The Science of Sports
When you run faster in track or basketball, your muscles need more of what gas to make energy?
oxygen
As of early November 2025, which virus season is said to have “arrived” according to the U.S. health officials?
respiratory virus / flu / COVID-19/RSV season
In November 2025, the month’s skywatch list says we might see Mercury in which part of the sky (evening or morning)?
morning sky
The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) State High School Volleyball and Football Championships occur in November 2025. On which dates are the football championships scheduled?
Nov 21 and Nov 24-25 2025
A “green comet” called C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) made news in early November 2025. What color was it noted as appearing?
golden (or green with a golden tail
When athletes “carb-load” before a big game, they’re storing what type of nutrient for energy?
carbohydrates
In Nebraska, last season recorded 87 deaths from which illness, prompting health officials to urge vaccination.
flu (influenza)
A full moon in early November 2025 is described as the biggest “so-called supermoon” of the year. On or around what date did it occur?
November 5
A Nebraska sports article noted that a player from Nebraska Cornhuskers men’s basketball recorded the third triple-double in school history and the team hit 17 three-pointers in a 96-66 win over which opponent?
FIU (Florida International University
The mission Solar Orbiter recently released data showing the Sun’s polar magnetic field moving toward the poles at about how many meters per second?
10 to 20 m/s
During a hot football game, your body sweats to stay cool. This process is an example of which body system keeping balance?
homeostasis (maintaining internal balance)
According to the Nebraska weekly surveillance report (Nov 1 2025), about how many “Influenza-Like Illness” (ILI) hospital admissions had been recorded for the season so far?
715
According to National Geographic, November 2025 brings not only the supermoon but also the Leonid. What is the Leonid?
Leonid meteor shower (around Nov 16/17)
What is the current season record of the Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball team (as of this month)?
24-0 (overall) and 14-0 in conference play.
A “macro” view of the galaxy was published by the Rubin Observatory showing a glowing galaxy in early November 2025. Which two agencies are involved in the project?
NSF (National Science Foundation) and DOE (Department of Energy)
Sports scientists study the angle at which a soccer ball is kicked to travel the farthest. This study of motion and angles is part of what branch of science?
physics (specifically biomechanics)
Scientists say people tend to get sick more often in the winter because the colder, drier air affects what natural defense inside your nose that helps trap and stop germs?
the mucus barrier / nasal lining (it dries out and can’t trap germs as well)
The mission Euclid, in a recent study, found that the era of active star formation in the universe has already peaked and is now declining. Live Science What is the implication for the universe’s “temperature” and star-birth?
cooler and forming fewer stars
The supervision of influenza-like illness in Nebraska reports includes the weekly count of ILI emergency department visits. On Nov 1 2025, how many ILI ED visits were recorded for the season total at that date?
961
Paleontologists recently discovered a new meat-eating dinosaur species in Utah with unusually strong forelimbs and a powerful tail. Scientists believe these features helped it stay balanced while chasing prey.
This dinosaur belongs to the same larger group as T. rex and Velociraptor.
What is the scientific name for this group of two-legged, mostly carnivorous dinosaurs
Theropods
New tracking vests worn by college athletes record heart rate, speed, and distance using sensors. What kind of technology makes this data collection possible?
wearable sensors / biometric tracking devices
The Nebraska health department includes surveillance of influenza, RSV and COVID-19. What does “RSV” stand for?
Respiratory Syncytial Virus
The upcoming interstellar object C/2025 R2 SWAN showed up recently in the skies. In which country was it observed and photographed?
Oman
A new program called Reengage Nebraska was announced to help former college students in the state finish their degrees. How many Nebraskans are targeted by this initiative (those who attended college but didn’t finish)?
315,000.
Scientists recently discovered a strange deep-sea creature off the coast of Australia that glows bright blue using a chemical reaction inside its body. Animals that can make their own light use it to attract prey, scare predators, or communicate.
What is the scientific name for living things that can produce their own light?
bioluminescence