Mysteries of the Mind
Which part of the brain helps process fear and emotional responses to threatening stimuli?
The amygdala
What is the medical term for the stiffening of muscles after death?
Rigor mortis
What type of chemical reaction releases heat into its surroundings?
An exothermic reaction
What does DNA stand for?
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Anatomy: What is the largest organ of the human body?
The skin
What is the name for the temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up, sometimes accompanied by frightening hallucinations?
Sleep paralysis
What is the term for the breakdown of cells by their own enzymes after death?
Autolysis
Which macromolecule class includes enzymes?
Proteins
What science studies poisons and how they affect the body?
Toxicology
Physics: What is the SI unit of force?
Newton
What is the term for losing touch with external reality through intense auditory or visual hallucinations (such as hearing imaginary voices or seeing shadowy figures) and deep paranoia or fixed delusions?
Psychosis
What is the term for oxygen deprivation in body tissues?
Hypoxia
What molecule is often called the cell's primary energy currency
ATP
What do detectives call the scientific examination of a person's body after death?
Autopsy
Physiology: Which hormone lowers blood glucose by promoting glucose uptake and storage?
Insulin
What neurological condition can cause a person to believe that a loved one has been replaced by an identical impostor?
Capgras syndrome
What is the waxy, soap-like substance that can form from body fat during decomposition?
Adipocere
What cellular process is severely disrupted when cyanide inhibits cytochrome c oxidase?
Oxidative phosphorylation
What type of evidence includes hair, clothing fibers, and tiny glass fragments transferred between people or objects?
Trace evidence
Organic Chemistry: What type of reaction occurs when an alcohol reacts with a carboxylic acid to produce an ester and water?
Esterification (a condensation reaction)
What rare neurological syndrome can lead someone to believe they are dead, do not exist, or have lost their internal organs?
Cotard's syndrome
What are the five stages of decomposition in order?
Fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay, skeletonization/dry remains
What poisonous gas binds hemoglobin and prevents normal oxygen delivery?
Carbon monoxide
Investigators collect hair, fibers, and glass fragments from a suspect's clothing. What principle explains why these tiny transfers may connect people, objects, and locations?
Locard's exchange principle
Blood flows through a vessel that narrows to half its original cross-sectional area. Assuming steady, incompressible flow, what happens to the average flow velocity at the narrow point?
A. it halves
B. it doubles
C. it remains the same
B. it doubles