| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This quantity is the subject of Amonton’s [[ah-mohn-TOHNS]] laws, and the Coulomb [[koo-LOHM]] Model gives a framework to understand this quantity on dry surfaces. On an incline, this quantity is impacted by the normal force and a coefficient which is dependent on the material. For the point, name this force, generated by contact between surfaces, which opposes motion. | Friction |
| This man and Robert Hooke were engaged in a rivalry over credit for a principle that states that gravity has an inverse square law. Opticks and Principia were works by this scientist, whose "laws" were supposedly developed after an apple fell on his head. For the point, name this English mathematician and scientist who developed the laws of motion. | Isaac Newton |
| "Bottom-up" forms of this technique often use a B.A.C. library to align overlapping "contigs." The company Illumina makes high-throughput machines for a "next-generation" type of this technique, in which a form of it named for Frederick Sanger uses fluorescent dyes to detect nucleotides, such as adenine and guanine. For the point, name this technique that determines the order of bases in DNA. | DNA Sequencing |
| The saturated varieties of these structures exist in the phreatic zone beneath the vadose zone. As the human-caused depletion rate overtakes the natural recharge rate, it leads to the overdrafting of these structures, whose main types include confined and unconfined. The water table is frequently made up by the upper bounds of, for the point, what underground systems of porous rock that contain water? | Aquifers |
| The Antarctic variant of these organisms have the highest biomass of any species. Baleen is used to filter these organisms out of water, and these organisms, which feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton, can occasionally form "red clouds" in oceans when in large concentrations. For the point, name these minuscule crustaceans which are feasted on by blue whales. | Krill |
| This person guest-starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Lieutenant Palmer, becoming the first astronaut to appear on the show. Along with N. Jan Davis, this woman boarded NASA’s 50th Space Shuttle mission, STS-47. Beginning her career as an astronaut as a mission specialist aboard the Endeavor, this is, for the point, what first African-American woman to travel to space? | Mae Jemison |
| Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered this nuclide, which can be produced through cosmic ray-generated neutrons interacting with nitrogen in the atmosphere. Willard Libby discovered the main use of this isotope, whose existence was essential in determining the age of the Dead Sea Scrolls. For the point, name this isotope of carbon, which can be used to date organic material. | Carbon-14 (prompt on "Carbon") |
| Units of time called chrons [[KRONS]] are used to denote the time between reversals of this feature, whose repeatedly-changed polarity throughout history is demonstrated by stripes along mid-ocean ridges. According to dynamo theory, this feature is created by the movement of molten iron in the earth’s core. For the point, name this entity that causes compasses to point north. | Earth’s Magnetic Field (or Geomagnetic Field; or Earth’s Magnetosphere) |
| A plastic point is often included in a test kit for this tool, which also includes orthoclase and corundum. A fingernail measures a 2.5 on this scale, whereas the measurement of talc typically ranks the lowest on this scale with a value of one. Diamond has a value of 10 according to, for the point, what scale which utilizes scratch testing to assess the hardness of a mineral? | Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness (prompt on description before “for the point”) |
| The splash variety of this process, also known as rain drop impact, results in formation of surface crusts. This process, whose rill variety occurs when water forms small channels as it flows down a slope, can be prevented by a ground cover. For the point, name this geological process where materials, such as rocks and soil, are worn down and transported by water or wind. | Erosion (do not accept or prompt on “weathering”) |
| Some primitive types of these animals have a pelvic spur that is formed by a vestigial femur. These creatures engage in a process known as ecdysis, or molting, and these creatures may possess keeled or granular scales. Species that wrap themselves around their prey to constrict them to death are the largest example of, for the point, what animals, types of which include pythons and boas? | Snakes (or Serpents) |
| This man used his kinetophone at Black Maria, the world’s first film studio. During the “War of the Currents,” this man smeared alternating current by shocking stray animals and advocating for its use in the electric chair. That dispute contributed to this man’s rivalry with George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla. For the point, name this inventor of the phonograph and the incandescent lightbulb. | Thomas Edison (or Thomas Alva Edison) |
| This area's Kirkwood gaps are accounted for by the orbital resonances of Jupiter, and this area, consisting of hildas and trojans, also includes Pallas and Vesta. This smallest of the circumstellar discs in the Solar System also includes the innermost of the dwarf planets, Ceres. For the point, name this ring-shaped region between Mars and Jupiter, home to millions of irregular rocks. | Asteroid Belt (prompt on partial answers) |
| This sense gradually worsens in people with either the wet or dry form of macular degeneration. The isomerization of rhodopsin activates cells involved in this sense, and signals involved in this sense are processed in the brain by the occipital lobe. For the point, name this sense in which information is transferred to the brain from the retina by the optic nerve. | Sight (or Vision; accept equivalents) |
| American birds of this type include the Aplomado and Prairie species, while the smallest species of this type in the USA is the American Kestrel. One type of this bird is the fastest animal on earth, reaching up to speeds of over 200 miles per hour when diving. This type of bird of prey is often used for hunting in the Middle East. For the point, name this type of bird, whose species include the widely distributed Peregrine (PAIR-uh-grin) variety. | Falcon (prompt on “hawk” or “bird of prey” before mention) |
| The homopolar type of these devices is made by rotating a disk perpendicular to a magnetic field, and placing your hands on a Van de Graaff type of these devices causes your hair to stand up. These devices are known as dynamos or alternators, depending on whether they produce direct or alternating current. For the point, name these devices used to create electricity from turbines. | Electric Generators |
