Abstract
The past 12 months have seen the invasion of Ukraine, the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, an energy crisis and heatwaves around the world. But there were also lots of weird and wonderful science stories. Bethan Ackerley is here to see what you recall
1 There have been some truly gargantuan scientific discoveries this year. But which of the following didn't we report on in 2022?
A The largest fish colony yet found
B The largest quantum computer yet made
C The largest red dwarf yet detected
D The largest species of bacteria yet discovered
2 Going to the other extreme, in January, researchers informed us of the discovery of a creature so tiny it could fit into a grain of sand. This is the smallest species of which kind of animal?
A Jellyfish
C Clam
D Ringworm
3 Speaking of superlatives, in February, the Australian raspy cricket was found to be superior among 650 insect species in what way?
B It had the longest legs
C It jumped the furthest
D It had the loudest chirp
4 In August, we looked at five numbers that could reveal the history of the universe, including the doppelgangion, the chance of there being another person exactly like you. What is this number?
A 10 to the power 80
B 10 to the power 10 to the power 68
C 10 to the power 10 to the power 100
D 10 to the power 10 to the power 10 to the power 475
5 Lycopene, the chemical that gives tomatoes their red colour, was found to have what other special ability in May?
A It makes solar panels more efficient
B It is antiseptic
C It deters mosquitoes
D It is an aphrodisiac for flies
6 What was the newly identified Iberospinus natarioi dinosaur constantly losing, as we learned in February?
A Its feathers
C Its claws
D Its temper
7 Sticking with dinosaurs, throughout 2022 we have reported on the controversial claim that what we have long known as Tyrannosaurus rex (illustrated below) was in fact three separate species. Alongside T. rex, what are the other two proposed species?
AT. domesticus and T. simplex
BT. dynastes and T. regalis
CT. acanthus and T. laevis
8 In November, the oldest readable sentence written using the first alphabet was revealed (pictured far right). What did it discuss?
A Vegetables
C Gossip
D Latrines
9 How did the European common toad surprise biologists, as reported in March?
A It uses tools
B It is found in South America
D It changes colour
10 In October, we carried a story about certain acids in our body odour that make humans more appealing to which creatures?
B Bears
C Rhinos
D Other humans
11 What shape of city gets the most rain, as we learned in May?
A Circular
B Triangular
C Square
D Rectangular
12 In October, physicists announced they had made the most precise measurement of a particle ever. What type of particle was involved?
A A W boson
B A top quark
D A gluon
13 In March, we interviewed slug researcher Rory Mc Donnell, who has been researching the best ways to control invasive slugs. Which bait turned out to be most effective in his team's tests?
A Guinness
B Cat food
D Lettuce
14 I hope you aren't eating during this next question. In May, we learned that members of a certain marine species identify their friends by tasting their urine. Which animal was this?
A Leopard seal
C Humpback whale
D Hammerhead shark
15 Urinary matters were clearly a hot topic in May: that month, we also learned that pregnant mice release a chemical in their urine that deters males. What does it smell of?
A Bananas
B Cheddar
C Sardines
D Aniseed
16 Let's raise the tone a little, shall we? In July, China launched the second module (pictured above) of its Tiangong space station. Its name, Wentian, translates to what?
A Lady of the Skies
B Salute
C Dreamer
17 Keeping our eyes skyward, in March, NASA's Perseverance rover measured the speed of sound on Mars for the first time. How fast is it?
A Around 240 metres per second
B Around 340 metres per second
C Around 440 metres per second
D Around 540 metres per second
18 In April, we brought you news that the untimely demise of a Triceratops discovered in 2014 seems to have been caused by a stab wound to the head. But what has this fossil specimen been nicknamed by researchers?
A Gentle Ken
B Big John
C Mavis
D Timmy T
19 In October, we revealed that a US high school student named Indeever Madireddy sequenced the genome of his pet, the first time for the species. What was the animal?
A Calvin the freshwater angelfish
B Aidan the leopard gecko
C Victor the chinchilla
D Howie the axolotl
20 A New Scientist story published in May helped save a research lab, the funding of which had been cut. What does it study?
A Irritable bowel syndrome
B Seaweed
C Cloud formation
21 In August, we learned that numbers of a much-beleaguered species had grown 10-fold since 2015. Which animal was on the up?
A Vaquitas
B Javan rhinos
D Pangolins
22 We saw how artificial intelligence is untangling the mystery of knots in July. How many distinct knots has mathematician Benjamin Burton identified?
A More than 100 million
B More than 250 million
D More than 700 million
23 AI image generators exploded in popularity in 2022. But what nickname was given to a sinister woman (pictured above) who kept appearing in the images, as we reported in September?
A Crungus
B Loab
C Trullbus
D Mavise
24 In November, new prefixes for the world's largest and smallest numbers were agreed at the General Conference on Weights and Measures. Which of these prefixes wasn't approved?
A Ronna
B Quetta
C Ronto
D Quessa
25 Let's finish on a high. In April, we revealed that the world's highest living mammals are found on a volcano in the Andes and are members of which species?
A Leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis vaccarum)
B Vicuña (Lama vicugna)
C Domestic yaks (Bos grunniens)
D Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus)
Answers on the next page
The oldest readable sentence written using the first alphabet was revealed in November
Quiz of the year.
Answers
Quiz of the year Answers
1 C – The largest red dwarf yet detected
2 B – Land snail
3 A – It had the strongest bite
4 B – 10 to the power 10 to the power 68
5 A – It makes solar panels more efficient
6 B – Its teeth
7 D – T. imperator and T. regina
8 B – Head lice
9 C – It climbs trees
10 A – Mosquitoes
11 A – Circular
12 C – An electron
13 C – Bread dough
14 B – Bottlenose dolphin
15 A – Bananas
16 D – Quest for the Heavens
17 A – Around 240 metres per second
18 B – Big John
19 A – Calvin the freshwater angelfish
20 D – Corvid cognition
21 C – Saiga antelope
22 C – More than 350 million
23 B – Loab
24 D – Quessa
25 A – Leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis vaccarum)
How did you do?
18-25 – Is that a stack of New Scientists we see beside you? Bravo! You clearly know your sciencey stuff.
12-17 – The unmistakable whiff of knowledge is emanating from you. Congratulations!
6-11 – Hmm. Feels like a heady combination of luck and educated guesses. Still, it is the taking part that counts, so well done.
0-5 – Oops. Even guessing every time should have delivered six points, on average. If you don't already have one, try a New Scientist subscription in 2023!