Whether you’re a budding nutty professor or you only have the remnants of high school science rattling around your memory, this bumper crop of the best science riddles will be sure to entertain family and friends.
Biology, physics, chemistry – these three words may fill you with dread, but we’ve all had to plunge into our studies of each science subject. But how much do you think you remember about these topics?
Put yourself to the test with these 47 science riddles with answers.
Riddles certainly add another dimension to understanding these topics, so let’s put those science goggles on and head over to the lab to see what you remember!
Let’s kick things off with some biology-based riddles. For some of us, it was the highlight of the week, diving into biology class, but for others, it was the worst! Either way, we all had to do our time in biology class.
These biology science riddles (with answers) will tease and titillate you to no end. So let’s get started.
1. I am a gas that is essential for plants - but I can’t be bought at the gas station. What am I?
Carbon dioxide
2. What are 10 things that you can always count on?
Your fingers
3. What can you hold for no longer than a few seconds?
Your breath
4. I am hard as a stone but you can find me on your body. What am I?
Teeth
5. I am needed for flight but cannot fly on my own. What am I?
Feathers
6. I am under your face and outside your mind. What am I?
Your skull
7. I love to roam, but I always stay home. If you carried what I carried, you’d end up breaking your back! What am I?
A snail
8. I’m great at tasting but horrible at smelling. What am I?
A tongue
9. What is neither water nor land but is always soaking wet?
Wetlands
10. I can be good for you, but I can also be bad for you, and you will find me wherever you go. What am I?
Bacteria
11. I touch your face. I am in your words. I am a lack of space and beloved by birds. What am I?
Air
12. What goes around and around the wood but never goes into the wood?
The bark of a tree
13. What has a mouth but can’t chew?
A river
14. If you give it food, it’ll live - if you give it water, it will die. What is it?
Fire
15. What kind of tree can fit in your hand?
A palm tree
16. What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge
Physics Science Riddles (with Answers)
Physics makes the world go round – quite literally!
Channel your inner Einstein and see how many of these head-scratching physics science riddles you think you can get right.
1. Lots of people have heard it, but no one has seen it. It will not speak back unless spoken to. What is it?
An echo
2. You can’t see me, I can’t be touched, you can’t feel me - but I cook your lunch. What am I?
A microwave particle
3. What is the center of gravity?
The letter V
4. Which is heavier, a ton of feathers or a ton of rocks?
They both weigh the same
5. I can be hot, I can be cold, I can be hard, and I can go through anything. What am I?
Water
6. It is very hard to create me, but I can’t be destroyed - I can only change form. What am I?
Energy
7. You can’t see me - but I can see you. To be precise - I can see right through. What am I?
An X-ray
8. You can find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter. You can’t find me in Neptune or Venus. What am I?
The letter R
9. What goes up and down without moving?
The temperature
10. I am a god, I am a planet, and I can measure the temperature. What am I?
Mercury
11. I make up almost ¾ of the universe, but no one knows anything about me. What am I?
Dark energy
12. Which concept in physics is the loneliest?
The singularity
13. What period of time is the lightest?
A light year
14. I am the equivalent of a one-way street in the universe. What am I?
A black hole
15. What is a priest’s favorite thing about physics?
Mass!
Chemistry Science Riddles (with Answers)
Surely chemistry was everyone’s favorite science subject at school?
Who doesn’t love combining chemicals, creating fireballs, and working out how to make things like fireworks!
Well, if it was your favorite at school, we’d love to see how well you do with this batch of chemistry science riddles with answers.
1. What can eat a lot of iron without getting sick?
Rust
2. What chemical doesn’t like to follow?
Lead
3. What is black when you get it, red when you use it, and grey when you are finished with it?
Charcoal
4. Which two elements heal?
Helium and Aluminium (HE + AL)
5. I am as hard as a rock, but when you heat me up I melt. What am I?
An ice cube
6. Which is faster, hot or cold?
Hot, because you can catch a cold
7. What happened when the chemist read the book about helium?
He couldn’t put it down
8. Which element is the most boring one?
Boron
9. Which element is derived from a Norse god and a Marvel hero?
Thorium
10. What number do Nickel and Neon make when they’re combined?
NiNe
11. What do you do with a dead chemist?
You Barium!
12. I’m an individual on my own - but you can find two of me in your daily drink. What am I?
Hydrogen
13. I am bigger than a Daim but worthless. What am I?
A nickel
14. I’m essential for healthy bones and teeth, and you can find me in every dairy product. What am I?
Calcium
15. I can be sparkling, I can be still, I am a liquid, and something you can spill. What am I?
Water
16. I come as a gas, and I’m in line with Neon. I’m also the home of a very Super man. What am I?
How did you get on with this bumper batch of science riddles? We hope that you’ve enjoyed returning to the lab and trying your luck in the different areas of scientific study!
If you want to try out more riddles, then take a look at the links above – they’ll be sure to keep you and your friends or family entertained!
