Pop science, politics, pictures and puzzles in today’s Friday quiz – but when it comes to trivia, are you a Prometheus or a protozoa?

Round 1 – Popular Science

We start off with a look at some science’s finest communicators. In each question below you’ll see a selection of works from a prominent populariser of science. In each case, name the author:

1. The Panda’s Thumb; The Flamingo’s Smile; Bully For Brontosaurus
2. The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence; Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space; The Demon-haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark
3. The First Chimpanzee: In Search of Human Origins; Schrödinger’s Kittens and the Search for Reality; The Little Book of Science

Round 2 – A to Z

It’s letters G-I this week in our continuing journey through the alphabet:

1. What G is the name given to large planets that are not primarily composed of solid matter? Examples in our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
2. What H is the surname of the Polish-born astronomer, 1611-1687, sometimes known as the founder of lunar topography, and one of the first foreigners to be made a Fellow of the Royal Society?
3. What I is the name given to the scientific study of fish?

Round 3 – The Picture Round

You’ll see three pictures of animals in today’s picture round. You need to identify each one – and then, for a bonus point, work out what links them:

1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus question: What is the link between these three animals? (And for a double bonus, name some more animals that could have featured in this round.)

Round 4 – Politics

Politics and science often make for very uneasy bedfellows. The crossover between the two makes pretty good quiz fodder, however…

1. Which recent US vice presidential candidate earned the derision of the scientific community after infamously mocking the fact that money is spent on “fruit fly research in Paris, France”?
2. Which holder of a PhD in materials science from the University of Southern California was recently elected as the president of Egypt (the first civilian to hold the office)?
3. Who, when asked “Why is it that when the mind of man has stretched so far as to discover the structure of the atom we have been unable to devise the political means to keep the atom from destroying us?”, replied “That is simple, my friend. It is because politics is more difficult than physics.”?

Round 5 – Anagram Pairs

In this round, there is a pair of clues in each question, which each member of the pair being an anagram of the other. For example, if the clues were: “The metal with the atomic number 50″ and “The egg of an insect of the order Phthiraptera” then the answers would be “Tin” and “nit”.

1.

(a) The German scientist who won the 1918 Nobel Prize for chemistry for his method of synthesising ammonia (the process is named after him).

(b) The Danish nobleman, born 1546, known as one of the greatest astronomers of all time, and the last major astronomer to work without a telescope.

(Surnames only in each case.)

2.

(a) A soft, ductile metal which takes its name from a dwarf planet.

(b) The first initial and surname of one of the most famous scientists of the 20^th century.

3.

(a) A large flightless bird of South America.

(b) A small mammal of the genus Lepus.

Good luck, have fun, and have a great weekend. Answers will appear below some time on Monday.