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Strange but true? Test yourself in our barely believable science quiz

Science throws up all manner of bizarre and outlandish discoveries. Test your knowledge of the world’s weird side by picking out the strange-but-true from the stuff we made up

*Some questions have multiple correct answers

1 Health benefits of intimacy

A Cuddling increases bone density

B Sex is a nasal decongestant

C Masturbating improves eyesight

2 States of matter

A In condensed matter physics, a “hyperfluid” is a material with zero viscosity, meaning it can flow backwards in time and, when stirred, will spin forever (both forwards and backwards in time)

B In condensed matter physics, a “time crystal” is a state of matter in which the configuration of the component parts shifts in a repeating cycle forever without using any energy

C In condensed matter physics, an “ontological condensate” is an ultracold gas that could reveal the true nature of being, should we ever be able to isolate it

3 Hairy faces

A Beards might have evolved to keep faces warm

B Beards might have evolved to store food in through winter

C Beards might have evolved to soften the blows from punches

4 Animals at play

A Komodo dragons play tug of war

B Crows play blackjack

C Elephants play hide and seek

5 Celestial bodies

A Astronauts could use their own hair to create Martian space suits

B Astronauts could use their own blood to build a Martian base

C Astronauts could use their own nail clippings to create rocket fuel

6 Grand delusions

A Capgras syndrome is the irrational belief that a familiar person has been replaced with an exact duplicate

B Fregoli syndrome is the irrational belief that a familiar person, typically someone persecuting the affected individual, is disguised as various other people

C Cotard syndrome is the irrational belief that part of your body is missing or you are dead or don’t exist

7 Living fossils

A Bunions are the only part of your body that fossilises while you are still alive

B Dental plaque is the only part of your body that fossilises while you are still alive

C Gall stones are the only part of your body that fossilises while you are still alive

8 Big data

A The Large Hadron Collider stores information on CDs

B The Large Hadron Collider stores information on floppy discs

C The Large Hadron Collider stores information on magnetic tapes

9 Self-improvement

A Walking backwards can enhance your short-term memory

B Doing a headstand for 90 seconds three times a week can boost your libido

C Pressing your temples and rubbing clockwise can increase your IQ

10 Alien weather

A It rains solid diamonds inside Uranus

B It rains liquid water on Venus

C It rains hydrofluoric acid on Mercury

11 Madcap maths

A In mathematics, the hairy ball theorem states that there is no non-vanishing continuous tangent vector field on even-dimensional n-spheres. In other words, given a ball with hairs all over it, it is impossible to comb the hairs continuously and have all of them lying flat

B In mathematics, the ham sandwich theorem states that, given n measurable objects in n-dimensional Euclidean space, it is possible to divide all of them in two halves with a single (n – 1)-dimensional hyperplane. In other words, if you make a sandwich from bread, butter and ham, you will always be able to slice it to share all three ingredients equally

C In mathematics, the ugly duckling theorem is an argument showing that, if you assume a finite number of properties combinable by logical connectives and a finite number of objects, any two different objects share the same number of (extensional) properties. In other words, a duckling is just as similar to a swan as two swans are to each other

12 Emotional eating

A People feel angrier about inequality after eating hummus

B People find disgusting ideas more palatable after consuming ginger

C People become more interested in science after drinking tomato juice

13 Directionally challenged

A Honeybees prefer to turn right

B Honeybees always fly west when they first leave the hive

C Honeybees sometimes hitch rides on dragonflies

14 Extraordinary orifices

A Spiders can shoot cyanide out of their eyes

B Humans release alcohol through their ears

C Pigs can breathe oxygen through their rectums

15 Quantum weirdnesses

A In quantum physics, entangled particles transmit information faster than the speed of light

B In quantum physics, the exact position and momentum of a particle can’t be deduced simultaneously

C In quantum physics, “virtual” particles can pass between parallel universes

16 Life on other planets?

A Astronomers have spotted “ogres” in the lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan

B Astronomers have spotted “leprechauns” in craters on Mars

C Astronomers have spotted “elves” in Jupiter’s skies

17 Dishonest males

A Lying men release volatile chemicals that smell like maple syrup

B Lying men mimic the body language of the person they are lying to

C Lying men only look to one side

18 Astronaut animals

A A tortoise has been to space

B A pig has been to space

C A porcupine has been to space

19 My mistake

A The pratfall effect means that people will like you more if they see you making mistakes

B The spotlight effect means that your mistakes aren’t noticed by others as much as you think

C The Johnson effect mean that the more mistakes you make, the less likely you are to admit them

20 Amphibious applications

A In the 1950s, people used toad slime to treat their wounds

B In the 1950s, people used frogs as pregnancy tests

C In the 1950s, people used newts to help diagnose whooping cough

21 Molecular mischief

A Chemists have discovered that they could make novel molecules by throwing known molecules against the wall

B Chemists have discovered that they could make new molecules by having known molecules partially digested by a mongoose

C Chemists have discovered that they could make new molecules by singing Harry Belafonte songs to known molecules

22 Computer says what!?

A A wormhole has been created inside a quantum computer

B A time crystal has been created inside a quantum computer

C A quantum tunnel has been created inside a quantum computer

Answers

1 B

2 B

3 C

4 A

5 B

6 A, B and C

7 B

8 C

9 A

10 A

11 A, B and C

12 B

13 A

14 B and C

15 B

16 C

17 B

18 A

19 A and B

20 B

21 A

22 B

Quiz compiled by èƵ staff