Questions and Answers about
Science
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in ScienceWho was the first septuagenarian to go into space?
In 1998 Astronaut John Glenn flew on a space shuttle at age 77 – becoming the first person over 70 to go into space. In July 2021, the nearly 71-year-old Richard Branson became the second septuagenarian in history to go into space._x000D_
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in ScienceWhich COVID-19 vaccine got the FDA’s full approval?
The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) gave full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and older Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is the first to move beyond emergency use status in the United States._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat is the average life expectancy in the US?
For decades, U.S. life expectancy was rising, hitting 78 years, ten months in 2019. In 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it dropped to about 77 years, four months – the most significant drop since WWII, according to a CDC report published Wednesday, July.21, 2021.
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in ScienceWhich records did the Jeff Bezos space flight break?
Jeff Bezos was on the first manned Blue Origin flight with his brother, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen from the Netherlands, and 82-year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk, from the Dallas area — the youngest and oldest to ever fly in space.
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in ScienceWho wrote the famous “A Brief History of Time”?
“A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes'” is a bestselling book written by Stephen Hawking in 1988. He wrote it for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics.
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in ScienceHow long might a coelacanth fish live?
The coelacanth fish, nicknamed a “living fossil,” can live for 100 years, a new study published Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Current Biology, found._x000D_
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in ScienceWhere is Utopia Planitia?
Utopia Planitia (loosely, the plain of paradise) is the largest recognized impact basin on Mars, with an estimated diameter of 3300 km – The Martian region where the Viking 2 lander touched down and began exploring on September 3, 1976._x000D_
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in ScienceUntil 2021, which year recorded the highest global average temperatures?
The year 2020 is tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record since record-keeping began in 1880. Nineteen of the warmest years have occurred since 2000, except for 1998. The record warmth fueled deadly heatwaves, droughts, intense wildfires, and other environmental disasters worldwide in 2020.
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in ScienceWhat is talc (talcum)?
Talc is a clay mineral similar in structure to asbestos and often mined in proximity to it. Talc is used as a thickening agent and lubricant and is an ingredient in ceramics, paint, and roofing material. It is also the main ingredient in many cosmetics. In powdered form, talc is often combined with cornstarch and…
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in ScienceWhat Is a Megadrought?
A megadrought is a period of extreme dryness that lasts for decades. There may be occasional better, wet years within that period, but the dryness soon returns, and drought maintains its long-term grip._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat’s in the center of this galaxy?
You’re looking at the Seyfert galaxy NGC 3254. Seyfert galaxies have a supermassive black hole in them._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat are water bears?
Water bears (or Tardigrades) are eight-legged micro-animals. They are among the most resilient animals and can survive extreme conditions—such as exposure to extreme temperatures, extreme pressures (high and low), air deprivation, radiation, dehydration, and starvation._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat is the world’s most illegally traded wild mammal?
Pangolins are the most illegally traded wild mammals on the planet. They are poached for their meat and their scales which Traditional Asian Medicine practitioners use. According to the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, a pangolin is snatched from the wild every five minutes._x000D_
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in ScienceIn New York, practitioners are qualified to recommend marijuana use for which conditions?
Since April 2021, practitioners in New York have the discretion to recommend medical marijuana for any condition. Previously, a small number of diseases qualified patients for medical marijuana use in New York, including AIDS, cancer, and epilepsy.
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in ScienceWho are Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi?
Crew-1 commander Michael Hopkins, NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi were the astronauts on the first operational flight of SpaceX’s space taxi SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat is Ganymede?
Ganymede is a satellite of Jupiter and the largest of the Solar System’s moons. It’s the ninth-largest object in the Solar System and is the largest without a substantial atmosphere. That’s larger than planet Mercury._x000D_