50 Science Trivia Questions (Medium/Hard Difficulty)

July 25, 2024
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You found our list of 50 Science-themed trivia questions & answers.

Looking to host your next epic trivia night, and need a little help coming up with some questions? Well look no further! Whether it’s for your next Pub Quiz, family-fun night, teambuilding, or whatever else the occasion, we hope you’ll enjoy these trivia questions. We’ve included the answer as well as 4 possible multiple choice options for each question - so whatever format you prefer, we’ve got you covered.


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Science Trivia Questions

1. How long is the lifespan of a human red blood cell?

Answer: 120 days

a) 60 days

b) 90 days

c) 120 days

d) 150 days

2. What is the longest type of cell in the body?

Answer: Nerve Cell (or Neuron)

a) Muscle cell

b) Skin cell

c) Nerve Cell

d) Red blood cell

3. Where would you find your pinna?

Answer: Ear

a) Hand

b) Foot

c) Ear

d) Nose

4. How many bones are there in a human foot?

Answer: 26

a) 24

b) 26

c) 28

d) 30

5. The word "muscle" comes from a Latin word meaning what?

Answer: Little mouse

a) Strong

b) Bundle

c) Little mouse

d) Flexor

6. Which animal possesses the largest brain relative to its body size?

Answer: Sperm whale

a) Elephant

b) Sperm whale

c) Dolphin

d) Gorilla

7. Which insect holds the record for the fastest flying insect in the world?

Answer: Dragonfly

a) Dragonfly

b) Hawk moth

c) Housefly

d) Bee

8. What is the name of the small, elusive mammal native to Australia that is capable of laying eggs?

Answer: Platypus

a) Platypus

b) Kangaroo

c) Tasmanian devil

d) Koala

9. What is the only species of bear found in the Southern Hemisphere?

Answer: Spectacled bear

a) Polar bear

b) Brown bear

c) Spectacled bear

d) Panda bear

10. Of the three smallest bones in the human body, which one is also referred to as the Hammer?

Answer: Malleus

a) Incus

b) Malleus

c) Stapes

d) Cochlea

11. In what year was the structure of DNA discovered?

Answer: 1953

a) 1945

b) 1953

c) 1961

d) 1970

12. Which type of living organism produces most of the Earth's oxygen?

Answer: Phytoplankton (Plankton is also acceptable)

a) Algae

b) Moss

c) Trees

d) Phytoplankton

13. Entomology is the study of what?

Answer: Insects

a) Blood

b) Insects

c) Bones

d) Soil

14. Despite their long necks, giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans. How many do they have?

Answer: Seven

a) Five

b) Six

c) Seven

d) Eight

15. Who invented the first battery?

Answer: Alessandro Volta

a) Alessandro Volta

b) Michael Faraday

c) Nikola Tesla

d) Thomas Edison

16. What is the term for the temperature and pressure at which water, ice, and steam coexist in equilibrium?

Answer: Triple Point

a) Sublimation point

b) Condensation point

c) Critical point

d) Triple point

17. Which element, symbol 'Sb', is used in flame retardants and semiconductors and is derived from the Latin ‘stibium’?

Answer: Antimony

a) Arsenic

b) Antimony

c) Tellurium

d) Bismuth

18. What comet, last spotted in 1986, is visible from Earth once every 75 or 76 years?

Answer: Halley's Comet

a) Halley's Comet

b) Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

c) Hale-Bopp

d) Encke's Comet

19. At what temperature does salt water typically boil?

Answer: 102°C (216°F) [Any answer within 5°C or 10°F is acceptable]

a) 98°C (208°F)

b) 102°C (216°F)

c) 105°C (221°F)

d) 110°C (230°F)

