1 Vitamins are organic
micronutrients essential
to the functioning of an
organism’s metabolism.
How many are humans
generally considered to need?
2 Which vitamin, also known
as cobalamin, is essential
to the functioning of the
nervous system and
generally only found in
animal-derived foods?
3 The synthesis of
cholecalciferol in the skin
on exposure to UVB
radiation is one way humans
acquire which vitamin?
4 Which disease, with
effects on the cardiovascular
and nervous systems, is
associated with a deficiency
of vitamin B1, or thiamine?
5 A spinach, red pepper,
grapefruit and parsley
smoothie would hugely
boost your intake of
which vitamin?Answers below52 | New Scientist | 8 February 2020
The back pages Puzzles
Cryptic crossword #24 Set by Wingding Quick quiz #37 Puzzle set by Rob Eastaway
#45 Beetles on a clothes line
Peg beetles are a rare species with rather
odd behaviour. As any peg beetle expert
will know, these beetles always walk at
1 metre per minute, and when two beetles
meet, they immediately reverse direction.
Six peg beetles are on a 2-metre-long
clothes line, some walking left to rightand others right to left (as the diagram
shows). As we join the action, beetle A
is at the left-hand end of the line and
walking towards the right, while beetle F
is at the right-hand end, walking left.
When a beetle reaches the end of the
clothes line, it drops off onto the ground.
Which two beetles will be the last
to drop off the clothes line, and how
long will it be before that happens?Answer next week#44 Elevator pitch
Solution
In a lift accelerating upwards, neither the
helium balloon nor the ice cube move at all.
The spider does move down, however.Anything floating, as Archimedes postulated,
is subject to an upwards buoyancy force
equal to the weight of the displaced fluid.
Gravity, as Einstein explained, cannot be
distinguished from acceleration so
everything feels heavier in the accelerating
lift, including the water, ice cube, helium
and air. The spider also feels heavier and
so the silk it hangs from has to stretch,
by Hooke’s law.Quick
crossword #50
AnswersACROSS 1 Eureka, 4 Itchweed,
10 Cyberpunk, 11 Xylem,
12 Dodo, 13 Meningitis,
14 Neutron, 16 Etna,
19 Mons, 21 Allheal,
24 Metropolis, 25 Germ,
27 Sci-fi, 28 Parkinson,
29 Skeleton, 30 SkidooDOWN 1 Encoding, 2 Rubidium,
3 Kirk, 5 Tektite, 6 Hexagonal,
7 Eolith, 8 Demist,
9 Tune in, 15 Rhodolite,
17 Reversed, 18 Flamingo,
20 Scorpio, 21 Aviary,
22 Emesis, 23 Strike, 26 DickQuick quiz #37
AnswersThirteen: vitamins A, 1B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7,B9, B12, C, D, E and KVitamin B12 2Vitamin D 3Beriberi 4Vitamin C. By mass, parsley 5has almost three times as muchvitamin C as fresh orange juice ACROSS
1/4/16 This year, plan to get
good eyesight (6,6,6)
4 See 1 Across
9 Extreme weather damaged
a pet, cutting off its tail (7)
10 Slimy creatures have
information about
Tory leader (5)
11 Space explorers initially
lost in a cavity (5)
12 Come before 2 April
and go back (7)
13 Disappointing about
climate activist taking time
to be around loved one (11)18 Back in here, get nine
or 10, perhaps (7)
20/23 Beautiful woman
getting right into spiritual
leader and astronaut (5,7)
22 Emotional, I speed (5)
23 See 20 Across
24 Two ants at sea,
swimming (6)
25 Drug user’s phlogiston
eradicated partially (6)Answers and the next quick crossword next week.DOWN
1 Tweets annoy intermittently,
causing muscle spasm (6)
2 Makes headless carnivore
stand on poles (5)
3 Short sea bird eating
marsh bird in caravan (7)
5 Grimace, seeing carbon
in drink (5)
6 See 19 Down
7 Spooner’s predicament:
money makes people
unwilling to say no (3-3)
8 Make digital customer
pie mixture (11)14 Distillation of additional
cat extremities (7)
15 Goya the artist hiding
under the surface (2,5)
16 See 1 Across
17 More stupid and mad to
lose second resistor (6)
19/6 Developed renewed
angle on plan to tackle
climate change (5,3,4)
21 Gents toilet heard above,
in space (5)Get in touch
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