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August Kekulé’s student Emil Fischer won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902 for his work on sugar and purine syntheses. His enduring legacy is the idea for a body to standardise what was then considered a constant of nature. This was accomplished by the CIAAW - Commission on Isotopic Abundances and ______ _______ (6,7). What did Fischer help standardise? (6,7). The second blank is in plural form.
The earliest reference to the "@" symbol in book-keeping is in a 16th century letter sent by a Florentine merchant documenting the arrival of ships from the New World. Here, the symbol represents what unit of measure of liquids and grains based on the capacity of the namesake jar originating from Ancient Greece?
Dhruv Nath’s The Earnicons (2024) uncovers the secrets behind India’s profitable unicorns. Which fantasy sports platform founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth is the subject of the third chapter of The Earnicons? It won the title sponsorship rights for the 2020 IPL season after Vivo pulled out.
Which avatar of Vishnu titles the Demonic Resurrection song with a stanza where the devas and asuras sing this together: "come, my brothers, all our strength we will unite, for the common good of all, let us churn with all our might"? Vishnu takes a form to keep Mt. Meru from sinking during the churning.
What idiom names a dish featuring various legumes cooked in a creamy sauce, that is tipped onto a plate? The chef fittingly shared the secret to preparing this dish.
Identify this show about a tragedy that took place at Uphaar Cinema in Delhi due to construction code violations. Its three-word title is an idiom used for a difficult challenge that tests one's abilities under pressure.
What type of wool is a spun variant of the cashmere wool, obtained from a namesake species of goat in the Kashmir valley? Its name literally means "wool" in Persian, finding use primarily in the Kashmir shawls - a hallmark product of the area.
The protagonist of this popular miniseries by Harlan Coben goes through her nanny cam footage and discovers that her husband, who was presumed dead, visiting their daughter. What is the show’s title (4,2,4), the first three words in a proverb about getting deceived? It is typically followed by the words “shame on you”.
Which island served as Hergé's primary inspiration for the island of Pulau-Pulau Bomba in Flight 714 to Sydney? The third largest island in the world, this biodiversity-rich location is home to the proboscis monkey. Hergé accurately depicts the location of this island in the Celebes Sea, but the volcanic eruption triggered by Rastapopoulos would be unlikely as the island consists of primarily extinct volcanoes.
Jakob Toretto is a character introduced in the last Fast and Furios movie, F9, as the estranged brother of Dominic and Mia Toretto. Which wrestler cum actor portrays Jakob Toretto, also seen recently in the TV show Peacemaker?
Which state was introduced at the 2024 Democratic Convention with a 2006 song by Dropkick Murphys? The song gained worldwide attention for its use in the film The Departed.
While composing music for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, Hans Zimmer read a 1979 book for inspiration. The book, which explored the common themes in the lives of three people, combined the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music. Which book?
What type of salt-cured pork belly meat is typically found in a rolled form in Northern Italy? Deriving its name from an Italian diminutive for "belly", the Calabrian variety has a protected designation of origin status. It is widely used for pasta carbonara instead of the traditional guanciale.
This .38-calibre Beretta pistol saw action during Italy's invasion of Abyssinia when it was taken by an officer of a British colony as a war trophy. Who wielded this weapon, before being tackled by Herbert Reiner Jr., a vice-consul at the newly set up American embassy in an Asian capital?
Which plant represents May in hanafuda, with its name referring to the wide variety of rainbow colours found among the flowers of its species? Besides the lily, the flowers of this plant are also believed to be the flora seen in the fleur-de-lis.
Megan Thee Stallion is cosplaying as Jolyne Cujoh from which manga-turned-anime series here? The series is divided into a total of nine story arcs, each following a new protagonist bearing the same titular nickname as they battle supernatural forces in different time points.
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is given for inspiring public space projects. In 2006, it was awarded to the "Sea Organ" which uses waves to produce music in which city? Once part of the Venetian Republic, this coastal Dalmatian city’s old, fortified walls are inscribed as part of "Venetian Walls of Defense", a UNESCO WHS.
