Incendiary bullets are demanding a recount.

OK, here are the answers to last Friday's quiz. Slim turnout, but the respondents did seem to nail quite a few of the answers, and this one was a bit of a toughy.

1. Question: In 1915, German zeppelins were wreaking havoc on the British. One of the main reasons these giant explosive floating targets were successful was because British pilots generally could only destroy them by dropping bombs on them from extreme heights. What technological innovation turned the tide in Britain's favor?

Answer: Synchronization gear (or interrupter gear). Until synchronization gear was developed, early military aircraft couldn't fire bullets through their propellers, which basically meant they had to bomb the high-flying zeppelins, which were also guarded by a thicket of machine guns. Once synchronization gear was in place (yes, along with the much-guessed incendiary ammunition), blimps lost their air superiority.

Only Bill got this one, and incendiary bullets were also his first guess. I admit that the bullets were a good answer, but they wouldn't do much good if you couldn't shoot them. Oh, and today's photo is a Wikipedia shot of what happens to a propeller without synchronization. I'm assuming it was a malfunction, and they didn't just press their luck trying to time those shots just right.

Bonus question: What badass was the first to actually bring a zeppelin down with bombs?
Answer: Reginald Alexander John Warneford. His story reads like an action flick. He chased the zeppelin, dodged its machine gun fire and hit it with his bombs. The thing exploded, flipping his plane and stalling the engine. He emergency landed in enemy-controlled Belgium, fixed his fighter, and made it back home. He earned the Victoria Cross but sadly died in an accident 10 days after destroying the zeppelin.

Everyone got that answer. Jolly good!

2. Question: The recent discovery of a prehistoric child's skeleton in Ethiopia has renewed interest in Australopithecus afarensis, an ancient ancestor of ours who walked on two legs but was otherwise pretty monkey-ish. There was a similar ape-man genus that came along later than the afarensis but died off as an evolutionary dead end. Some theorize that this genus had too limited of a diet (grubs and plants) to adapt as well as the omnivorous Homo genus that led to us. So what was this mystery genus?

Answer: Paranthropus. Some confusion on this one, for understandable reasons. I was originally going to ask about Australopithecus bosei (which is what I describe in the question), but while researching it, I learned that it had been moved to another genus: Paranthropus. It sounds like this is still being debated, but it made for some good reading.

Everyone got this one, sort of. Claypits got it on her first guess, Bill on his second. Greg guessed "Australopethicus robustus" but recognized that it would be a different species, not genus. His response: "I remembered my answer to #2 from an old Cartoon History of the Universe book. How dare scientists change their mind!!!"

3. Question: In the movie "Real Genius," (how's that for a smooth transition?) Val Kilmer's character recommends nudity as a solution to what potential problem?

Answer: Loss of gravity. Claypits sent on the quote via IMDB:

Chris Knight: Would you prepared if gravity reversed itself? The only thing I can't figure out is how to keep the change in my pockets. I've got it. Nudity.

Everyone got this, but Claypits admitted she hadn't actually seen the movie...which is criminal. Strange sidenote: The guy who played Lazlo Hollyfeld was Uncle Rico in Napolean Dynamite. Huh.

4. Question This week's coup in Thailand has generally gone better for the military than a coup a few years back in which South American country? Hint: The replacement president was unable to retain his office for even 48 hours.

Answer: Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez was replaced by Pedro Carmona for a mere 47 hours. Strangely, Chavez believes the CIA was closely involved in the coup attempt. Our government involved in overthrowing a populist South American leader?! Crazy talk!

5. Question: What magic-oriented "fraternity" was founded in the late 1800s, included famous writers along with the world's most notorious Satanist, and continues today as a Florida nonprofit?

Answer: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Of course, the Satanist was Aleister Crowley. Writers included William Butler Yeats. Today, the order is carried on by the Florida-based Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Inc.. Anybody else think this was the inspiration for the Mythic Dawn cult in the video game Oblivion?

Thanks to everyone who submitted answers, by which I mean, thanks Bill, Greg and Claypits! Each time I try to crank up the difficulty, you guys still rise to the occasion. I'll try to offer you a real challenge next time...