| A protein cascade that activates Factor Eight and Christmas factor are involved in this process, where fibrinogen [[fih-BRIH-noh-jehn]] is cleaved by thrombin to form a cross- linked fibrin mesh. The drug warfarin stops this process by blocking the activity of Vitamin K, which is needed to form the platelet plug. Patients with hemophilia cannot properly perform, for the point, what process that stops bleeding at injury sites? | Blood Clotting (or Blood Coagulation; accept Hemostasis) |
| A two-foot by four-foot one of these objects was used to determine of antibiotic resistance of E. coli using the antibiotic trimethoprim. A common technique used with this lab object involves a sterilized loop making contact with agar in a “streaking” motion. A four- quadrant streak is a technique used for, for the point, what transparent, lidded plate scientists use to cultivate microorganisms? | Petri Dish (prompt on "Cell-culture Dish") |
| In 2015, the ocular type of this disease was found in a patient in Finland when a PCR sample detected the FIN/K2009 strain. This disease was first described as “Variolae vaccinae” by Edward Jenner, who used the pus from skin lesions caused by this disease to create the smallpox vaccine. For the point, name this viral skin disease named after an animal of the Bovidae family. | Cowpox (accept Cowpox Virus; accept CPXV; prompt on “Poxvirus”) |
| Any natural number can be written as the sum of four of these numbers according to Lagrange's theorem. The Basel problem concerns the infinite sum of the reciprocals of these numbers, which Euler [[“Oiler”]] evaluated as pi squared over 6. The sum of any two consecutive triangular numbers yields one of, for the point, what numbers that equal to an integer times itself? | Perfect Squares (or Square Numbers) |
| These animals named a supposed lost continent located beneath the Indian ocean that was theorized by Philip Sclater. These animals possess a secondary tongue used to clean their fur and, unlike other primates, can synthesize their own vitamin C. Aye-ayes are a long- fingered variety of, for the point, what primates that are endemic to Madagascar and include the ring-tailed variety? | Lemurs (accept Aye-Ayes before mentioned; do not accept or prompt on “monkeys”) |
| Immunosuppressants in the form of calcineurin inhibitors are often prescribed after this procedure, whose "heterologous" form is also known as a xenograft [[zee-NOH-"graft”]]. A.B.O. blood serotyping between paired matches can be used to prevent tissue rejection after this procedure. For the point, name this surgical procedure in which an organ is moved between a donor and a recipient. | Organ Transplant (or Transplantation; prompt on "Graft") |
| This is the longest wavelength of radiation used by the image intensifier of night vision goggles, which convert this radiation into electrons. Spectroscopy uses the fingerprint region of this radiation, which is detected by the pit organs of snakes. and the light of this radiation is also used in thermal imaging. For the point, name this radiation with wavelengths just longer than visible light. | Infrared Radiation (or IR; prompt on either “heat” or “thermal”) |
| In some animals, the epibranchial bone of these organs is extended to form the labyrinth organ. These organs, which are supported by the branchial arches and the bony osculum, utilize countercurrent exchange to remove dissolved gas from the environment. For the point, name these organs that appear as individual slits in cartilaginous fish, allowing them to extract oxygen from water. | Gills |
| This group of elements contains Oganesson and will glow when an electric current is applied. These elements have extremely low chemical reactivity due to having full valence electron shells, and these elements form Group 18 on the periodic table. For the point, identify this group of elements which include krypton, xenon, and neon. | Noble Gases (accept Group 18 before mentioned) |
| The Penrose process only applies to a rotating example of these entities, and the no- hair theorem describes these entities when stationary. Sagittarius A is one of these entities, and the first images of these entities were produced by the Event Horizon Telescope. For the point, name these entities, one of which is at the center of the Milky Way, from which light cannot escape. | Black holes |
| Land-based hermaphroditic members of this class may utilize chitinous [[KYE-tin- us]] “love darts” during mating rituals. Nudibranchs are members of this class with brightly colored external gills, and unlike other mollusks, members of this class may grow spiral shaped shells. From the Latin for “stomach foot," this is, for the point, what class of invertebrates that includes snails and slugs? | Gastropods (or Gastropoda) |
| These areas are the site of rimstone dams, which increase in size as more calcite is deposited. Draperies in these areas are known as flowstone, and these natural features are where clusters called “popcorn,” which appear when water seeps through the pores of limestone, are found. For the point, name these natural openings on Earth whose ceilings and floors contain stalagmites and stalactites. | Caves (accept Caverns) |
| This man hypothesized that a transit of Venus could be used to calculate the distance from Earth to the Sun. This man convinced Isaac Newton to publish his Principia Mathematica and used those findings to predict the 1758 return of a namesake object. For the point, name this English astronomer who names a comet with a 75-year period. | Edmond Halley |
| This quantity differs between the two reservoirs in an ideal Carnot [[kahr-NOH]] cycle. The average kinetic energy of a group of particles is proportional to this quantity, which, according to Charles's Law, also varies directly with a gas's volume. For the point, name this quantity whose smallest possible value is called absolute zero and is measured using the Kelvin and Celsius scales. | Temperature (prompt on "T") |
| EPO is a hormone produced in the peritubular cells of this organ. This organ's Bowman's Capsule surrounds its glomerulus and participates in the filtration of blood to produce urine. The adrenal glands are above, for the point, what bean-shaped organ made up of functional units called nephrons? | Kidneys |
| An “unusual, elongated” version of this celestial body was proposed in 2016 by Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown. This celestial body's size is thought to be similar to Neptune, and the orbit of at least five smaller objects in the Kuiper [[KY-per]] Belt can be explained by this celestial body. For the point, name this hypothetical planet located in the outer regions of the Solar System. | Planet Nine (accept Planet X; prompt on “Nibiru”) |