While Wordle was acquired by the New York Times in January 2022, July saw Spotify acquiring a variant where one must guess a song by listening to up to 16 seconds of it. What is its name?
"Heerz" is a genus of braconid wasps in the family Braconidae, found in Mexico and Central America. There are at least 4 described species belonging to the genus, two of which were named by Paul Marsh, a biologist overly fond of puns. When combined with the genus name 'heerz', the full name of Marsh's favourite species makes reference to WHICH LINE from a 1942 classic film?
Which 1860s literary work, another popular choice on Desert Island Discs, did its author describe as "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle?" The image shows the cover of the first English translations from 1889 and one of the 1890s illustrations of the book by Leonid Pasternak.
Which artist's obsession with mirrors began in 1962 with the exhibit titled "Phalli's Field"? While attempting to create a hallucinatory sense of phallic surfaces, she sewed thousands of graphic tubers and turned them into furniture, but found the labour too intensive. The use of mirrors allowed her to overcome this labour challenge to get a sense of repetition. One can book a viewing of this in many galleries, the most famous of which is at London's Tate.
Who lends his name to this video game released by Treyarch in 2002? Often regarded as the greatest ever professional in his sport, he has also played a recurring character on Baywatch.
In the books, this character's fencing master, Syrio Forel, reacts favorably to her left-handedness because fighting left-handed will reverse her stance and movements, thereby potentially confusing her opponents. Which character that has a critical role in the finale of the TV series inspired by the books?
Who is this South Korean footballer? This Wolverhampton Wanderers forward scored the decisive goal in his nation’s win vs. Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
WHAT TITLE was bestowed upon the Emperors of the Mali Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries? The title translates to 'Emperor' in the Mandinka language and was famously used by one of the richest people to have ever graced our planet, the emperor Musa.
Hayastan is the name in the local language of which country referencing Hayk, the name of the legendary patriarch and founder of the nation? His story is told in the country's central history book attributed to Movses Khorenatsi and/or Sebeos.
According to the Zoroastrian account, Ahriman tries to destroy the world with a drought. Who foils this plan by shooting an arrow into a rock, from which a flood springs resulting in one man surviving with his cattle? This friendly deity is the god of covenant, light, oath, justice and the sun.
Which country's passport offers one a virtual journey across the country's 26 subdivisions? It seamlessly blends advanced security features while aesthetically depicting the peaks, tranquil valleys, and idyllic waterbodies that dot its picturesque terrain.
_____ (5), a staple of East Europe, is a pancake made from wheat or buckwheat flour and served with butter, caviar and other garnishes. Name it (5). A similar version in Ukraine is called mlyntsi.
GDP has faced widespread criticism from various economists as an insufficient measure of welfare. In the 1970s, Bodhisattva Druk Gyelpo, the 4th King of Bhutan, replaced GDP with what alternative measure of welfare that values the non-economic aspects of wellbeing to measure the nation's progress? While detailed, it has also faced criticism in lieu of its overt bent on spirituality and prayers. A 3-letter acronym will be accepted.
This Ken Burns documentary is about which American artist, a pioneer of the regionalist movement whose works were dismissed as "okie baroque" by his detractors? His most famous pupil, Jackson Pollock, borrowed the hard-drinking hillbilly image from this artist but would embrace Abstract Expressionism - diametrically opposite to this artist's typical style of figurative / landscape art.
In 1928, WHO was named the TIME Person Of The Year for overseeing a merger of his eponymous automobile company with Dodge, before starting construction on an Art Deco skyscraper in Manhattan in a bid to become the world's tallest building?
Sabrina named the extended version of her track as “Espressooooo” but Vulture suggested in its article that what type of coffee drink would have been a better choice? Popularised by soldiers of a certain country in Italy, it is prepared by diluting an espresso shot with hot water at a 1:3 to 1:4 ratio.
