Welcome to another Friday quiz. This week, a round to test your knowledge of scientific jargon, followed by a round that is precisely the opposite, along with the usual fun involving charades, anagrams and the like. So without further ado, let’s get to it.

Round 1 – Dictionary corner

A potentially tricky start, testing your knowledge of some rather technical terms. Don’t worry, the antidote comes up in Round 2.

1. Human beings are one example of a plantigrade species – what does this mean?
2. Nidification is a practice undertaken by the vast majority of birds, along with many other animal species – what is it?
3. Sir Fred Hoyle was famously a proponent of the hypothesis of panspermia – what exactly is panspermia?

 Round 2 – Up-Goer Five

Those of you on Twitter or other social media platforms may well have come across the “Up-Goer Five” phenomenon this week, in which scientists (and others) were challenged to explain the most complex concepts in their field using only the 1000 most commonly used English words (try it yourself here: https://splasho.com/upgoer5/). In this round, you’ll see some of these attempts (with minor editing) – can you work out what is being described?

1. The only flying space car that’s taken anyone to another world.
2. A world that goes around the sun, about twenty times farther away from the sun than the world we live on.
3. The tiny thing that makes all other tiny things heavy.

 Round 3 – The Picture Round

As is fast becoming usual, more charades this week. Once again, work out what each set of pictures is depicting and thereby work out the common theme.

1.

{credit}PHGCOM / Gerard Barrau / PD{/credit}

2.

{credit}צביה / Enoch Lau{/credit}

3.

{credit}Steve Jurvetson / PD / sookie{/credit}

Round 4 – Two for joy

A round all about things that come in pairs.

1. What is the name of the English mathematician who lends his name to the system of algebra (or logic), crucial to computing, in which only two output values are possible (whether 1 or 0, true or false etc.)?
2. Bifocals – eyeglasses with two different optical strengths – are generally considered to have been invented by which 18^th century scientist and statesman?
3. The prospect of seeing PANSTARRS and ISON, each of which are expected at different times in 2013, is causing a degree of excitement in some scientific circles, especially as two coming within such a short space of time is unusual – what are PANSTARRS and ISON?

 Round 5 – Anagrams

In 2012, the Zoological Society of London produced a report detailing the 100 most critically endangered species on the planet. Five of those species are featured below in anagram form (HINT: there are two plants and three animals). Can you unscramble them? (HINT 2: You may not have heard of all these species, but you’ll have heard of the family names and the other words featured so all of them should be gettable with a bit of thought.)

1. O, RASH RUMINANT
2. CORRELATE
3. ELK HANGARS
4. A TRAGEDIAN’S NUT BIRD
5. TOFU CONCERTOS

Good luck, have fun – answers on Monday.