| Data compiled by Rhodium Group says if cows were a country, they'd be the world's 6th-largest emitter of this greenhouse gas |
methane |
200 |
January 28, 2022 |
| These insects, Bombyx mori, like to munch on mulberry leaves |
silkworms |
600 |
January 28, 2022 |
| These subatomic particles come in 6 flavors & interact by means of the strong force |
quarks |
800 |
January 28, 2022 |
| It's defined as the sum of all chemical reactions that take place in each cell & provide energy for activities |
metabolism |
1000 |
January 28, 2022 |
| He wrote that in 1666 "I procured me a triangular glass-prisme, to try therewith the... phenomena of colours" |
Sir Isaac Newton |
|
January 28, 2022 |
| In the 19th century the plant pest Phylloxera vitifoliae nearly wiped out this industry in France, Italy & Germany |
wine |
200 |
May 2, 2017 |
| Peas have 14, shrimp have 254 & humans have 46 of these nucleic acid structures, arranged in 23 pairs |
chromosomes |
400 |
May 2, 2017 |
| This contagious viral children's disease characterized by spots is sometimes called morbilli |
measles |
600 |
May 2, 2017 |
| This element's symbol W comes from wolfram, its alternate name |
tungsten |
800 |
May 2, 2017 |
| The fluff on this tree, a type of poplar, contains seeds that are dispersed by the wind for only two weeks a year |
a cottonwood |
1000 |
May 2, 2017 |
| In June 1991 weightlessness experiments were conducted on about 2,500 jellyfish aboard this |
the Space Shuttle |
200 |
November 24, 2009 |
| The ARS, an agency of this U.S. government department, is looking to develop better bio-insecticides |
the Department of Agriculture |
400 |
November 24, 2009 |
| Despite the fierce appearance of this plated beast, scientists believe it to have been an herbivore |
a <i>Stegosaurus</i> |
600 |
November 24, 2009 |
| Platinum, atomic number 78, is worth more than this other metal, atomic number 79 |
gold |
800 |
November 24, 2009 |
| In 2009 a new hominid skeleton dubbed Ardi was aged at 4.4 million years, predating this other "girly" find by 1 mil. years |
Lucy |
1000 |
November 24, 2009 |
| Mesquite can send these down 60 feet to reach moisture |
roots |
200 |
June 27, 2008 |
| (Jimmy of the Clue Crew lights a peanut on fire.) The oil in the peanut is almost 100 percent fat, which burns & produces energy, a process that's measured by this unit |
a calorie |
400 |
June 27, 2008 |
| This physics term refers to the study of the effects of extremely low temperatures |
cryogenics |
600 |
June 27, 2008 |
| (Sarah of the Clue Crew puts salt & pepper in beakers of water.) The molecular structure of salt allows it to dissolve in water; the pepper will only disperse, creating this type of mixture, from the Latin for "hung up" |
a suspension |
800 |
June 27, 2008 |
| In 1955 physicists Owen Chamberlain & Emilio Segre discovered the antiproton, which has this kind of charge |
negative |
1000 |
June 27, 2008 |
| This part of the glass snake breaks off to help it escape when grabbed |
the tail |
200 |
February 7, 2006 |
| It's the frog-like term for a poisonous mushroom |
a toadstool |
400 |
February 7, 2006 |
| Crabs & cockroaches belong to this phylum, from the Greek for "jointed feet" |
an arthropod |
600 |
February 7, 2006 |
| This element, symbol Co, was once popular for making invisible ink |
cobalt |
800 |
February 7, 2006 |
| The absolute temperature scale with its lowest point being zero is named for this scientist who introduced it |
(Lord) Kelvin |
|
February 7, 2006 |
| Hunting & forest clearing (not a luxury automaker) have endangered this largest wild cat of the Americas |
the jaguar |
200 |
October 4, 2004 |
| Like an escargot, the abalone is an edible one of these gastropods |
a snail |
400 |
October 4, 2004 |
| It's the branch of physics that deals with the nature & properties of light |
optics |
600 |
October 4, 2004 |
| The flowers on this type of myrtle tree resemble the crinkly paper of the same name |
crepe |
1000 |
October 4, 2004 |
