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THE LOBACHEVSKY HOUR BONUS

Where was the location of the epicenter of the most powerful earthquake in the continental United States (historically documented)?
New Madrid, Missouri.
1883 was known as "the year without a summer," because of the radically unseasonable cold temperatures. What was the cause of the "year without a summer"?
The huge volcanic explosion at Krakatoa, which filled the world's air with residue.
What are the three forms of elemental carbon known to exist in nature?
Graphite, diamond, and Buckminsterfullerene (discovered by Rice's Richard Smalley in 1985).
Most people ascribe to one of two theories which explain the extinction of the dinosaurs. We are aware of three theories. Please summarize the extinction theory proposed by each of the following: Alvarez and Alvarez; Officer and Dracut; Larson.
Alvarez and Alvarez-- global cooling caused by catastrophic meteorite impact; Officer and Dracut-- global cooling caused by massive volcanic activity; Larson-- smoking.
We know that Marie Curie won 2 Nobel Prizes-- the prize for Physics in 1903, shared with her husband Pierre; and the prize for Chemistry in 1911. Who is the only person to win two UN-shared Nobel Prizes, and which award(s) did he/she win?
Linus Pauling; 1954 Chemistry & 1962 Peace.
As a finale to his career, which included three unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Presidency as a major party candidate, William Jenninsg Bryant assumed the role of prosecuting attorney for a case which put science on trial. What scientific debate was showcased in this trial?
Evolution vs. Creationism; it was the Scopes "Monkey Trial."
From what earlier computer language was the language C derived?
B, of course! (BCPL acceptable.)
According to the theory of Spontaneous Generation, how could someone create mice?
Leave a pile of hay/straw, grain, and soft rags in a stable, then come back later.
In a recent genetic engineering experiment, scientists introduced a gene into the common tobacco plant which caused it to create the compound luciferase. What did the addition of luciferase do to affect the tobacco plant, and where did the luciferase-causing gene originally come from?
Luciferase caused the plant to glow in the dark. The gene came from lightning bugs.
What caused the flaw in the primary mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope?
The machine used to check the progress of the grinding was getting an interference reflection from a piece of shiny metal rather than the mirror. (The shiny metal was a small setting screw whose black paint coating had chipped off.) This same instrument was then used again, to re-check the final mirror shape.
What does the acronym BASIC stand for?
Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.
The Michaelson-Morley Interferometry Experiment became famous for empirically demonstrating how light propagates. Unfortunately, Michaelson & Morley were disappointed with their experiment's results, and considered their effort a failure. What, specifically, had they been trying to prove?
That light was a wave, that it propagated through the "ether," and that light would travel slower when going upstream against the ether's flow, and faster when travelling with the flow of the ether.
Please also submit a Moebius strip along with your answers to this bonus.
A Moebius strip can easily be constructed by connecting a length of paper into a loop with Scotch tape, after having giving the paper a half-twist prior to connecting the ends.) SCIENCE (FICTION)
Who first postulated the existence of, and use for, the geosynchronous orbit?
Arthur C. Clarke.
What is James Joyce's contribution to modern particle physics?
He coined the word "quark."
Who was the first to explore the lands found at the center of the earth?
Arne Sarknussen.
What early 20th-century writer is credited with predicting the invention of: radar, skywriting, tape recorders, solar power, holograms, the fax machine, and aluminum foil?
Hugo Gernsback-- for whom the "Hugo" Award is named.
Please briefly explain what the follwoing do, and how they work:
Why is Ice-9 dangerous?
This form of ice freezes at approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, if dropped in any body of water cooler than 72 degrees (say, most oceans), the Ice-9 would cause that body to freeze as well.
In Heinlein's "And He Built a Crooked House," Homer Bailey spent some time chasing an intruder through Homer's radically-designed home. Who was the intruder, and why did the design of the house guarantee that the intruder would NEVER be caught?
Homer was chasing himself. He had built his house to be a three-dimensional projection of a four-dimensional cube. During an earthquake, the house had collapsed upon itself, thereby becoming truly four-dimensional.
The spice melange was consumed by Guild Steersmen so that they might then pilot Guild Spaceliners through interstellar space. What was it, exactly, that melange did to enhance the pilot's otherwise normal abilities? From the book, please, NOT the movie.
Melange made the steersmen prescient, allowing them to see into the future, and thus select the course that would ensure safe passage.
If you can, please tell us how sheep's bladders may be used to prevent earthquakes.
Best answer(s) get a point. Baaaaa!)