Friday, December 18, 2015

18 Dec, 2015: Day 8

Question 1:
What industry is the primary user of perchloroethylene, a chemical that researchers at Boston University have linked to mental illness, like bipolar disorder? Answer: dry cleaners.


Full disclosure: my cousin ran a dry cleaner for number of years and I wrote a paper describing an alternate use of PERC. For the uninitiated, perchloroethylene uses is a quick way of resolving the question. FYI, it's known as tetrachloroethylene or tetrachloroethene, depending on what bottle you are reaching for.

Question 2:
What Frankish ruler is associated with the Carolingian Renaissance? Answer: Charlemagne.


It's hard not to remember a ruler who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope on Christmas Day, 800 C.E. but I paid attention in world history class, I'm a geek like that. Getting to the information just as fast just type Carolingian Renaissance into the search field. You have to do some digging, but the answer is contained on one of the results on the first page.

Question 3:
Whose likeness reportedly served as the artist's inspiration for the figure of Plato in "The School of Athens"? Answer: Leonardo da Vinci.


This is one of several paintings they teach in art school, this painted by the master Raphael. If you look up this painting in Wikipedia you'll come up with the same answer.

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