Question 1

What atmospheric phenomenon explains why your flight from New York City to Los Angeles is 6 hours and 20 minutes, but the return flight is 5 hours and 25 minutes?

Accepted Answer

jet stream, the jet stream

Question 2

This bone in the upper arm runs from the shoulder to the elbow.  Its name is quite hilarious:

Accepted Answer

humerus

Question 3

It’s estimated that some modern populations have up to 4% DNA from this extinct species:

Accepted Answer

Neanderthal, Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis

Question 4

What is it called when a liquid changes to a gas?

Accepted Answer

Evaporation

Question 5

The speed of ____ is about 186,282 miles per second.  Nothing in the universe is faster.

Accepted Answer

light

Question 6

This modern choice of material for wedding rings is actually harder than gold.  It’s also an album or single that hits a million sales:

Accepted Answer

platinum

Question 7

The U.S. Geological Survey used to measure earthquakes by the Richter scale, but it was replaced in 1970 with this:

Accepted Answer

Moment Magnitude Scale

Question 8

Whether standing up straight like your mother told you to or doing squats at the gym, having strong posterior muscles helps.  There are three of them: maximus, medius, and minimus:

Accepted Answer

gluteus

Question 9

This is the science of soil management and crop production, not to be confused with the science or practice of farming:

Accepted Answer

agronomy

Question 10

What’s nicer than watching clouds go by on a beautiful day?  If you see thick, detached, low-level clouds that resemble cotton balls, you’re looking at this type:

Accepted Answer

cumulus

Question 11

Often called the powerhouse of the cell, this structure is responsible for energy production and regulating cellular metabolism:

Accepted Answer

mitochondria, mitochondrion

Question 12

This sounds like the study of how big or small something is, but it’s actually the branch of science concerned with earthquakes and related phenomena, according to Oxford Dictionary:

Accepted Answer

seismology

Question 13

How does your garden grow? If you have this type of plant, they’ll grow back every year, as opposed to annuals which die in the winter:

Accepted Answer

perennial

Scientific Grab-Bag Trivia Questions & Answers

2) This bone in the upper arm runs from the shoulder to the elbow. Its name is quite hilarious:

3) It’s estimated that some modern populations have up to 4% DNA from this extinct species:

4) What is it called when a liquid changes to a gas?

5) The speed of ____ is about 186,282 miles per second. Nothing in the universe is faster.

6) This modern choice of material for wedding rings is actually harder than gold. It’s also an album or single that hits a million sales:

7) The U.S. Geological Survey used to measure earthquakes by the Richter scale, but it was replaced in 1970 with this:

8) Whether standing up straight like your mother told you to or doing squats at the gym, having strong posterior muscles helps. There are three of them: maximus, medius, and minimus:

9) This is the science of soil management and crop production, not to be confused with the science or practice of farming:

10) What’s nicer than watching clouds go by on a beautiful day? If you see thick, detached, low-level clouds that resemble cotton balls, you’re looking at this type:

11) Often called the powerhouse of the cell, this structure is responsible for energy production and regulating cellular metabolism:

12) This sounds like the study of how big or small something is, but it’s actually the branch of science concerned with earthquakes and related phenomena, according to Oxford Dictionary:

13) How does your garden grow? If you have this type of plant, they’ll grow back every year, as opposed to annuals which die in the winter: