| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| A neutron capture therapy involving this element utilizes its isotope 10 to tumors, which results in the yielding of an alpha particle and lithium-7. This element, along with beryllium, exhibit exceptions to the octet rule, since this element has only three valence electrons. For the point, name this metalloid that appears as number five on the periodic table. | Boron (or B; accept Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) |
| Overdrafting is the phenomenon in which the equilibrium yield of these locations is exceeded during one process. Deep percolation is the main means through which one substance is provided to these locations, which often consist of permeable rock. For the point, name these underground regions from which wells often extract groundwater. | Aquifers |
| This scientist once wrote, "I must have seen quite 20 of these little animals on their long tails alongside one another very gently moving." This scientist referred to unicellular organisms as "animalcules." For the point, name this Dutch microbiologist who discovered protists and bacterium. | Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (or Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek) |
| This genus is the sister taxon of Australopithecus [[aw-strale-oh-PIH-theh-kus]] and contains the closest living relatives of the genus Pan, which contains bonobos and common chimpanzees. The oldest known members of this genus have the species named Habilis [[HAB-ih-lis]] and Erectus. For the point, name this primate genus that include Neanderthals and modern humans. | Homo (accept Homo Habilis; accept Homo Erectus; prompt on answers such as "People" or "Humans"; do not accept or prompt on "Homo Sapiens") |
| William Thomson coined the name for this quantity, which dissipates in inelastic but does not change in elastic collisions. The classical mechanics definition of this quantity for non-rotating bodies is "one-half times mass times the square of velocity." For the point, name this energy of motion that is contrasted with potential energy. | Kinetic Energy |
| Adrien-Marie Legendre is co-credited alongside this man with the title of Princeps mathematicorum as developing the method of least squares. This man proved that a complex root occurs at least once for each single-variable polynomial that has constant coefficients and is not a constant, a result known as the fundamental theorem of algebra. For the point, name this German mathematician who wrote Disquisitiones Arithmeticae. | Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (or Carolus Fridericus Gauss) |
| Aboard the spacecrafts with this name include the message, "Hello from the children of Planet Earth.” Both copies of the Golden Records are contained in these spacecrafts, in which its second device first observed the "Great Dark Spot" on the surface of Neptune. For the point, name the twin space probes launched by NASA in 1977 to study the outer planets. | Voyager (accept Voyager 2; accept Voyager Golden Records) |
| The diversity of these proteins is generated by both class-switching and V(D)J recombination. The IgE isotype of these proteins mediates most allergic reactions. Activated B-cells produce large amounts of, for the point, what Y-shaped proteins that bind to specific antigens to mediate an immune response? | Antibodies (or Antibody; accept Immunoglobulins) |
| A test screening levels of this hormone is used to diagnose medical conditions such as Cushing's syndrome and Addison disease. This hormone interferes with the body's immune response by suppressing inflammation and increases glucose levels in the bloodstream. For the point, name this steroid hormone responsible for regulating the body's response to stress? | Cortisol (accept Blood Cortisol; accept Cortisol Test; prompt on "Stress Hormone" before "stress" is mentioned) |
| The supercontinent, Pangea, began to break apart at the end of this period, whose Olenekian stage contained archosaurs. The mass extinction event, or "The Great Dying," formed the boundary between this period and the Permian. For the point, name this first period of the Mesozoic Era whose name derives from a sequence of sedimentary rocks of three distinct layers. | Triassic (accept Early Triassic) |
| A hypothesis named for Vine Matthews and Morley relates this process to geomagnetic reversals. This process was found to disprove one by Alfred Wegener that proposed that the central region was "plowed" and immovable. Observed occurring at mid-ocean ridges, this is, for the point, what process where tectonic plates split apart? | Seafloor Spreading (prompt on "Plate Tectonics"; prompt on "Continental Drift") |
| Robert Koch’s discovery of the bacteria which causes this disease is considered to have been the birth of bacteriology. Spores of this disease was purposefully sent by Bruce Edwards Ivins to Tom Dasche and Patrick Leahy in order to allegedly promote a vaccine he made. For the point, name this disease that was mailed to journalists and politicians in a series of 2001 attacks. | Anthrax |
| This element is usually the 55% constituent of Constantan. Usually, this element is alloyed with silver to create sterling silver, and during Roman antiquity, it was mined extensively in Cyprus. The alloy, brass, is formed from the combination of zinc and, for the point, what metallic element that gives U.S. pennies its color? | Copper (or Cu) |
| The top section of these structural elements consists of a square slab called an abacus and a decorative molding called an echinus. The base, the shaft, and the capital are the three parts of these structural elements, whose types include Corinthian, Doric, and Ionic. For the point, name these structural elements that provide support in the form of a vertical pillar. | Columns (accept Corinthian Columns; accept Doric Columns; accept Ionic Columns) |
| A source and gate are among the terminals of one type of these devices which are often made from silicon of high purity. The "field-effect" is a type of these devices which can act as amplifiers or switches. For the point, name these semiconductor devices which act on electric signals. | Transistors (accept specific types) |
| The primary examples of these structures are bonded together by the pectin-rich middle lamella, and communication across these structures occurs through the plasmodesmata. In plants, this structure contains turgor pressure from water and is primarily composed of cellulose. For the point, name this structure that surrounds the cell membrane. | Cell Wall (do not accept “Cell Membrane”) |