This type of gate in a fortification is embedded between two inward-angled exterior walls, and those trying to enter it would find themselves on a sunken road and prone to attack from both sides. What is this gate called (6), named after a military manoeuvre that shares its name with a part of an arthropod that enables it to attack other creatures?
In Team Fortress 2, what achievement is given to players who kill 10 Snipers that are using 'The Classic' rifle? It is a two-word term used to refer to cylindrical training equipment that is generally filled with sand and hung from a ceiling. In slang, it can refer to a person who is severely criticised or ridiculed as a way for other people to express their feelings.
The frontispiece of Elsa Schiaparelli's autobiography, A Shocking Life, features her favourite painting Birds in a Cage by which artist? She also designed a pair of gloves, inspired by this artist's painting on hands that resembled a glove.
In season 6 of Taskmaster, one of the tasks involved comedian Tim Vine having to create an outfit from items he could get from a stationery store. He creates this outfit, largely consisting of pictures of trains, which he dubs a _____ ____ (5,4). What name? (5,4) It shares its name with an outfit favoured by joggers.
Film scenes of the Kingdom of Rohan are often accompanied by a specific background theme. This music is played on an eight- or nine-stringed instrument that was traditionally used for giving music to dances and bridal processions. Which instrument is this, considered to be the national instrument of Norway?
This panel from David Squires' book depicts the anatomy of a manager whose unfortunate 44 day stint at the helm of Leeds United is one of the shortest in club history. Which manager, who would go on to win the European Cup back to back?
Stephen Sondheim is among the greats of 20th century musical theatre, who passed away a few weeks back. Madonna's 1990 number, Sooner or Later, was one among the five original scores written by Sondheim for a movie that would go on to fetch him his only Academy Award win. WHICH WARREN BEATY was this written for, adapted from a 1930s comic strip about the namesake detective who uses forensic science and advanced gadgetry to catch criminals?
Country Code Top-Level Domains (CC TLD) is the domain assigned to each country on the internet. For example, India has ".in" as its CC TLD. The chemical element with atomic number 12, an alkaline earth metal commonly used in alloys with aluminium, has a chemical symbol that is the internet domain (CC TLD) for which large island nation?
The 1965 movie Shakespeare Wallah had a musical score written by which celebrated Indian? He is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and is celebrated for works such as The Music Room (1958) and The Big City (1963).
This influential 1968 George Romero film is credited with giving birth to the Zombie Apocalypse. Before it, zombies were usually depicted as creatures of voodoo who obeyed their masters. Romero chose not to give an explanation for their existence at all, save that they were reanimated corpses with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Which movie?
Famous amongst battle taunts is the laconic phrase attributed to Leonidas I, king of the Spartans on the eve of the Battle of Thermopylae in the 5th century BC. The exchange between Leonidas and Xerxes I of the Persians happened in writing. Xerxes had written numerous times already, and the last message was simply "Hand over your arms." How did Leonidas respond? You can give us the English translation, or the original Greek for imaginary extra credit.
Identify the two sports that were combined to form this hybrid sport. It involves players on horseback using a cane or fibreglass stick with a loose, thread net to score goals by throwing the ball between the opposing team's goal posts.
Identify this breed of former war-horse, now typically raised for shows and riding. It originates from an autonomous community of Spain with Santiago de Compostela as its capital. It is in turn named for the Celtic people who inhabited the area until it was annexed by Roman Empire in 19 BC.
The title of which hugely influential 2015 album was explained by the artist in the following way? "I just really wanted to show the brightness of life and the word '[BLANK 1]' has so much aggression", and also "not being [BLANK 1]-ed by the industry through my celebrity." He was attracted to the idea of the juxtaposing the aggressive word [BLANK 1] with the innocence of the word [BLANK 2].
Heide Hatry mixes a certain substance along with charcoal and glue to create these personalised portraits of deceased subjects, to embody and preserve each individual's spirits. What material does she use for these works?