| Hermann Muller won a 1946 Nobel Prize for proving that the use of these can cause mutations |
X rays |
|
October 4, 2004 |
| In 1997 the world said "Hello Dolly" to one of these mammals, the first successfully cloned |
a sheep |
200 |
May 24, 2004 |
| The poorwill is one of the few species of birds that's known to do this in the winter |
hibernate |
400 |
May 24, 2004 |
| Codeine & morphine are both made from opium, which is obtained from a species of this flower |
the poppy |
600 |
May 24, 2004 |
| Lignite, a low-grade type of this rock, is only about 30 percent carbon |
coal |
800 |
May 24, 2004 |
| Sweeter than sucrose, this fruit sugar is found in fruits as well as in honey |
fructose |
1000 |
May 24, 2004 |
| The deepest diver among these birds is the emperor species of this, which may dive to 900 feet in the Antarctic waters |
penguin |
200 |
March 4, 2004 |
| A grub is this soft, thick stage of metamorphosis of flies, wasps & beetles |
larva |
400 |
March 4, 2004 |
| It's the fossilized resin from pine trees |
amber |
600 |
March 4, 2004 |
| (Sarah of the Clue Crew in Alaska) This bovine name is given to the process whereby huge chunks of ice break off glaciers, giving birth to icebergs |
calving |
800 |
March 4, 2004 |
| This cloudy atmosphere containing the nucleus of a comet may reach a diameter of 1 million miles |
coma |
1000 |
March 4, 2004 |
| Alphabetically, it's the first mammal that could be in a "Starts With 2 Vowels" category |
aardvark |
200 |
November 10, 2003 |
| It's the main metal in both bronze & brass |
copper |
400 |
November 10, 2003 |
| From their size, about 2.5 cm. & how they crawl, caterpillars of the moth family Geometridae are often called this |
inchworm |
800 |
November 10, 2003 |
| This property is the reason a rubber ball bounces & a stretched rubber band springs back to size |
elasticity |
1000 |
November 10, 2003 |
| (Jimmy of the Clue Crew at Cape Cod, Massachusetts) When lightning strikes the sand, it can melt & fuse it into a type of this, called fulgurite |
glass |
|
November 10, 2003 |
| Today, there are only 2 continental glaciers: one on Greenland & one on this continent |
Antarctica |
200 |
March 24, 2003 |
| It's OK to kiss under this parasitic plant; just don't eat the berries -- that could be the kiss of death |
mistletoe |
400 |
March 24, 2003 |
| The lowest pressure at sea level was 25.69", measured during one of these tropical storms in the Philippine Sea |
typhoon |
600 |
March 24, 2003 |
| The reticulated species, the largest of these snakes, may reach a length of 33 feet |
python |
800 |
March 24, 2003 |
| When the moon appears between half & full, it's said to be this, either waxing or waning |
gibbous |
|
March 24, 2003 |
| This one of the simple machines can be made by using a wheel & a rope |
pulley |
100 |
October 30, 2001 |
| Manufacturers of fireworks use barium to give off a green color & sodium to produce this color |
yellow |
200 |
October 30, 2001 |
| Inhaling & exhaling result from the contraction of this muscle at the floor of the chest cavity |
diaphragm |
300 |
October 30, 2001 |
| (Sarah of the Clue Crew is at Sea World in San Diego.) In the wild, the polar bear feeds mainly on these, especially the ringed species |
seals |
400 |
October 30, 2001 |
| The elements erbium, terbium, ytterbium & yttrium are named for the town of Ytterby in this country |
Sweden |
500 |
October 30, 2001 |
| About one-millionth as bright as our sun, these small red stars are also known as flare stars |
dwarfs |
100 |
May 25, 2001 |
| The mud eel is not really an eel, but a species of this tailed amphibian |
a salamander |
200 |
May 25, 2001 |
| Of the 6 simple machines in physics, this one uses a spiral inclined plane |
a screw |
300 |
May 25, 2001 |
| All 6 noble gases were discovered on Earth between 1894 & 1900; this one, symbol Rn, was the last |
radon |
500 |
May 25, 2001 |
| The name of this Alpine flower is German for "noble white" |
Edelweiss |
|
May 25, 2001 |
