Zooming in on Dad Jokes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carmine

Carmine (cochineal, crimson lake) is a food colorant derived from the cochineal insect. It produces bright red to purple hues with high heat and light stability, attractive properties in the food coloring business. It has been used to color a variety of different products including fruit juices, yogurts, and confectionary. However, the part about the insects presents a problem for vegans and many vegetarians (though some of the latter might not consider insects "meat").

Carrageenan, derived from red seaweed (Irish moss), is used as a thickening agent, emulsifier, and preservative. Spirulina is a cyanobacterium-based dietary supplement well-known to vegans because of its nutritional properties. Annatto is an orange-red food dye obtained from the seeds of the achiote tree.

This question served up on a bed of greens by Phoenix Rising's JCSon, who has been growing towards the Sun (vegetarian) since 1997.

Answer: Phlebotomist

In a similar fashion to the word 'phlebotomist', the drawing of blood is called a phlebotomy. The process involves the puncture of a vein (called a venipuncture) with a cannula. Blood can be drawn for various reasons and these could include research or testing. It could simply be that someone is donating the blood to be used later for transfusions. Whilst the official term for a (no, I won't call them a bloodsucker) person whose occupation is drawing blood is phlebotomist, the drawing of blood is not strictly their domain as the procedure can also be carried out by doctors and trained nurses. Whilst he/she may draw blood, a haematologist's primary work is in blood research. The main role of a medical (or laboratory) technician is to analyse and test various body fluids and blood may be amongst those. A leechologist I don't believe exists. Having said that, the "Urban Dictionary" is bound to indicate it's someone who knows a thing or two about leeches.

One final word: don't confuse a phlebotomy with a phlebectomy...the latter is the removal of a vein, so don't mince your words next time you're down at the blood bank.

No blood was spilt in the drawing of this question by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: The satellites are geo-stationary

Geostationary satellites orbit 22,236 miles above the earth, and in a flat plane around the equator. These satellites orbit the earth in a way that they always appear in the same place in the sky - they are virtually stationary. Once you point your dish at that spot, it should never need to be changed. This orbit is also called the "Clarke Belt" after being envisioned in the 1940s by science fiction writer and futurist, Arthur C. Clarke (of "2001: A Space Odyssey" fame). DirecTV, HughesNet, and Dish Network use this configuration.

Other systems, like ORBCOMM, Iridium, and SpaceX's protoype StarLink, use a LEO (low earth orbit) arrangement whereby there are many dozens if not hundreds of smaller satellites that are not "stationary". These are much smaller satellites, running much lower power, but many more are required to provide total coverage.

Phoenix Rising's resident radio nerd, mike32768, was all groans and ears when he heard there was space for him to contribute to this quiz.

Answer: Dalton

In the fifth century BCE, Leucippus and Democritus declared, separately, that matter is composed of indivisible building blocks. The two Greeks called these particles 'atomos' meaning indivisible, and the modern word 'atom' is derived from this term. They were ignored. The concept of the atom was subsequently discussed 20 centuries later by many scientists and philosophers, including Galileo, Newton, Boyle, and Lavoisier. In 1661, Boyle discussed atoms in "The Sceptical Chymist", but it was the English chemist and meteorologist John Dalton who was credited with the first modern atomic theory, in his paper "A New System of Chemical Philosophy" in 1803. Dalton's atomic theory contained the following ideas:
- All atoms of a given element are identical.
- The atoms of different elements vary in mass and size.
- Atoms are indestructible. Chemical reactions may result in their rearrangement, but not their creation or destruction.
Dalton's theories were not accepted readily in the 19th century, but his theory has since been accepted, with amendments necessary to address subatomic particles and the interconversion of energy and mass. JJ Thomson (1904), Ernest Rutherford (1911), and Niels Bohr (1913) were able to expand on Dalton's theory and explain that an atom consisted of a dense nucleus of protons and neutrons, a lot of empty space, and a series of orbiting electrons.

This question was assembled with so many atoms that the author, 1nn1 of Phoenix Rising, lost count.

Answer: To chip (stone) with sharp blows

Usually used to describe working with flint, knapping involves shaping a stone by striking it. Early knappers used this technique to make arrow heads, spearheads, and rudimentary knives. Another 'knap' is the brow of a hill. A downy covering such as raised fibers on fabric like velvet, is known as a nap or pile. In contrast the other two options are 'sharps'.

Polluci19's comic genius enabled smpdit to strike this question sharply into shape.

Answer: Emperor penguin

Living up to 20 years, the choice of breeding ground is important for an Aptenodytes forsteri (that's a big name for the Emperor Penguin). They only inhabit the Antarctic continent, living on massive icebergs, ice cliffs, and cold seas, into which they dive to a depth of 550 m (1800 ft). They actually don't build any structure to live in, but colonies of adults and chicks join forces to huddle for warmth against the extreme -50°C temperatures and winds of up to 200 km (124 mi) per hour. So that they don't actually freeze, they take turns in being on the outside of the huddle, moving back to the centre; all the juveniles usually huddle in the centre in a 'creche'.

This question was solidified by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid - no joke!

Answer: Rosettes

The spots on leopards are called rosettes. They are irregular black circles with brown centres that look like roses. Another animal whose spots are called rosettes is the jaguar. A leopard's rosettes are smaller, closer together, and less complex than those of a jaguar. A cheetah's spots, on the other hand, are round, black circles that are separated from one another.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing spotted this question in the quiz.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

The US Secret Service is part of the country's federal law enforcement system. They come under the auspices of Homeland Security and their main role is to protect the lives of US political leaders, their family members, and the lives of visiting heads of state.

They were initially introduced by President Lincoln as a means of combatting the circulation of counterfeit US currency. At the time it was estimated that nearly a third of the currency in circulation in the States was not the genuine article. Ironically, Lincoln signed the legislation on April 14, 1865 and the Secret Service was established three months later. I say ironically because, considering their charter today, the day Lincoln signed the legislation was the day he was assassinated.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who'd originally written it about Liberace. Then it was pointed out that it was supposed to be about a bodyguard, not a gaudy bard.

Answer: Yes

Batman's utility belt is an iconic and crucial piece of his costume. It holds an array of portable devices including specialized weaponry, tools for access, maneuverability, and crime-scene investigation, and other items that generally assist the masked vigilante to gain the upper hand. The selection of items in the belt changes as the situation requires.

Kryptonite is a substance originating on Superman's home planet, Krypton. Superman (and other Kryptonians) are weakened by exposure to the radiation it emits. Batman keeps a piece of kryptonite in a small lead compartment in the belt as a defense against rogue Kryptonians. In some story arcs, Superman himself gave the kryptonite to Batman as an expression of trust and/or as a failsafe should the Man of Steel ever lose his way.

This question pitched by pollucci19 and batted out of the park by Phoenix Rising joker JCSon.

Answer: 8

Blood typing is done by the presence or absence of antigens on the surface of a person's red blood cells. The first grouping Is the ABO group which forms four basic groups: A, B, AB, or O. A and B are antigens and the presence of one, the other, both, or neither (O) is the first determining factor.

These first four groups are then further divided by the presence or absence of the Rh factor: + or -. Thus, you have a total of eight main blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, or O-. There are other factors that can further divide these, but these are the main ones for most purposes.

O- is classified as a universal donor and AB+ is classified as a universal recipient.

Sources:
https://stanfordbloodcenter.org/donate-blood/blood-donation-facts/blood-types/
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-types.html

This question was typed and cross-matched by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.