Nature's Extremes & Scientific Breakthroughs Trivia Word Search

Sound cannot travel through this: the near-total absence of matter found in outer space.

The chemical symbol for this life-essential liquid is H2O.

This distant object, once considered the ninth planet, was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

A slow-moving mass of dense ice, formed over long periods of snow accumulation, is called this.

Alexander Fleming's accidental 1928 discovery of an antibiotic mold gave us this drug: Peni'_ _ _ _ _ _.'

This ancient, horseshoe-shaped arthropod has existed largely unchanged for 400 million years and has blue blood used in medical testing: Horseshoe '_ _ _ _.'

A region of spacetime with gravity so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape is called a black '_ _ _ _.'

This natural phenomenon, caused by sunlight refracting through raindrops, produces a multicolored arc in the sky.

This gemstone, formed from extreme heat and pressure on carbon, is the hardest known natural material.

This colorful, dancing light display near the polar regions is caused by solar particles hitting the atmosphere.

This three-letter molecule carries the genetic instructions for all known living organisms.

This towering California tree species includes the tallest living trees on Earth.

This natural satellite phenomenon occurs when Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon.

A biological molecule that speeds up chemical reactions in living things is called this.

The leading scientific theory for how the universe began is called the Big '_ _ _ _.'

This physicist developed the theory of relativity, including E=mc².

Large biomolecules made of amino acid chains, essential for nearly every bodily function, are called this.

This South American rodent, often kept as a pet, is the largest living rodent in the world.

This largest planet in the solar system is a gas giant with a Great Red Spot storm.

The reticulated species of this legless reptile is the world's longest snake.

This second planet from the sun is the hottest in the solar system due to its thick atmosphere.

This scientist won Nobel Prizes in two different sciences — physics and chemistry: Marie '_ _ _ _ _.'

This flowering plant, native to Indonesia, produces the largest single flower in the world and smells of rotting flesh.

The scale most commonly used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake is named after this seismologist.

This tropical cyclone, called a typhoon in the Pacific, is fueled by warm ocean water.

This fungus, found underground and prized by chefs, can sell for thousands of dollars per pound.

This innermost layer of Earth is a solid ball of iron and nickel despite extreme heat.

Earth's only natural satellite, visible at night, is simply called this.

This fourth planet from the sun is nicknamed the "Red Planet" for its rusty, iron-oxide surface.

This lightest and most abundant element in the universe powers stars through fusion.

Kitti's hog-nosed species of this flying mammal is the smallest in the world by body length.

This violent, rapidly rotating column of air, common in the central US, can level buildings in seconds.

This ringed planet is the second-largest in the solar system.

This tropical plant produces the world's largest seed, weighing up to 40 pounds.

This precious yellow metal does not tarnish or corrode, making it valuable for millennia.

A tiny species of this insect-eating mammal, the Etruscan, is considered the smallest land mammal by weight.

The largest animal ever to exist on Earth is the Blue '_ _ _ _ _.'

This lizard can rotate its eyes independently and change color to match its mood or surroundings.

This tallest grass in the world can grow up to 3 feet in a single day.

This nearly indestructible microscopic creature, able to survive the vacuum of space, is nicknamed the water '_ _ _ _.'

This English physicist and mathematician formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

This long-necked African mammal is the tallest living land animal.

This naturalist developed the theory of evolution by natural selection after his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

This layer of Earth beneath the crust is made of slowly flowing, semi-molten rock.

This Australian marsupial sleeps up to 22 hours a day, largely due to its low-nutrient eucalyptus diet.

The basic physical unit of heredity, made of DNA, is called this.

This Australian mammal is one of only a few that lay eggs instead of giving live birth.

This deep-sea fish family uses a glowing lure dangling from its head to attract prey in total darkness.

This carnivorous plant snaps shut on insects that trigger tiny hairs on its leaves: Venus '_ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

This eight-armed sea creature has three hearts and blue-colored blood.

This African beetle is one of the heaviest insects on Earth, weighing over three ounces as a larva.

This amphibian can breathe through its skin as well as its lungs.

This South American rainforest, the world's largest, produces roughly a fifth of the planet's oxygen.

This invisible force, described by Newton's laws, pulls objects toward one another.

This slow-moving reptile holds the record for longest-lived land animal, with some individuals over 190 years old.

This Arctic whale is nicknamed the "unicorn of the sea" for its long, spiraled tusk.

Single-celled microorganisms, some helpful and some harmful, found almost everywhere on Earth are called this.

The largest living structure on Earth, visible from space off Australia's coast, is the Great Barrier '_ _ _ _.'

This lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal is the most abundant metal in Earth's crust.

The preserved remains or traces of an ancient organism, often found in rock, are called this.

The first vaccine ever developed, by Edward Jenner in 1796, protected against this deadly disease.

A long period of significant temperature drop across the Earth is called an Ice '_ _ _.'

This colorful crustacean can throw one of the fastest, most powerful punches in the animal kingdom: the Mantis '_ _ _ _ _ _.'

A massive, gravitationally bound system of stars, gas, and dust — like our own Milky Way — is called this.

This element, essential for human respiration, makes up about 21% of Earth's atmosphere.

This hormone, discovered in 1921, regulates blood sugar and is used to treat diabetes.

A layer of gas high in Earth's atmosphere that blocks most harmful ultraviolet radiation is called the '_ _ _ _ _' layer.

This big cat is the fastest land animal, capable of speeds over 60 mph in short bursts.

A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment together form this.

A massive object from space, believed to have triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs, is this.

The basic signaling cell of the nervous system, which transmits electrical impulses, is called this.

This lightweight noble gas, lighter than air, is used to make balloons float.

Earth's crust is broken into large, slowly shifting pieces called tectonic '_ _ _ _ _ _.'

This big cat is the only one that can roar but cannot purr, unlike smaller cats.

This element forms the chemical basis of all known life on Earth.

This insect can lift objects many times its own body weight, proportionally among the strongest animals alive.

This liquid metal is the only metal that's liquid at room temperature, once used in thermometers.

This burrowing African mammal's name means "earth pig" in Afrikaans.

This marine mammal has the largest brain of any animal on Earth, even larger than an elephant's — it's also known by an older whaling-era nickname.

This absolute-zero-based temperature scale is named after a British physicist.

This large flightless African bird is both the largest bird and the fastest running bird alive.

The green species of this South American snake is the world's heaviest, especially after a big meal.

This diving bird of prey is the fastest animal on Earth, reaching over 240 mph in a hunting dive.

These extinct reptiles dominated Earth for over 150 million years before disappearing.

A microscopic infectious agent, smaller than bacteria and unable to reproduce without a host cell, is called this.

This ancient tree species, found in California's White Mountains, includes individuals over 4,800 years old: Bristle'_ _ _ _' pine.

This Italian astronomer improved the telescope and provided key evidence for a sun-centered solar system.

An opening in Earth's crust that releases molten rock, ash, and gases is called this.

This bird species undertakes the longest known migration of any animal, flying pole to pole each year.

This Antarctic seabird cannot fly but is an exceptional swimmer, some species diving over 500 meters deep.

This scale, based on water's freezing point at 0 degrees and boiling point at 100, is used by most of the world.

This tropical bird is instantly recognizable by its oversized, colorful beak.

This trunk-bearing mammal is the largest living land animal.

This Mexican salamander can regenerate entire limbs, and even parts of its brain and heart.

This nocturnal bird of prey can rotate its head up to 270 degrees to see behind itself.