| One example of this phenomenon, called "Cromwell," allows cool conditions that allow penguins to exist in the Galápagos Islands. Collections of this phenomenon form the thermohaline circulation, which is also known as the global conveyor belt. For the point, name this phenomenon which consists of long-range, directed movements of seawater. | Ocean Currents (accept Cromwell Current) |
| Unlike reptiles, these animals use the capsaicin receptor TRPV1 for detecting heat. These animals’ upper incisors lack enamel, which prevents dulling, which they use to shave off the hair of their prey’s hair and administer an anticoagulant saliva. For the point, name these flying, nocturnal mammals known for drinking other animals' blood. | Vampire Bat (prompt on “Bat”) |
| This constellation is the namesake of a December meteor shower whose parent body is the asteroid Phaethon [[FAY-ah-ton]]. This constellation shares its name with the NASA human spaceflight program in between Mercury and Apollo. For the point, name this zodiacal constellation that appears between Cancer and Taurus and contains stars named for the twins Castor and Pollux. | Gemini (accept Geminga; accept Geminid Meteor Shower; accept Project Gemini) |
| Calcium oxalate is the main mineral component of calculi formed in this organ during the process of lithiasis. Water in this organ is reabsorbed in the loop of Henle after filtration by a network of capillaries called the glomerulus, and basic functional unit of these organs is the nephron. The adrenal glands sit on top of, for the point, what organs that filter the blood to produce urine? | Kidneys (accept Kidney Stones) |
| Margherita Hack was the first woman in Italy to run one of these facilities, and Uraniborg [[yoo-RAH- nih-borg]] was the name of one of these facilities established by Tycho Brahe [[TEE-koh BRAH-hee]]. A "royal" one of these facilities, through which the prime meridian passes, is in Greenwich [[GREN-"itch"]]. For the point, name these facilities where astronomers can view stars using telescopes. | Observatory (or Astronomical Observatory; or Royal Observatory; prompt on “Telescope," "Lab," or “Planetarium”) |
| Due to possessing a smooth neocortex, these animals are unable to recognize their primary food source when it is removed from its branches. These animals, who have human-like fingerprints, may sleep up to 20 hours a day. For the point, name these Australian marsupials that exclusively eat eucalyptus [[yoo- kah-LIP-tuss]]. | Koala Bear (accept Phascolarctos cinereus or P. cinereus) |
| A rare variety of these objects contain a form of magnesium-iron silicate called a pallasite. Another type of these objects are breccias formed the debris resulting from the collision between two asteroids. Iron, stony-iron, and stony are the three main types of, for the point, what celestial rock that falls to Earth? | Meteorites (accept Iron Meteorite; accept Stony-iron Meteorite; accept Stony Meteorite; prompt on "Meteoroid"; prompt on "Asteroid"; do not accept or prompt on "Meteor") |
| The tubal variety of these organs is located near the base of the Eustachian tubes and is sometimes named for Gerlach. Food particles can become trapped in these structures and calcify, forming their “stones.” Palatine and pharyngeal are types of, for the point, what lymphatic organs at the back of the throat that are often surgically removed? | Tonsils (accept Tubal Tonsils; accept Palatine Tonsils; accept Pharyngeal Tonsils) |
| The length of any of the great circles of a sphere equates to this quantity, which has a name meaning "carrying around" in Latin. This quantity's ratio to diameter is the subject of a proposition by Archimedes that calculates one constant, and this quantity can be considered the perimeter of a circle. For the point, name this quantity associated with the formula "2 times pi times radius." | Circumference |
| Between this feature and 30 degrees latitude is an atmospheric circulation pattern called the Hadley cell. Centrifugal force exerted by the Earth's rotation causes this feature's namesake "bulge," which is the difference between this feature and polar diameters of the a planet. For the point, name this imaginary line at zero degrees latitude. | Equator (accept Equatorial Buldge) |
| An IIHS study found that, in over 400 dummy tests, the "knee" variety of these objects were of only slight benefit. Impact sensors are among the components of these objects, which absorb energy between the steering wheel and the passenger. For the point, name these objects that inflate during car crashes. | Airbags (accept Knee Airbags) |
| Annapurna Labs and Wickr are subsidiaries of this company, which offers a cloud computing platform known as its namesake "Web Services." Originally involved in book sales, this company developed a virtual assistant technology known as Alexa. For the point, name this large e-commerce company founded by Jeff Bezos. | Amazon.com, Inc. (accept Amazon Web Services; accept Amazon Alexa; anti-prompt on "AWS") |
| Runoff from these ecosystems is the primary source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and synthetic organic compounds. These ecosystems cause a “heat island” effect due to their extensive dark and impervious surfaces, such as concrete. For the point, name these ecosystems characterized by a high density of humans. | Cities (or Urban Areas; accept any answer indicating Places where people live in large numbers; prompt on “Anthropogenic Biomes”) |
| The now-discontinued programming language Visual J Sharp was developed in this country at HITEC City. With Albert Einstein, a scientist from this country partially names a condensate described as a state of matter created when bosons cooled near to absolute zero. For the point, name this home country of C. V. Raman, who was an alumnus at the University of Calcutta. | India |
| This member of the cashew family has the scientific name Toxicodendron radicans. An oily resin called urushiol [[uh-ROO-shee-awl]] is released by this plant and a similarly-named oak and sumac. This plant is the subject of the adage "leaves of three, let it be." For the point, name this climbing plant that can cause an itchy and painful inflammation of the skin upon contact. | Poison Ivy (accept Eastern Poison Ivy or Western Poison Ivy; accept Asian Poison Ivy; accept T (oxicodendron) radicans or T (oxicodendron) rydbergii or T (oxicodendron) orientale before “Toxicodendron” is mentioned; prompt on “Ivy”) |