Non-binary actor Sabrina Wu plays Mx. Cassidy Geoffrey, a substitute teacher in which mockumentary sitcom? Geoffrey's unorthodox methods in the classroom lead Janine and Melissa to believe they are faking their teacher's qualifications.
Considered to be a sacred and potent symbol for good luck, which insect was a common symbol in Ancient Egyptian amulets? Its nice proportions lent itself to a symbol of the rising sun and became a symbol adopted by many political entities in Ancient Egypt.
Which type of a geometric shape is derived from a Greek word meaning “stirred up or hoed up”? When a piece of the ground was stirred up, the surface would become uneven, and this was later associated with the Greek word. It is also the name of a group of three muscles in the neck that are of unequal length.
Ian Hill has never betrayed this British heavy metal band, serving as its only continuous member and bassist since 1969. Which band, that made its breakthrough with the 1980 album ‘British Steel’?
Named for the mountain ridges in the Mexican state of Hidalgo where it was originally cultivated, this small, fiery chilli pepper is commonly used fresh in salsas and sauces. What is it called?
Which 2020 TV series (8,3) features Kaya Scodelario as a young ice skater, going around in circles managing her bipolar disorder in order to prevent her career from ________ ___ (8,3)? It was cancelled by Netflix after its pilot season.
This programming language, named after a painter, takes images as input instead of the usual text. The images, consisting of 20 solid colours are remarkably similar to the abstract works of the artist who drew blocks of primary colours on a white background often separated by black lines. Which programming language?
The song Naatu Naatu from the Telugu epic RRR won the Best Original Song award at the 95th Academy Awards. The song features a 6/8 beat, but which national instrument of Pakistan has been used for percussion? MM Keervani used this instrument to portray the rustic sound of traditional folk songs of Indian villages. Bollywood fans might remember it in the hands of Rishi Kapoor in a 1979 song with Jaya Prada.
In the USA, an area called “The Wedge” was created at the end of the Mason-Dixon survey in the 1760s due to shortcomings of the survey techniques available until that point. Having remained a contested land till 1921, it was eventually handed to one of three states it was contested by. Identify any of the three that this area is enclosed by.
"Tifos" are displays unveiled by fans of football clubs at their home games to share a message or mock their opponents. In 2012, during a fierce Superclásico, the fans of which football club displayed an inflatable pig dressed in their opponent's colours to mock the latter's apparently smelly neighbourhood, a mere 15 km from their own?
Identify this type of jewellery clasp (7), consisting of a spring-loaded mechanism that opens a metal gate, allowing it to hook onto a ring. It is named for its resemblance to the “crusher” or “pincher” claw of a popular edible crustacean.
The 1913 painting Fate of the Animals is one of the best-known works by which German artist who died in 1916 at the Battle of Verdun? Contrasting the peaceful, colourful depiction of animals seen in his other works, the artist later described them as a "premonition of this war – horrible and shattering."
The Habitable Zone is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure. About 20% of discovered exoplanets are in the habitable zones of their respective stars. What is the popular name for this zone, an allusion to a 19th century English fairy tale, so named because this zone is neither too hot nor too cold for the presence of life?
Who inspired the character Confoundtheirpolitix in the 2016 Asterix novel Asterix and the Missing Scroll? This novel was based on the concept of free information, which should be plenty of a hint in getting to the answer.
The tail of the Air India Express aircraft VT-BXM depicts what GI-tagged handloom technique featuring fine gold or silver thread (zari) woven onto borders on white or off-white cotton and silk fabrics? Native to Kerala, this technique is used for sarees and mundu (dhoti) worn for festivals.
This majority state-owned British banking and insurance holding company, based in Edinburgh, have subsidiaries such as the National Westminster Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland. Before the 2008 financial collapse, the group was briefly the largest bank in the world, and for a period was the fifth-largest in the world by market capitalisation. WHICH banking group is this, that might invoke fond memories for Indian sports fans?