THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street      Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet
43.6667° N    70.2667° W  Altitude:  10 feet below sea level Founded
January 1970
2021-2022: CXI
"I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to
waste any of mine." -Neil Armstrong.

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, April 15, 2022
Quiz #26: All Too Human

_________________________________
Speaking of being all too human.
Correcting an error from yesterday.
Based on what some pilots have reported,
stars do become visible during the day from
an altitude of 80,000 - 100,000 feet.
I stand corrected and will be more mindful of
some of the sources I consult. Thank you to the DA subscribers who brought
this
error to my attention!
__________________________________

[image: vitruvian-man.jpg]

Good afternoon, my fellow ____________! Today's quiz pertains to us puny,
passionate, mad, magnificent, cruel, creative, historically nomadic, but
now often sedentary humans. While this would be a perfect time for a
splendidly sweet soliloquy about G-d-like apprehensions, angelic actions,
infinite faculties, and noble reason...

[image: -crazy-nfl-fans-Miami-Gorillas.jpg]

ahem...suffice it to say that humans are, well, largely beyond
description.   Our quiz contains questions about human population, human
bodies, human constructs and, well, human foibles.
And, yes, some would insist that those last two are generally one in the
same.

*1.  Our species' scientific name is: __________________.*
*(No choices)*

*2. As of today, Earth's human population is approximately*
a. 7.87 billion
b. 7.91 billion
c.  7.94 billion
d.  8.01 billion

*3. Please read the following statement:*

* "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air."*
*Let's assume you needed three seconds to read that quote by Ralph Waldo
Emerson.    Approximately how many babies were born during the time you
needed to read that quote?*
a. 6
b. 8
c. 13
d. 29

*4. An adult human consists approximately of how many cells?*
a.  13.2 trillion
b.  19.6 trillion
c.  25.5 trillion
d.  37.2 trillion

*5. Our species has been on this planet for approximately _______________
years.*
a. 110,000
b. 147,000
c.  250,000
d.  413,000

*6.  Here's something sweet for the incorrigible neat freak.  Each minute,
a human being sheds about ___________ skin cells.*
a. 5,000
b. 11,000
c. 18,000
d. 30,000

*7.  The human brain contains about __________ billion neurons.*
a. 30
b. 56
c. 74
d. 100

*8.  How high is the world's tallest skyscraper?  And, in which country is
it located?*
a.  1,776 ft;  USA
b.  2,227 ft; Malaysia
c.  2,717 ft; United Arab Emirates
d. 3,003 ft; China

*9. Humans represent _________% of the total biomass of our planet
(animals, plants, bacteria..all living things.)*
a.  0.01
b.  0.67
c.  1.12
d.  2.30

*10. This e-mail is one of ________________ that will be sent today.*
a.  875 million
b.  10.3 billion
c.  114 billion
d.  333 billion


ANSWERS

*1.  Our species' scientific name is: __________________.*
*(No choices)*
Homo sapiens

And, here's the list:
Species: Sapiens
Genus: Homo
Order: Primates
Class: Mammalia
Phylum:  Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

It can be further subdivided, of course, but we are limiting ourselves to
this basic classification.

*2. As of today, Earth's human population is approximately*
c.  7.94 billion
The human population is expected to reach the 8 billion mark next year!

*3. Please read the following statement:*

* "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air."*
*Let's assume you needed three seconds to read that quote by Ralph Waldo
Emerson.    Approximately how many babies were born during the time you
needed to read that quote?*
c. 13
Approximately 4.5 births per second.

*4. An adult human consists approximately of how many cells?*
d.  37.2 trillion

*5. Our species has been on this planet for approximately _______________
years.*
c.  250,000
This value has changed somewhat and will likely change again.
However, a quarter of a million years is still a workable approximation.

*6.  Here's something sweet for the incorrigible neat freak.  Each minute,
a human being sheds about ___________ skin cells.*
d. 30,000

*7.  The human brain contains about __________ billion neurons.*
d. 100
...but trillions upon trillions of connections!


*8.  How high is the world's tallest skyscraper?  And, in which country is
it located?*
c.  2,717 ft; United Arab Emirates
Feast your eyes on the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world.
[image: Burj_Khalifa.jpg]

Incidentally, One World Trade Center in New York City, America's tallest
building, ranks # 7 in the list of the world's highest skyscrapers.

*9. Humans represent _________% of the total biomass of our planet
(animals, plants, bacteria..all living things.)*
a.  0.01
A bit sobering....

*10. This e-mail is one of ________________ that will be sent today.*
d.  333 billion
Yowza!
Yes...but how many of them contain images of Miami Dolphin fans in gorilla
outfits?
No, actually, I don't need to know that answer.


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