SciOly Entry Test

[Anatomy & Physiology] Corpus callosum

Band of nerve fibers connecting left and right hemispheres of the brain

[Anatomy & Physiology] Medulla oblongata

Brainstem part that controls breathing and heartbeat

[Anatomy & Physiology] Steroid hormones

Act slowly because they alter gene transcription inside the nucleus

[Anatomy & Physiology] Retina

Layer of the eye containing rods and cones for detecting light

[Anatomy & Physiology] Liver

Digestive organ that produces bile and detoxifies blood

[Anatomy & Physiology] Sympathetic nervous system

Division that prepares the body for "fight or flight"

[Anatomy & Physiology] Myelin sheath

Insulates axons, increasing speed of signal conduction

[Disease Detectives] Case-control study

Observational study comparing diseased vs. healthy individuals to identify exposures

[Disease Detectives] Point source outbreak

Epidemic curve with sharp rise and fall due to single exposure event

[Disease Detectives] Biological gradient

Bradford Hill factor where risk increases with greater exposure

[Disease Detectives] Odds ratio (OR)

Statistic measuring association between exposure and disease in case-control studies

[Disease Detectives] Secondary prevention

Interventions like isolation to stop disease spread after exposure

[Disease Detectives] Cohort study

Follows groups over time to determine disease incidence

[Disease Detectives] Confounding variable

Factor that distorts the true relationship between exposure and outcome

[Entomology] Lampyridae

Beetle family known for bioluminescence (fireflies)

[Entomology] Formicidae

Hymenopteran family that includes ants

[Entomology] Lasiocampidae

Moth family that includes tent caterpillars

[Entomology] Culicidae

Mosquito family that spreads malaria and dengue

[Entomology] Aphididae

Hemipteran family known as honeydew-producing pests

[Entomology] Elytra

Hardened forewings that protect beetles' flying wings

[Entomology] Ommatidia

Individual units that make up compound eyes in insects

[Heredity] Linkage

Genes inherited together because they are close on the same chromosome

[Heredity] Autosomal dominant

Inheritance pattern with traits in every generation, affecting both sexes equally

[Heredity] Frameshift mutation

Genetic change caused by insertion/deletion not in multiples of 3 bases

[Heredity] RNA polymerase

Enzyme that binds promoters to start transcription

[Heredity] Chargaff's Rule

A = T and G ≡ C base-pairing rule in DNA

[Heredity] Punnett square

Diagram used to predict genotypic and phenotypic ratios

[Heredity] Epistasis

Interaction where one gene masks the effect of another

[Water Quality] Mayfly larvae

Macroinvertebrate indicator of excellent water quality

[Water Quality] Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Test that tracks organic waste by oxygen demand

[Water Quality] Purple loosestrife

Invasive plant species harmful to wetlands

[Water Quality] ±0.1 PSU

Required precision for salinometer testing

[Water Quality] Scuds and crane flies

Organisms suggesting good water quality in streams

[Water Quality] Eutrophication

Excess nutrients leading to algal blooms and low oxygen

[Water Quality] Nitrates

Nutrient pollutant often from fertilizer runoff

[Circuit Lab] Ohm's Law

Relationship between voltage, current, and resistance (V = IR)

[Circuit Lab] Kirchhoff's Laws

Governing rules for current and voltage in circuits

[Circuit Lab] Static electricity

Topic not emphasized in competition test rules

[Circuit Lab] Resistor color code

Method of identifying resistance value from colored bands

[Circuit Lab] Parallel circuit resistance

Always less than the smallest resistor value

[Circuit Lab] Power (P)

Product of current and voltage (P = IV)

[Circuit Lab] Multimeter

Device used to measure current, voltage, and resistance

[Crime Busters] Calcium carbonate

White powder that fizzes with HCl due to carbonate content

[Crime Busters] PS (Polystyrene)

