FunTrivia Sci / Tech Mix: Vol 19 Quiz

Answer: Nightshade

The nightshades, or Solanaceae, comprise a wide variety of useful and medicinal plants and grow on every continent except for Antarctica. Chili peppers and sweet peppers are also members of this family.

Question by player wampum47

Answer: Phone operators

Ezra Gilliland invented the first headphones in the 1880s and they were used by switchboard operators in telephone exchanges. These early versions could weigh over ten pounds, so the operators had to carry the receiver on one shoulder with the microphone on the other side.

Question by player joecali

Answer: Micrometres

Micrometres (µm) are used to measure cells and their components. The unit of 1 µm is equivalent to 0.000001 metres. While a prokaryotic cell measures from 1 to 10 µm, an eukaryotic cell measures from 10 to 100 µm.

Question by player Lpez

Answer: Blood

The suffix 'emia' means blood. For example, uremia means urine is found in blood and hypoglycemia is a low amount of sugar found in blood.

Question by player tritran5555

Answer: Parasite

An internal parasite may arrive inside the human body via a closed sac, a cyst, for instance in meats, or infect a person first and then wrap itself in a tiny cyst, protected from the immune system. The cyst can remain in the organs, brain, or eyes for years, then dissolve and release the destructive parasite.

A tapeworm is a common example. Scientists are working on a treatment to kill parasites at this well-defended cyst stage.

Question by player Godwit

Answer: mescaline

Peyote (from the Nahuatl "peyotl", meaning "glistening") is one of the members of the family Cactaceae in which mescaline, a psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class, occurs naturally. Mexico's native populations have been using peyote in religious ceremonies for thousands of years; however, mescaline was first identified and isolated in 1897 by German chemist Arthur Heffter.

The effects of mescaline are similar to those produced by other notable hallucinogenic drugs, such as psilocybin (found in certain mushrooms) and LSD. Mescaline is considered an illegal drug in most countries; in the US it is only allowed for use in religious ceremonies by a restricted number of groups.

The effects of mescaline are described in detail in Aldous Huxley's essay "The Doors of Perception" (1954). Of the alkaloids listed as incorrect choices, only ergoline has hallucinogenic properties; quinine is used as an antimalarial, and atropine as an anticholinergic.

Question by player LadyNym

Answer: nosebleed

An epistaxis, or nosebleed as it is commonly called, is rarely life-threatening, but may affect the health or well-being of a newborn infant or an elderly person. The only case widely known in which a person died is Attila the Hun, who is rumored to have died of a nosebleed during his sleep.

Question by player hiiiiiiiiooooo

Answer: Radiologist

Radiologists use a great variety of imaging techniques to diagnose and occasionally treat illnesses. Such procedures include ultrasound, CT scans, X-rays, MRIs, and PET scans. Paediatricians specialize in treating children, oncologists specialize in treating cancer patients, and rheumatologists treat those with arthritis, although all will consult with a radiologist from time to time.

Question by player Trufflesss

Answer: skin cells

The epithelium encases our skin surface and lines the inside cavities of our bodies.
DNA extraction is possible from these discarded cells and can be obtained from various sources, including urine, vaginal swabs, buccal (cheek) swabs, and skin itself.

Question by player alexKmahns

Answer: Run away as fast as you can

You will probably die if you aren't far enough away! A pyroclastic cloud (or flow) consists of ash, bits of lava and gases flowing from a volcanic eruption. The average speed is about 100 kmph, but they have been known to travel as fast as 700 kmph.

Question by player Unicornjorge