Evolution's Distributions
Charles Darwin is the name most commonly associated with the discovery of evolutionary processes in biological systems. Most of his data was collected on a famous trip to which remote location?
What are the Galapagos Islands?
The standard model of particle physics is a set of information and rules for how all small things in the universe behave. Within the standard model there are a small number of “fundamental particles” that are considered the building blocks of everything we know of. How many fundamental particles are there?
What is 17?
7) The Earth’s outer shell has a series of tectonic plates that fit together kinda like puzzle pieces. In many places two or more tectonic plates collide causing one plate to slide under another one. What is the name for the place where this happens?
What is a Subduction Zone?
All brains communicate through a complicated network of connected cells called neurons. Each individual neuron has a fatty sheath that wraps around it to improve the transmission of electrical signals in the network. What is this sheath called?
What is Myelin?
As the universe expands, the light traveling through it gets “shifted” or changed. What is the name of the predominant shift caused by the expanding universe?
What is a Red Shift?
What is the deepest lake in the world?
What is Lake Baikal?
This smallest biological unit is the one proposed by some to be the only unit that matters to evolution? [Side note, Richard Dawkins popularized this as a selfish theory.]
What are Genes?
Neutrinos are some of the fundamental particles in the standard model of particle physics. To date, it is known that there are three types of neutrinos. What is the hunger-inducing technical name for these different neutrino types?
What are Flavors?
Rounded to the nearest 10%, glaciers contain approximately what percent of the Earth’s freshwater?
What is approx 70%?
What sense is most closely linked to memory?
What is Smell?
One cool result that has come from research on the CMB is a high-quality measurement of the age of the universe. According to these measurements, approximately how old is the universe?
What is ~14 Billion Years?
Blue colored eyes are one example of evolution in the human species. Before anyone’s eyes were blue, all eyes were brown. The mutation that led to blue eyes has been traced to an individual in either Europe or the Near East. Approximately how long ago did that person live?
What is 15,000 years?
In nature there are four fundamental forces. Which one of these forces primarily interact with neutrinos?
What is the Weak Nuclear Force?
Which of these mountain ranges is the oldest range in the world?
What are the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains?
A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule used by neurons to transmit information. Which of these is NOT a neurotransmitter?
What is Neurodraxin?
Cosmologists describe the CMB in terms of its temperature, which is 2.7 Kelvin. What does 2.7 Kelvin correspond to in fahrenheit?
What is ~-455 Degrees Fahrenheit?
Nyasasaurus is thought to be the earliest known dinosaur. Rounding to the nearest 50 million years, how many years ago did the oldest known Nyasasaurus live?
What is 250 million years ago?
Neutrinos are created in many dramatic events like supernovae where stars explode. But they are also created in other, less dramatic situations. What has SoT! associated product produces neutrinos?
What is Beer?
Rounded to the nearest 10%, what percentage of Earth’s surface is covered by water?
What is 70%?
Zebrafish are a very good “model organism” for studying human neural systems. In a past SoT! event Dr. Kurt Marsden discussed how his lab uses zebrafish to study a disorder that afflicts humans. What is that disorder? (Hint: its common name is something strongly associated with a later SoT! event.)
What is ALS?
The Sun is much larger than the Earth. If you were able to pack earth-sized planets into the Sun, how many could of these would fit inside the Sun?
What is ~1.3 Million?