Q 01/05

Which Marvel superhero, launched in 1962, owes his powers to being caught in a blast of gamma rays?

A) Spider-Man

B) The Hulk

C) Daredevil

D) Ant-Man

Answer · why

B) The Hulk

The Hulk was gray, not green, in his debut issue. The printers could not keep the gray consistent, so Stan Lee switched the color after seeing the fir...

Q 02/05

Seen in gamma rays by NASA's Fermi space telescope, which familiar object in the sky outshines the Sun?

A) Venus

B) Jupiter

C) The North Star

D) The Moon

Answer · why

D) The Moon

The Moon glows because cosmic rays slam into its dusty surface and produce gamma rays. In that light it never goes through phases and would always loo...

Q 03/05

Millisecond flashes of gamma rays, first spotted from orbit in 1994, shoot out of which weather events?

A) Thunderstorms

B) Tropical cyclones

C) Tornadoes

D) Blizzards

Answer · why

A) Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms produce these bursts, nicknamed dark lightning. They are thought to be driven by the enormous voltages that build up in and above storm ...

Q 04/05

Which fruit carries enough gamma-emitting potassium-40 that a truckload can trip radiation alarms at US ports?

A) Apples

B) Oranges

C) Bananas

D) Grapes

Answer · why

C) Bananas

Bananas are rich in potassium, a sliver of which is naturally radioactive. Scientists use the tongue-in-cheek "banana equivalent dose" to put tiny rad...

Q 05/05

Jewelers often use gamma rays to change white topaz, a colorless gemstone, into which more desirable color?

A) Pink

B) Blue

C) Green

D) Yellow

Answer · why

B) Blue

Blue topaz is rare in nature, so nearly all of it on sale began as pale or colorless stone that was irradiated and then heated.