Polymer not recyclable in this event

[Crime Busters] Ammonia

Most basic of the listed household liquids

[Crime Busters] Plant pigment

Chromatography dye soluble in alcohol

[Crime Busters] Arch fingerprint

Pattern with no delta present

[Crime Busters] Flame test: Copper

Produces a green flame

[Crime Busters] Iodine fuming

Chemical method to reveal latent fingerprints

[Hovercraft] Cushion pressure

Main factor that determines hovercraft lift

[Hovercraft] Smaller skirt hole

Increases lift efficiency by reducing air loss

[Hovercraft] Doubling mass

Requires doubling air pressure to maintain lift height

[Hovercraft] Payload shift

Common cause of efficiency loss during hovercraft operation

[Hovercraft] Propeller pitch

Angle of blades that controls thrust and efficiency

[Hovercraft] Air leakage

Reduces cushion pressure and decreases performance

[Machines] Mechanical advantage (MA)

Ratio of load force to effort force

[Machines] Compound pulley with 4 strands

Ideal mechanical advantage of 4

[Machines] Efficiency

Ratio of actual MA to ideal MA

[Machines] Friction

Reduces efficiency of machines but not IMA

[Machines] Lever arm

Distance from fulcrum to applied force in a lever

[Machines] Work

Product of force and distance moved in the direction of force

[Machines] Screw

Simple machine that converts rotational force into linear force

[Potions & Poisons] Hydrogen peroxide

Decomposes to release oxygen gas as disinfectant

[Potions & Poisons] Ricin

Toxin that blocks ribosomes, halting protein synthesis

[Potions & Poisons] Mercury

Metal toxin that bioaccumulates in predators

[Potions & Poisons] NaCl solution

Strong electrolyte with no precipitate with Na₂SO₄

[Potions & Poisons] Diffusion

Main process spreading CuSO₄ in river water

[Potions & Poisons] Bufotoxin

Toxin secreted by toads affecting the heart

[Potions & Poisons] LD50

Dose required to kill 50% of test organisms

[Dynamic Planet] Density differences

Main driver of thermohaline circulation

[Dynamic Planet] Global conveyor circulation

Initiated by deep water formation in polar seas

[Dynamic Planet] Spit

Coastal feature formed by deposition

[Dynamic Planet] Continental slope

Steep slope at edge of continents

[Dynamic Planet] El Niño

Climate cycle warming tropical Pacific waters

[Dynamic Planet] Ekman transport

Net movement of surface water due to wind and Coriolis

[Dynamic Planet] Abyssal plain

Flat deep-ocean floor feature

[Meteorology] Cirrostratus

High cloud type that produces halos around the sun or moon

[Meteorology] Maritime polar air

Colder and moister than continental polar air

[Meteorology] Santa Ana winds

Warm downslope winds affecting California

[Meteorology] Freezing rain

Precipitation formed by warm layer aloft over freezing surface

[Meteorology] LCL (lifting condensation level)

Height where temperature equals dew point

[Meteorology] Station model

Compact weather diagram with temperature, pressure, wind, etc.

[Meteorology] Jet stream

Narrow band of strong upper-level winds guiding weather systems

[Remote Sensing] Multispectral sensor

Best for detecting chlorophyll in plants

[Remote Sensing] Polar-orbiting satellite

Best for tracking long-term deforestation

[Remote Sensing] Calibration

Process of correcting sensor and atmospheric errors

[Remote Sensing] High NDVI

Indicates dense vegetation cover

[Remote Sensing] Oil spill

Common cause of sudden coastal temperature changes detected by satellites

[Remote Sensing] LiDAR

Sensor that measures elevation and topography with lasers

[Remote Sensing] False color image

Uses non-visible wavelengths to highlight features

[Rocks & Minerals] Dolomite

Mineral that fizzes with HCl only when powdered

[Rocks & Minerals] Biotite

Mineral that crystallizes last in discontinuous series of Bowen's Reaction

[Rocks & Minerals] Sandstone

Clastic rock made of well-sorted, rounded quartz grains

[Rocks & Minerals] Schist vs. gneiss

Differ mainly by degree of foliation

[Rocks & Minerals] Glassy texture

Igneous texture from extremely rapid cooling

[Rocks & Minerals] Hardness test

Measure of resistance to scratching (Mohs scale)

[Rocks & Minerals] Cleavage

Tendency of a mineral to break along flat planes

[Solar System] Jupiter infrared glow

Caused by Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction

[Solar System] Transit method

Detects planets by dips in starlight brightness

[Solar System] Wien's Law

Determines peak wavelength and color of a star