Deinococcus radiodurans has been listed as the world’s toughest bacterium in The Guinness Book of World Records because of its extraordinary resistance to extreme conditions. It is the most radioresistant organism known to science and is able to rapidly repair damage to its genome. Many question how such a resilient bacterium could evolve on Earth, and some have suggested that the organism is actually of Martian origin. How do they propose the bacterium came to this planet? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The hand cannon, which dates back to the late 13th century, was the first handheld portable firearm. The origin of the weapon is widely disputed, and a number of groups, including the Arabs, Chinese, Mongols, and Europeans, claim credit for its invention. Though the hand cannon lacked accuracy and was fairly unwieldy, its armor-penetrating capabilities eventually brought the simple weapon to the forefront of European warfare. How were hand cannons fired? 
The Yezidi, or Yazidi, are members of a syncretistic religion that developed during the 12th century and mingles folk traditions with the beliefs and practices of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. According to Yezidi tradition, the world is under the care of 7 Holy Beings, or Angels. Preeminent among these is Melek Taus, or the Peacock Angel, leader of the archangels and a demiurge whose tears of repentance quenched the fires of hell. Why do some people believe the Yezidi are devil worshippers? 
A pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits radiation in narrow beams focused by the star’s magnetic field. Because the pulsar’s magnetic poles do not align with the poles of its rotational axis, the beams sweep around like the beacon of a lighthouse and are thus observed on Earth as short, regular pulses. Some scientists initially suggested that extraterrestrial civilizations were the source of the strange signals and thus dubbed the first pulsar LGM-1, which is an acronym for what? 
These marsupials are generally found in the rainforests and mountainous regions of New Guinea and Queensland. They are related to the kangaroos endemic to Australia, with whom they share many similar features, including their large hind legs and long, narrow feet. In contrast to the kangaroo, however, these macropods live in trees, have the ability to move their hind legs independently of one another, and leap great distances from tree to tree. How far can a tree-kangaroo jump? 
Gunther von Hagens’s Body Worlds, a traveling exhibition of preserved human bodies and body parts, has been the subject of controversy since it opened in Tokyo in 1995. Developers claim that the exhibit uses only specimens from willing donors and is intended to educate laymen about the human body, but some see the project as denigrating the deceased, and religious groups have voiced objections to the public exhibition of human corpses. What technique is used to preserve the human tissue? 
Born in the year of the dragon, Bruce Lee grew to become one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. His action films sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. Though Lee spent countless hours training and improving his physique, he was also a philosopher and avid reader. He collapsed while working on his final film Enter the Dragon and died a short time later. To what has Lee’s sudden death been attributed? 
When DNA tests showed that Lydia Fairchild was not biologically related to her children, she was prosecuted for fraud and faced the possibility of having them removed from her custody. Throughout her trial, Fairchild maintained that she had conceived and given birth to all 3 children. Further testing led to shocking results: Fairchild had two sets of DNA, one carried in her skin and the other in her internal organs. She was, indeed, her children’s mother. What is the name of this rare condition? 
These circular windows, often found in medieval churches and Gothic architecture, are generally ornamented with stained glass and stone tracery laid out in round, radiating, shaft patterns. Since the pattern often resembles a rose with radiating petals, the term “rose window” is often misattributed to the flower; in fact, the 17th century name likely stems from the Old French word roué, meaning wheel. What role did the crusaders play in the spread of this decorative window style? 
The XYZ Affair was a 1797 diplomatic episode that worsened relations between France and the US and led to the undeclared Quasi-War of 1798. When the US signed a treaty with Great Britain in 1795, France perceived it as evidence of an Anglo-American alliance. The French responded by seizing hundreds of US ships bound for British ports. US President John Adams sent a delegation to negotiate peace, but communication stalled when the French agents demanded bribes. Who were X, Y, and Z?