Neuroscience
A neurotransmitter that is widely associated with pleasure and reward, but also plays a key role in motivation….
a. acetylcholine
b. melatonin
c. norepinephrine
d. dopamine
dopamine
This gas, released by burning fossil fuels, is the main driver of human-caused climate change.
Carbon dioxide
FMT is a therapy for patients with an unbalanced gut microbiome, aimed at restoring healthy bacterial population. What does it stand for?
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
What area of genetics does the term 'imprinting' refer to?
Epigenetics
Which of these abilities is restricted to a semi-nomadic Austronesian tribe, and conveys increased fitness in their environment?
a. seeing underwater
b. needing less than 4 hours of sleep per night
c. can hold their breath for >11-12 minutes on average
d. webbed toes for swimming efficacy
a. seeing underwater
A free amino acid that is most abundant in the brain, acting as a neutransmitter for learning, memory and other functions:
a. glutamate
b. isoleucine
c. tryptophan
d. aspartic acid
a. glutamate
Runoff rich in fertilisers can cause algal blooms and oxygen depletion in lakes and coastal waters, a process known as this.
Eutrophication
A second brain in the digestive system and its colonization with gut bacteria is theorized to impact mental health, what is the name of this second brain?
Clue: ENS
Enteric Nervous System
Which of the following foods have been used in medicine since 1750 BC, due to its anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and cardioprotective properties?
a. cocoa
b. cinnamon
c. tomato
d. lettuce
e. fish products
a. cocoa
Which of the following animals cannot regenerate lost limbs?
a. axolotls
b. lizards
c. frogs
d. tigerfish
DMT is a crucial component of a popular psychedelic consumed by Amazonian communities, and interesting research claims DMT can mimic the near-death experience. What Amazonian medicinal substance is it abundant in?
a. Eucalyptus
b. Ayahuasca
c. Pau d'Arco
d. Verbena
b. Ayahuasca
The air on earth consists mostly of these two gases
Nitrogen and oxygen
FMT is a therapy for patients with an unbalanced gut microbiome, aimed at restoring healthy bacterial population. What does it stand for?
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
What is the name of the woman whose tumour cells were harvested in 1953, and are still widely in use today?
Henrietta Lacks (HeLa cells)
The video shows:
A. bacteria exiting one cell and infecting another
B. an immune cell tearing receptors off another immune cell
C. two different species of amoeba fighting
D. a group of bacteria (red) consuming a cell's proteins from the outside
B
Huntington’s, spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, and spinocerebellar ataxia are all part of a group of diseases associated with expanded repeats that lead to high contents of a specific amino acid in proteins, causing neurodegeneration. What is the amino acid?
a. tyrosine
b. glutamine
c. asparagine
d. proline
b. glutamine
List the main human causes of global warming (1min)
correct response: pollution, mining, cattle rearing, deforestation, population, ect. (max 6 correct, +100 per correct answer)
“St. Anthony’s Fire” is a condition, or rather an infection by a pathogenic organism, that causes hallucinations, burning pain, psychosis, and many other scary symptoms. During the Salem Witch Trials, this condition specifically was regarded as a hallmark of witch craft because symptoms could not be explained by biology, so were attributed to the “great evil.” What type of microorganism causes this condition? And what is its true name? (1500 points if you can name the disease)
a. an oomycete
b. a bacterium
c. a virus
d. a fungus
d. Fungus, and the condition is ergotism.
Which of the following bacterial features can NOT be exploited in tumour imaging?
a. homing to hypoxic environments
b. alignment with magnetic fields
c. horizontal gene transfer with tumour DNAd. killing cells expressing tumour signatures
d. killing cells expressing tumour signatures
What issue relating to child birth does the 'baby-in-a-bag' approach aim to solve?
Pre-term birth
Desert microorganisms are often overlooked, but have really exciting adaptations to tolerate the harsh environments they are exposed to, a curious study revealed that some bacteria produce specific substances to protect themselves from the high-intensity solar radiation, what are those?
Pigments absorbing UV-light
A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem relative to its abundance is called this.
A keystone species
Microbiology research is often associated with the medical space, like the gut microbiome, but it has an important role in public health & environmental research; urban microbiology is a thriving field. An article in IBR discussed an insect that could be used by urban microbiologists as a sensor for the environmental microbiome, which insect was it?
Honeybee
BONUS!! (1000 points)
Bonus question – how did they city microbiome information from honeybees?
An editor’s pick article has been written about a regulator in neuronal DNA repair, complex NPASx-NuAx. What number is X?
a. 4
b. 3
c. 2
d. 5
e. 7
4
You have 20 seconds to recall as many amino acids as you can (on paper)
You get points depending on how many you can name- you CAN lose points!
0-5: -500
5-10: -250
10-13: 100
13-15:250
15-18:350
19-20:500
For every fake/ non-existent amino acid -100 points