National Science Week 2025 Morning Tea Quiz

Which of the following ancient devices used for telling the time does not work after the sun sets each night?

• Sundial

• Water Clock

• Astrolabe

• Incense Clock

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Australia’s first scientists, have cultural knowledge of changes in seasonal weather over a yearly cycle which can be based on:

• The positions of stars and other objects in the sky

• Changes in animal behaviour

• The life cycles of certain plants

• All of the above

When did scientists discover that more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to a warmer planet?

• 1850s

• 1910s

• 1950s

• 2010s

In April 2024, Katherine Bennell-Pegg became what?

• The first Australian to win a Nobel prize

• The first Australian to build a solar-powered car that could travel over 200km per hour

• The first person to build a computer entirely from recycled materials

• The first person qualified as an astronaut under the Australian flag

True or false: Antibiotics are the best medicine for the common cold.

• True

• False

Which of the following unusual tests might a palaeontologist use to test if a rock is a fossil?

• Lick it

• Sniff it

• Test if it floats in water

• Test if it will catch fire

Humans, koalas, and gorillas have what in common that could be of interest to forensic scientists?

• They have unique fingerprints.

• They have the same diet.

• They live in similar habitats.

• They are all nocturnal.

The force that prevents Earth’s atmosphere from drifting away into space is:

• Gravity

• Magnetism

• Friction

• Solar wind

The three letter word used for both the cutting part of a drill and for the smallest piece of information stored on a digital computer is:

• bit

• dot

• bar

• tip

In which decade did Eunice Newton Foote discover that carbon dioxide absorbed heat more effectively than other gases?

• 1850s

• 1820s

• 1900s

• 1880s