Split (4)

train · 91.8k rows

q_id stringlengths 6 6	title stringlengths 3 299	selftext stringlengths 0 4.44k	category stringclasses 9 values	subreddit stringclasses 1 value	answers dict	title_urls listlengths 1 1	selftext_urls listlengths 1 1
5llu3a	Church-Turing thesis and tests		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwnqt9", "dbwn88b", "dbwst39" ], "text": [ "There were once some smart guys that realized that math problems that can be solved by humans can also be solved by machines if we can come up with some kind of sequence of steps to tell the machine what to do to carry out the computation. ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lm0p3	How can Publishers Clearing House afford to give away $5,000 per week for "forever"?		Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwo4bp", "dbwnna1", "dbwnyok" ], "text": [ "They are still a company that sells stuff. Wikipedia shows that in 2013 they have $840.6M in revenue. URL_0 $5,000 a week is only $260,000 a year, which is a tiny amount for them and cheap advertising.", "Do people actually win these? O...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lm9tw	How does credit card works/credit	Hello everyone. I'm new here so, I don't know the rules. Sorry if I'm doing it wrong. (I'm using the reddit app so, I don't know how to flair it). My father always taught me to stay away from credit cards, because they were the worst nightmare. At least in my native country (Dominican Republic). He would tell me about ...	Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwphnr", "dbwpigz" ], "text": [ "Credit cards are like small monthly loans. If you pay off the full balance of the card each month, you do not pay interest at all. This is the \"best\" way to use a credit card. Credit cards hurt you when you do not have the self control to only put on th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lmeyk	What causes the feeling of weak muscles when you have a cold or a flu?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwsdt3" ], "text": [ "This is usually through muscle inflammation; inflammation damages the fibers of a muscle. This causes muscles to be weak by interfering with the ability of the muscles to contract." ], "score": [ 4 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lml5v	Why is it that, during menstruation, the womb lining is broken down, only to be built up again almost immediately?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwt4wy", "dbwstu6" ], "text": [ "As you know, for mammals in preparation for pregnancy, the womb is covered with a layer of lining. In most mammals, if pregnancy does not happen, this lining is absorbed completely (and thus, most mammals don't have periods). However in humans, while a go...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lmoyn	Why does the body crave bad/fatty foods after a night of drinking alcohol?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx4wcz" ], "text": [ "When we drink alcohol we are pretty much putting a poison inside of our body. So our body will often get rid of that alcohol either by peeing a lot and/or vomiting. This causes a type of dehydration called hypovolemic thirst, which is when our body is not only low in wa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lmx2o	Why was amputation so common during the Civil War?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwv9yi", "dbwuz0h", "dbwvsz3", "dbwv237" ], "text": [ "The biggest reason is that they were shooting ridiculously huge \"minie-ball\" ammunition that would absolutely destroy bone as it passed through the body. They had no way to repair this damage. On top of it, antiseptics and ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ln4lt	The concept of falsifiability. I just can't understand it.		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwy36y", "dbwwxk4", "dbx0wb0" ], "text": [ "Falsifiability is a property of a statement about the world. It was proposed by Karl Popper as a way to tell scientific statements from metaphysical statements. If a statement is falsifiable, it is part of science. If it is not, it is not. ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ln62q	What exactly is a Diplomat and why do we have them?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwwyrc", "dbwxglq" ], "text": [ "Trade agreements, negotiation of travel between boarders, military cooperation, cultural study, national security advisory....", "Diplomats are points of contact for official communication between countries, and are of particular importance in making ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lne70	Why do potato chips' such as: Ketchup, All Dressed, and Dill Pickle sales tests perform so poorly in the US, but are among the top flavours in other countries?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwz4pe", "dbwz75n" ], "text": [ "The flavours you mention all have one thing in common: sourness. Ketchup, all dressed and dill pickle are all vinegary flavours and sour/vinegar is not a flavour element that's very popular in American cuisine with a few notable exceptions (certain bbq sa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lnhyz	What would happen to astronauts in orbit if earth instantly disappeared?		Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbwzs7l", "dbx000u" ], "text": [ "They would continue in a \"straight\" line from their current trajectory. Away from the former position of the planet.", "THERE'S ONE EVERY SEASON! Anyways. So all the astronauts and the space station are circling earth, because they're moving at some...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lnsdy	Why does boiling water soften pasta and vegetables, but harden eggs?		Chemistry	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx4vol", "dbx31i7" ], "text": [ "Eggs harden due to proteins. The proteins before heating are folded in the shape of balls, and these balls flow pass each other very easily (thus it can act like a liquid). But once you heat the proteins up, the balls unfold, and these protein strands now...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lnspb	Why is the side order of fruit at American restaurants an overwhelming amount of cantaloupe and honeydew?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx2hxp" ], "text": [ "Melons are the cheapest fruits for the same amount of volume. Filling the side of a plate with berries would cost the restaurant around a dollar. Filling it with melon costs them about 10 cents. Fresh pineapple is somewhere in-between." ], "score": [ 41 ], "...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lnvy4	Why does cabin depressurization cause a plane to crash?	I always see this in movies, and I can't wrap my head around it. Is it just another movie cliche that isn't real? If it can actually cause the plane to crash, why?	Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx2yp1", "dbx3bpy" ], "text": [ "never seen this in the movies, and this would not be true in real life. think of aloha air flight 243. a huge chunk of the cabin skin peeled off, instantly depresurizng it. it landed safely.", "There is nothing about depressurization itself that would...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lny4t	Why does holding down the power button on devices work even when the system is frozen?	Asking specifically about devices where the power button is not a physical switch, but simply a button. If the operating system isn't responding to other input, why does it respond to holding down the power button? Is there some other hardware/software sitting around waiting for you to hold down the button so it can ta...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx529r", "dbx3emv" ], "text": [ "You are thinking of your operating system being frozen. YOu might have windows. This is a layer of 'computer'. But you can do a fun experiment. Disconnect your hard drive. Turn on your computer. You will then find a whole level of 'computer' that exists b...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lnyei	When they say "we didn't have the technology then," what does that specifically refer to? Why were USB sticks only able to hold 500 MB a few years ago but are now able to hold hundreds of GB? What specifically changes in that time frame?	I'm just thinking like, all the same materials are there; the silicon, the metal, everything, but what specifically made us able to fit that amount of storage on a USB stick-sized chip then, and the current amount we can now? Or some other comparable application.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx45s4", "dbx3qjg" ], "text": [ "Lego blocks have many different sizes. So let's say the smallest piece the machines can make is a 2x8 brick. You can only fit so many of those on a big flat plate. That's your 500 mb stick. Now technology improves and the machines get better and can now m...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lnzk1	What is that feeling we get in our stomach when we're hungry? Why does it happen?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx6gsy" ], "text": [ "Hunger is caused by a region in your brain called the hypothalamus, which regulates many different types of involuntary activities. The hypothalamus makes you feel full or hungry based on chemical hormone signals, nerve signals, and the type of food we last ate (more or...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lo00r	A deer can eat poisonous plants like rhoderdendrons because they don't have a gall bladder. When a doctor removes a humans gall bladder, are they too able to eat poison without feeling ill?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx4rvo", "dbx5hsk", "dbxvvbl", "dbxq5um", "dbxwp3t", "dbxs7m5", "dby5o3o", "dbxvndq" ], "text": [ "It depends on the 'poison' you're talking about. A lot of toxicity in humans is caused not by the chemical itself, but by what the liver breaks it down into. For exa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lo3mk	how can the identity of icefrog, someone who makes dota 2, one of the biggest games in the world, be unknown?	Dont people work with him? The designer, play tester etc? Isnt he on valve's paycheck? Does gaben know who he is? Hes technically his employee right?	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx8hha" ], "text": [ "Some people know who he is, it's just not publicly released. Valve employees know his real identity as does his family and close friends, but at Icefrog's request, they don't reveal who he is. Like how White House officials know who the secret service agents are, and th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lo3nm	What stops us from getting cell phone interference?	