20. From which animal droppings can Saltpeter, a key ingredient in gunpowder, be extracted?

Answer: Bat

a) Horse

b) Rat

c) Bat

d) Camel

21. Which mineral is commonly known as "fool's gold"?

Answer: Pyrite

a) Quartz

b) Pyrite

c) Galena

d) Calcite

22. What does TNT stand for?

Answer: Trinitrotoluene

a) Tetra-nitrate-triphosphate

b) Tetra-nitride-tetrachloride

c) Tetra-nitro-toluene

d) Tri-nitro-toluene

23. What was the largest dinosaur ever discovered?

Answer: Argentinosaurus

a) Tyrannosaurus Rex

b) Argentinosaurus

c) Stegosaurus

d) Velociraptor

24. What was the name of the dinosaur with a bony club at the end of its tail, used for defense?

Answer: Ankylosaurus

a) Ankylosaurus

b) Stegosaurus

c) Nodosaurus

d) Euoplocephalus

25. Among dinosaurs, which one is popularly referred to as the "duck-billed dinosaur" due to its unique mouth structure?

Answer: Hadrosaurus

a) Hadrosaurus

b) Ankylosaurus

c) Parasaurolophus

d) Deinonychus

26. Which dinosaur is believed to have had an elongated, narrow skull and rows of sharp teeth suited for catching fish?

Answer: Ichthyosaurus

a) Triceratops

b) Ichthyosaurus

c) Ankylosaurus

d) Velociraptor

27. How many zeros are there in a googol?

Answer: 100

a) 20

b) 50

c) 100

d) 1,000

28. In what century was the first mechanical clock invented?

Answer: 1300s

a) 1200s

b) 1300s

c) 1400s

d) 1500s

29. Sonar is a technique used to detect objects underwater. What is it short for?

Answer: Sound Navigation and Ranging

a) Sound Navigation and Ranging

b) Silent Navigation and Radar

c) Sea Navigation and Radar

d) Sea Navigation and Ranging

30. How long is the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China, which holds the title of the longest bridge in the world?

Answer: 164.8 kilometers (102.4 miles) [Any answer within 25 km / 20 miles is acceptable]

a) 100 kilometers (62 miles)

b) 145.6 kilometers (90.5 miles)

c) 164.8 kilometers (102.4 miles)

d) 200 kilometers (124.3 miles)

31. What does LHC, the world’s largest machine, stand for?

Answer: Large Hadron Collider

a) Linear High Collider

b) Large Hadron Collider

c) Large Hyper Collider

d) Linear Hadron Collider

32. In what year was the first satellite put into orbit?

Answer: 1957

a) 1955

b) 1957

c) 1959

d) 1961

33. What is the name of the scale used to measure the hardness of minerals?

Answer: Mohs scale

a) Richter scale

b) Mohs scale

c) Beaufort scale

d) Scoville scale

34. Which mineral is the primary source of aluminum?

Answer: Bauxite

a) Hematite

b) Bauxite

c) Galena

d) Sphalerite

35. Olivine is the most common mineral in which layer of the Earth?

Answer: Mantle

a) Crust

b) Mantle

c) Outer Core

d) Inner Core

36. Which mineral is known for its fluorescence under ultraviolet light and is often used in making fluorescent lamps?

Answer: Calcite

a) Fluorite

b) Calcite

c) Barite

d) Sphalerite

37. What is the official birthstone for the month of April?

Answer: Diamond

a) Emerald

b) Sapphire

c) Ruby

d) Diamond

38. What is the common name for the volcanic glass formed from the rapid cooling of lava without crystal growth?

Answer: Obsidian

a) Pumice

b) Obsidian

c) Tuff

d) Basalt

39. Who invented the first mass-produced, practical sewing machine in 1846, revolutionizing the textile industry?

Answer: Elias Howe

a) Isaac Singer

b) Elias Howe

c) Walter Hunt

d) Barthélemy Thimonnier

40. Name the company that introduced the first commercially available lithium-ion battery in 1991.

Answer: Sony

a) Panasonic

b) Sony

c) Duracell

d) Energizer

41. What inventor is credited with the discovery of penicillin in 1928?

Answer: Alexander Fleming

a) Alexander Fleming

b) Louis Pasteur

c) Marie Curie

d) Antoine Lavoisier

42. What is the element with the highest melting point?

Answer: Tungsten

a) Titanium

b) Tungsten

c) Rhenium

d) Tantalum

43. Which element was discovered by Marie Curie, and is named after her native country?

Answer: Polonium

a) Radium

b) Polonium

c) Francium

d) Curium

44. Which is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature?

Answer: Mercury

a) Lead

b) Gold

c) Silver

d) Mercury

45. Neodymium is notably used in the production of what?

Answer: Magnets

a) Batteries

b) Magnets

c) Semiconductors

d) Catalysts

46. Which was the first noble gas to be discovered?

Answer: Argon

a) Helium

b) Krypton

c) Xenon

d) Argon

47. What is the name of the largest volcano in our solar system, located on Mars?

Answer: Olympus Mons

a) Mount Etna

b) Mauna Kea

c) Olympus Mons

d) Mount Vesuvius

48. What is the term for the point in a planet's orbit around the Sun where it is closest to the star?

Answer: Perihelion

a) Aphelion

b) Perihelion

c) Equinox

d) Solstice

49. In the movie "Deep Impact," what was the name of the meteor headed towards Earth?

Answer: Wolf-Biederman

a) Messiah

b) Wolf-Biederman

c) Jensen-Bisach

d) Smith-Johnson

50. What is the approximate age of the universe, according to current scientific estimates?

Answer: 13.8 billion years

a) 4.6 billion years

b) 13.8 billion years

c) 20 billion years

d) 100 billion years

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