, 1 for Uranus)

4. Mosquitoes

5. 3D printer

6. Walking backwards

7. Elephants call each other by specific names

8. Sonic Boom

9. Frogs (frog in hot water story)

10. Apollo (after whom the first moon mission was named)

A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley

Published - December 26, 2024 09:03 am IST