Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A disease older than writing

Rabies is caused by a virus, and it is one of the oldest recognised infectious diseases in human history; descriptions of the illness appear in ancient Mesopotamian texts. The virus travels along the nerves toward the brain, which is why the incubation period can last weeks or even months after a bite. Once symptoms begin, the disease is almost always fatal, which makes prompt post-exposure treatment so important.

The smallest bone, hidden in the ear

The stapes sits in the middle ear and is the tiniest bone in the human body, weighing only a few milligrams. Together with the malleus and the incus, it forms a chain that carries sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. Because it is so small, the stapes was the last of the three to be identified - and it is also the bone most often replaced in surgery for hearing loss.

Nicosia, a capital divided

Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus, and it holds a distinction no other European capital shares: it is split between two political entities. A United Nations buffer zone runs through the old city, separating the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus from the northern area administered locally. Crossing from one side to the other is possible at designated checkpoints, which makes a walk through the old town an unusual experience.

A river that crosses a continent

The Danube flows through ten countries, more than any other river in the world, and Serbia is one of them - it runs right through Belgrade. For centuries the river served as a frontier of the Roman Empire, and Roman legions were stationed along its banks. Today it connects the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea, passing through capitals such as Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.

Rembrandt's group portrait with a twist

Rembrandt painted "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" in 1632, early in his career, when he was still in his twenties. The painting shows a group of surgeons gathered around a cadaver, with Dr. Tulp demonstrating the muscles of the forearm. What set it apart from other group portraits of the era was Rembrandt's decision to arrange the figures in a dramatic, lifelike scene rather than lining them up stiffly in a row.