Here's to 2004
This year saw a huge range of discoveries in the world of science, as well as the launch of Nature news. As 2004 draws to a close, we look back at the stories that hit the headlines and present our pick of the year's exclusives. You can test your memory with our news quiz or find out what readers hope the new year will bring, by checking our wish list. And here's wishing you a happy and prosperous 2005, from all at Nature news.
Were you paying attention in 2004? Good, then you'll have no problem with this quiz on some of the year's most memorable scientific events. Click the links for a little help, or scroll down for the answers.
1. What has spent the best part of this year strapped to the outside of the International Space Station?
a. US Air Force prototype space-to-surface laser weapons.
b. A life-sized mannequin designed to test astronauts' exposure to radiation.
c. The ashes of Laika, the first dog in orbit.
d. Spare space suits to save on wardrobe room.
Click here for story
2. Kopi Luwak, the world's rarest and most expensive coffee, owes its cachet to which unorthodox extra?
a. A psychotropic fungus that produces feelings of "god-like alertness".
b. A natural roasting in baskets lowered into Purace, a Colombian volcano.
c. A trip through the digestive system of an Asian palm civet.
d. A discriminating sorting process, in which each bean is individually tested for optimum pH value.
Click here for story
3. Which of the ten Old Testament plagues of Egypt made an unwelcome return to Africa for the first time in 15 years?
a. Boils.
b. Frogs.
c. Locusts.
d. Flies.
Click here for story
4. Researchers from which organization announced that they had created the first embryonic stem-cell line produced from a cloned human embryo?
a. Seoul National University, South Korea.
b. University of California, Davis.
c. The Raelians.
d. The US National Institutes of Health.
Click here for story
5. In October, archaeologists unveiled evidence of Flores man. What had they discovered?
a. The remains of a Neanderthal, unearthed in Italy, who showed signs of having suffered from hay fever.
b. The secret mathematical equations of Juan Jos Flores, an Ecuadorian general who was active in his country's struggle for independence.
c. Skeletal remains of a dwarfed relative of humans that may have lived in Indonesia as recently as 18,000 years ago.
d. Prehistoric cave etchings of flowers in southern France, hailed as the earliest examples of French Impressionism.
Click here for story
6. Geneticists published the genome sequence of the chicken, allowing them to reveal what surprising discovery?
a. That a simple genetic modification could double the size of the average spicy chicken wing.
b. That chickens probably have a sense of smell.
c. That frogs' legs taste like chicken because of the similarity of the two species' muscle proteins.
d. That the phrase 'chickening out' can be explained easily by the numerous segments of DNA that code for Fear factor, a hormone unique to birds.
Click here for story
7. Scientists were alarmed by what news from the University of Wales?
a. Latex lab gloves are linked to reduced sexual performance.
b. A desktop quantum computer will only work provided that its owner doesn't try to use it for anything.
c. Alcohol consumption is associated with degeneration in neurons known to produce logical and original ideas.
d. They could be replaced by a fully functional 'robot scientist' in the near future.
Click here for story
8. Physicists revealed the best way to guide terahertz waves, which are used in medical and security imaging. What did they use?
a. Plastic ribbons.
b. Concentric polymagnetic rings.
c. Nanotubes filled with water.
d. A bent coathanger.
Click here for story
9. The SMART-1 probe has just arrived at the Moon, using an innovative ion-drive propulsion system. The force generated by its engine is equivalent to:
a. An elephant hitting a brick wall at 200 kilometres per hour.
b. Andy Roddick's tennis serve.
c. Two pennies resting on the palm of your hand.
d. A butterfly's wingbeat.
Click here for story
10. Canadian zoologists revealed that mammals at more frosty latitudes tend to have larger what?
a. Heads.
b. Social groups.
c. Egos.
d. Penis bones.
Click here for story
11. Traffic experts revealed why Bogot's motorists suffer far fewer jams than their counterparts in other big cities. What is the Colombian capital's secret?
a. A law forcing drivers to use hand signals for all manoeuvres.
b. Satellite imaging of the most congested areas.
c. A ban on in-car music.
d. A generally selfish, aggressive driving style.
Click here for story
12. Washington DC welcomed back which group after a 17-year absence?
a. The troop of cicadas known as Brood X.
b. Antiglobalization demonstrators.
c. The Montreal Expos.
d. The Neocons.
Click here for story
Answers
1b; 2c; 3c; 4a; 5c; 6b; 7d; 8d; 9c; 10d; 11d; 12a