| 75 miles long & 64 miles wide, the Mauna Loa volcano in this state is the world's largest active volcano |
Hawaii |
100 |
March 21, 2001 |
| It can be a voracious reader, or a beetle larva that feeds on paper |
Bookworm |
200 |
March 21, 2001 |
| When a tropical storm's winds increase past 74 MPH, it's classified as one of these |
Hurricane |
300 |
March 21, 2001 |
| 12 to 30 miles up, this atmospheric "layer" largely in the stratosphere protects us from the full force of ultraviolet rays |
Ozone layer |
400 |
March 21, 2001 |
| The ants seen here of the genus Atta are known by this "occupational" name |
Leafcutter ants |
500 |
March 21, 2001 |
| The cuttlefish hides 2 ways: it can camouflage itself like a chameleon, or hide behind a cloud of this |
ink |
100 |
October 19, 2000 |
| Having 4 large pairs of these makes the fruit fly a favorite subject for geneticists |
chromosomes |
200 |
October 19, 2000 |
| A silvery food fish, or to heat ore in order to extract metal |
smelt |
300 |
October 19, 2000 |
| In rhyme, the bells of St. Clement's speak of these 2 fruits that'll help prevent scurvy |
oranges & lemons |
400 |
October 19, 2000 |
| Unlike most of its pine family relatives, the larch is classified as this, as it loses its needles each fall |
deciduous |
|
October 19, 2000 |
| Surprisingly, the smooth soft-shell species of this reptile is said to be able to run as fast as a man |
Turtle |
100 |
September 19, 2000 |
| When it flows out of the earth, it becomes lava; when blasted into tiny fragments, it becomes volcanic ash |
Magma |
200 |
September 19, 2000 |
| Common fuels in rockets include liquid hydrogen & LOX, which stands for this |
Liquid oxygen |
300 |
September 19, 2000 |
| This tusked pinniped has air sacs in its neck enabling it to keep its head above water while sleeping |
Walrus |
400 |
September 19, 2000 |
| This 16th century professor at the University of Padua is called the "Father of Modern Anatomy" |
Andreas Vesalius |
500 |
September 19, 2000 |
| Our sun is classified as the yellow type of these "small" stars |
Dwarfs |
100 |
February 24, 2000 |
| Like those of the genus Malus, most wild apples are of this tart "crustacean" type |
Crabapples |
200 |
February 24, 2000 |
| Of 6,000, 66,000 or 666,000 MPH, the closest to the speed of the Earth around the sun |
66,000 |
300 |
February 24, 2000 |
| 2 of the 4 stages of development for most insects |
Egg, larva, pupa, adult |
400 |
February 24, 2000 |
| The adult human brain is made up of more than 10 billion of these nerve cells |
Neurons |
500 |
February 24, 2000 |
| The leaves of a fern are commonly called this, from the Latin for "foliage" |
Fronds |
100 |
January 20, 1998 |
| The "fire" type of this insect builds large mounds that interfere with harvesting hay |
fire ants |
200 |
January 20, 1998 |
| A perihelion is the point in the orbit of a planet or other celestial body when it's closest to this |
sun |
300 |
January 20, 1998 |
| Mildews, smuts & morels belong to this group of organisms incapable of making their own food |
Fungi |
400 |
January 20, 1998 |
| This phylum of sea animals named for their spiny skin includes sea urchins & sea cucumbers |
echinoderms |
500 |
January 20, 1998 |
| The patellar reflex is an involuntary reaction of this joint |
Knee joint |
100 |
January 13, 1998 |
| Most of a cell's water passes through the plasma membrane by this process |
Osmosis |
200 |
January 13, 1998 |
| Unlike the German species, the Asian variety of this kitchen insect is actually attracted to light |
Cockroach |
300 |
January 13, 1998 |
| Paramecia & amoebas are types of this single-celled organism |
Protozoans/protists |
400 |
January 13, 1998 |
| In 1686 this English astronomer became the first to publish a meteorological chart |
Edmond Halley |
500 |
January 13, 1998 |
| Launched on April 24, 1990, it was the first general-purpose orbiting telescope |
Hubble Space Telescope |
100 |
June 30, 1997 |
| Fog may form when air cools to this "point" or when moisture is added to air near the ground |
