7 May 2022 | New Scientist | 53The back pages Puzzles
Quick quiz #150
1 Name the only astronaut who went to
space with NASA’s Mercury, Gemini and
Apollo missions.2 What scale is used to measure an
individual’s level of consciousness after
a brain injury?3 What name is given to the last stage
of an insect’s metamorphosis?4 Which substance, also known as china
clay, is essential to the manufacture of
china and porcelain?5 Which naturalist expanded Linnaean
taxonomy by grouping classes of living
things into phyla?Answers on page 55Puzzle
set by Holly Biming
#166 The week linkIn the Zordik language, the seven days of the
week start with Ardik (Monday). The other
days are Bordik, Curdik, Deldik, Endik, Fordik
and Gandik, but not exactly in that order.In her Zordik class, teacher Miss Taik
asked the students to recite the days in
order, starting with Ardik. Sven called
them out in alphabetical order.“You got three in the right place,” said
the teacher. “Kim, you have a go.”“Deldik, Bordik, Ardik, Curdik, Endik,
Gandik and Fordik.”“Three right again. Help them, Raki.”“Gandik, Deldik, Curdik, Bordik, Ardik,
Fordik and Endik.”“Unbelievable – you only got three
right as well. Still, you now have all the
information you need to work out the
days of the week in order.”What are they?Solution next weekQuick crossword #107 Set by Richard Smyth
Scribble
zoneAnswers and
the next cryptic
crossword
next week ACROSS
1 Able to move independently (6)
4 The ___ , 1965 sci-fi story collection
by Stanisław Lem (8)
9 Judge ___ , law enforcement officer
in Mega-City One (5)
10 Hardening of tissue (9)
11 3D solid with six square faces (4)
12 Mackerel shark that may be shortfin or longfin (4)
13 Carnivorous African mammal (5)
15 Deposit or sediment (7)
16 River barrier (4)
19 Ne (4)
20 Yuri ___ , Soviet cosmonaut (7)
23 Informal name of social networking
service launched in 2010 (5)
24 Relating to a digestive orifice (4)
25 Collaboratively edited online
information resource (4)
27 Dye derived from the beetle
Dactylopius coccus (9)
28 Adult form (5)
29 Enzyme that catalyses proteolysis (8)
30 Plant also known as sweet chervil
or garden myrrh (6)DOWN
1 US federal health insurance
programme (8)
2 1989 sci-fi film directed by
James Cameron (3,5)
3 Ore deposit (4)
5 Insectivorous migratory bird,
Motacilla flava (6,7)
6 Humans, perhaps (10)
7 Part of the foot (6)
8 Of a body part, not proximal (6)
10 Arcade game released in 1978 (5,8)
14 Stimulating hormone (10)
17 Supply with water, agriculturally (8)
18 Sb (8)
21 Convulsion of the diaphragm (6)
22 Prefix denoting a relation
to the mind (6)
26 Flightless bird of New Zealand (4)Our crosswords are now solvable online
newscientist.com/crosswords