26 Feb Medulla 2018: Round 3 Questions

The questions for Round 3 are given below. This round is open between 2100 hours to 0000 hours on 26th February, 2018. Please mail your answers to medu[email protected]; do not send your answers via any other means.

This set has 7 questions.

The answers will later be posted here.

Q1: X is an order of mammals that derives its name from a group of dangerous creatures in Greek Mythology, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Although the creatures are often portrayed as beautiful women, these real mammals are large and aquatic, with a fusiform body, fins and strong, large lips. The order X consists of two families, with a total of four species: one species of Y and three species of Z. Y and Z are very similar creatures, with minor differences in the shapes of fins, and overall size. Y and Z, along with Hyraxes, are the closest relatives of Elephants. X, Y, and Z please?

Q2: Although the Xs shown in the movie franchise Y have attained quite a cult status, the scientists say that, the real-world Xs were, in fact, pretty smaller in size, and had Zs all over their body, significantly making their appearance less dangerous. The real Xs were also way dumber than the movie Xs.

What is X, a version of which became a meme? Give Y and Z as well.

Q3: XY was a nationalist pseudoscientific movement that started in the physics community of a certain European nation in the early 1930s. The primary architects of this movement, Philipp Lenard, Johannes Stark et al started this movement as opposed to the movement of Albert Einstein and his contemporaries, which was dubbed as ZY.

Solve XY and ZY.

Q4: A story from the winter of 1566. The scientist X was studying in the University of Rostock. There, he had some quarrels with a fellow scientist, who also happened to be his third cousin. They decided to resolve the quarrel with a sword duel. X ended up losing a huge part of his Y (an organ). So, for the major portion of his life, he wore a prosthetic Y, which was believed to be made of silver and gold. Later, his body was exhumed and it was found that it was made of brass.

Who is X?

Q5: Another strange story of a scientist. The Italian physicist X disappeared under mysterious circumstances at just 32 years old. He was traveling from Palermo to Naples via a boat, but never ended up reaching Palermo. Some say that he was seen after 20 years in Buenos Aires. On the day of his disappearance, he even sent a letter to one of his students saying that he “made a decision that had become unavoidable.”

Who is X, famous for his equations for particles like neutrinos, which are their own antiparticles?

Q6: X is an award winning play written by Anna Ziegler. The play explores the often-overlooked role of Y in a certain groundbreaking discovery. Nicole Kidman plays the role of Y in the play. The title X refers to something that was done under Y’s supervision that led to the discovery.

X and Y please.

Q7: The design of the staircases in the spires of this particular architectural marvel X is inspired from the shell of the nautilus, which is in accordance with the Fibonacci spiral. The architect of X is known for his biological and organic inspirations and design ideas.

Identify X and the architect.