Dew point |
200 |
June 30, 1997 |
| Cinnamon & cork are obtained from this part of a tree |
Bark |
300 |
June 30, 1997 |
| This tusked pinniped takes clams into its mouth & sucks the flesh from the shell |
Walrus |
400 |
June 30, 1997 |
| In the 1550s Fleming Ogier de Busbecq introduced this garden flower to Europe from Turkey |
Tulip |
500 |
June 30, 1997 |
| The ball form of this weather phenomenon is also known as kugelblitz |
lightning |
100 |
June 6, 1997 |
| In a leaf this food-making process takes place in the palisade & spongy cells |
photosynthesis |
200 |
June 6, 1997 |
| The name of this treeless Arctic zone comes from a Lapp term for "hill" |
tundra |
300 |
June 6, 1997 |
| The order Sirenia consists of 4 living species: the dugong & 3 species of this animal |
the manatee |
400 |
June 6, 1997 |
| The Russian thistle is a species of this plant blown about the prairies |
tumbleweed |
500 |
June 6, 1997 |
| The Columbia, one of these between Valdez & Anchorage, Alaska can move about 65 feet per day |
Glacier |
100 |
January 24, 1997 |
| In 1909 Dutch botanist Wilhelm Johannsen first proposed this name for the unit of heredity in living things |
Gene |
200 |
January 24, 1997 |
| The largest living reptile is probably the saltwater species of this animal, which may weigh more than a ton |
Crocodile |
300 |
January 24, 1997 |
| This Russian physiologist's major published work was "Conditioned Reflexes" in 1926 |
Ivan Pavlov |
400 |
January 24, 1997 |
| His first law of planetary motion states the planets' orbits are ellipses with the sun at one focus |
Johannes Kepler |
500 |
January 24, 1997 |
| This basic state of matter has no fixed volume or fixed shape |
Gas |
100 |
January 7, 1997 |
| In a rainbow this color appears between blue & violet |
Indigo |
200 |
January 7, 1997 |
| North American types of this bird include Montezuma, mountain & bobwhite |
Quail |
300 |
January 7, 1997 |
| In 1928 physicist Walther Muller helped this man improve his radiation detector |
Hans Geiger |
400 |
January 7, 1997 |
| Photosynthesis takes place in these specialized structures in the cells of plants |
Chloroplasts |
500 |
January 7, 1997 |
| It's the largest & most economically important family of conifers |
pine |
100 |
December 2, 1996 |
| This term refers specifically to a tornado that forms over a lake or ocean |
waterspout |
200 |
December 2, 1996 |
| This bird, "laughing jackass", is often heard on soundtracks to represent jungle sounds |
kookaburra |
300 |
December 2, 1996 |
| Nelumbo nucifera is the scientific name of this sacred flower of Buddhism |
lotus |
400 |
December 2, 1996 |
| In 1920 Betelgeuse in this constellation became the first star whose size was measured |
Orion |
500 |
December 2, 1996 |
| It's the force that gives us weight & prevents us from floating into space |
gravity |
100 |
December 29, 1995 |
| Though painful, the bite of these largest spiders usually isn't fatal |
tarantula |
200 |
December 29, 1995 |
| It's a colorful flower, or the colored part of the eye |
an iris |
300 |
December 29, 1995 |
| Luther Burbank specialized in this science of cultivating plants & flowers |
horticulture |
400 |
December 29, 1995 |
| This chemical element makes up the hardest substance known in nature |
carbon |
500 |
December 29, 1995 |
| All algae contain this green pigment that allows them to perform photosynthesis |
chlorophyll |
100 |
May 18, 1992 |
| It's a piece of metal put in an electrical circuit to melt if current flow is too high |
a fuse |
200 |
May 18, 1992 |
| The fastest flying animal is the peregrine species of this bird of prey |
a falcon |
300 |
May 18, 1992 |
| The Weddell species of this sea mammal can stay underwater for over 40 minutes |
a seal |
400 |
May 18, 1992 |
| In the night sky, Jupiter is the third brightest of the stars & planets, after these two |
Mars & Venus |
500 |
May 18, 1992 |
| The explosive trinitrotoluene is commonly abbreviated this |
TNT |
100 |
February 5, 1992 |
| Like caterpillars, spiders have spinning glands which produce this fiber |
silk |
200 |
February 5, 1992 |
| The simplest form of spectroscope incorporates one of these objects to split the spectrum |
prism |
300 |
February 5, 1992 |
| A pyroclastic rock is formed from fragments thrown into the air by one of these |
volcanic explosion |
400 |
February 5, 1992 |
| Some scientists believe that the spiral tusk on this Arctic whale helps it attract mates |
narwhal |
500 |
February 5, 1992 |
| This second-lightest gas has the lowest boiling point of any element |
helium |
100 |
September 30, 1991 |
| Because it lives & feeds on other trees, mistletoe is classified as this |
parasite |
200 |
September 30, 1991 |
| It's the process by which a snake sheds its skin or a deer its antlers |
molting |
300 |
September 30, 1991 |
| This Latin word for fig is also the name of the genus to which it belongs |
Ficus |
500 |
September 30, 1991 |
| Until the discovery of Uranus in 1781, this was the outermost planet known |
Saturn |
|
September 30, 1991 |
| It's the general term for a poisonous or bad-tasting mushroom |
a toadstool |
100 |
September 20, 1991 |
| The opposite of perigee, it's the point at which the moon is farthest from earth |
apogee |
200 |
September 20, 1991 |
| Dry ice is made by cooling & compressing this gas |
carbon dioxide |
300 |
September 20, 1991 |
| Rather than bone, a shark's skeleton is made up of this elastic tissue |
cartilage |
400 |
September 20, 1991 |
| Erythrocyte is the scientific name for a red blood cell & this is the term for a white one |
leukocyte |
500 |
September 20, 1991 |
| Taste buds are usually divided into 4 types, salt, acid, bitter & this |
sweet |
100 |
July 18, 1991 |
| A red corundum is a ruby, a blue corundum is this |
a sapphire |
200 |
July 18, 1991 |
| If you're running from one of these, the largest of all monitor lizards, remember they can climb trees |
a Komodo dragon |
300 |
July 18, 1991 |
| According to the 3rd law of thermodynamics, a body can't be brought down to this temperature |
absolute zero |
400 |
July 18, 1991 |
| Rock crystal is a colorless variety of this mineral, & amethyst is the purple variety |
quartz |
500 |
July 18, 1991 |
| The brightest star of a constellation is often designated by this Greek letter |
alpha |
100 |
May 20, 1991 |
| The glass used in most windows is made from a mixture of lime, soda & this |
sand |
200 |
May 20, 1991 |
| While an aviary is a place to keep birds, an apiary is for these creatures |
bees |
300 |
May 20, 1991 |
| When the Moon is in a quarter phase, these lowest ocean tides occur |
neap tide |
400 |
May 20, 1991 |
| The amoeba is an example of these 1-celled organisms whose name is Latin for "first animals" |
protozoa |
500 |
May 20, 1991 |
| The retinal cells used for night vision are rods, & these are used for reading & color perception |
cones |
100 |
July 9, 1990 |
| Partly decayed plant matter commonly used as a fuel in Ireland |
peat |
200 |
July 9, 1990 |
| World Book says experimenting with this force, Ben Franklin knocked himself unconscious at least once |
lightning (electricity) |
300 |
July 9, 1990 |
| Wings appear for the first time during this stage of insect development between larval & adult stages |
pupal |
400 |
July 9, 1990 |
| Both freshwater & "sea" varieties of this mammal belong to the weasel family |
otter |
|
July 9, 1990 |
| Trade name for plastic used as protective layer on "non-stick" kitchen utensils |
Teflon |
100 |
December 6, 1985 |
| An unlimited extent of space, time or quantity, as in numbers that go on "forever" |
infinity |
200 |
December 6, 1985 |
| A short story by Franz Kafka, or the life story of a butterfly |
<i>Metamorphosis</i> |
300 |
December 6, 1985 |
| 1st called this in 19th c., branch of biology dealing with inter-relationship of organism & environment |
ecology |
400 |
December 6, 1985 |
| Why a straw standing in a glass of water looks like it's broken at the water's surface |
refraction |
500 |
December 6, 1985 |