AFAIK, all cell phones send and receive voice data on the same wavelength channel. So then, what stops me from hearing interference from other peoples' cell phones, like I would if I was using a walkie-talkie?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx71ib" ], "text": [ "Time division multiple access. Each user gets a time period on that frequency to talk and no one else is allowed to use it during that time period. If you split a second into 100 chunks then each person gets a 10 millisecond window to transmit a second's worth of data f...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lo64e	How does military strategy work? What are some of the broadest theoretical frameworks for military strategy and history?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx8glt", "dbxh259", "dbxc1ay" ], "text": [ "There is no one answer. Military strategy changes based on many factors including political strategy, as you noted the environment, and the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. You take all of those into account and develop your strategy fo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lo7xh	What would happen to the body if the air you're breathing is thin, like that of people who climb Mount Everest? If you were exposed to this for long periods of time what would happen to your body overtime?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx5pbg", "dbx5u4g" ], "text": [ "You start dying. Your lings fill with fluid without a drug to counteract this which is a major part of the plot of a good movie on HBO. Is it Everest?", "You'll experience hypoxia due to lack of oxygen. You'll become delusional, experience muscle fati...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lob55	Why is it easy to count by 2's and 5's, but not by other numbers like 7's and 8's.		Mathematics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx6w1p", "dbx74uk" ], "text": [ "Because we use the decimal system and those numbers are divisible by 10. This creates a regular pattern 2, 4, 6... ...12,14,16 and 5, 10, 15, 20 etc. Counting 7's has a less obvious pattern than that.", "The 2x and 5x series will create a repeating pa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5locyl	The effects of keeping a limb "asleep".	Does it cause permanent damage due to lack of blood? Also, how long would you be able to keep it asleep before damage occurs?	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxal91", "dbxntm2", "dbxavfy", "dbxineg", "dbxcx1k", "dbxh7lg", "dbxshp4", "dbxacdb" ], "text": [ "Assuming by \"asleep\" you mean the prickly / tingly feeling, that's actually your nerve being cut off and your brain partially losing connection to the nerve ending...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lofv3	What determines your blood type and what's the difference between positive and negative?	In the womb, what determines blood type? I am AB positive, what's that mean and how does it compare to negative?	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbx8j5f", "dbx8fi2" ], "text": [ "What determines it: Genes. Your blood type is dependent on both parents, although the details get a little weird. Basically, blood types represent little bits of stuff sticking off of your red blood cells, which your immune system can interpret. Think of ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lou75	Why do so many websites let you use gmail/facebook as login information		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxbasj", "dbxdrol" ], "text": [ "Because it's cheap (in that they don't have to maintain this data themselves) and easy (because Facebook and Google made it so), and it means they might get some additional information about you. Facebook and Google, on the other hand, definitely get mo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lp600	When you have a good stare going on, what is actually happening and why does it feel so good to keep it going?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxmo38", "dbxhjh4", "dbxqjvl" ], "text": [ "I know exactly what you are talking about! Some people in past posts say its your brain entering [Default Network Mode]( URL_0 ), yes its actually called that. But if we are talking about the same thing, its almost like a trance, where you ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lp6yb	Human fascination with stories and other fictional things	Why do we care about the outcome of stories, like feeling upset at a bad ending to a show? Or a story doesn't go the way we want? Why does it feel so unnatural to stop reading a book halfway through even if we don't like it?	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxl99l" ], "text": [ "Everyone loves a good story. It's entertaining and lets us sort of escape for a little while from the real world. Even if the story is kinda crap we still usually want to know how it ends because we want closure. We want to know why the bad people did the bad things. We...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpb81	What is "Shepard's Tone"	What is Infinite Fractal and Falling Shepard's Tone and why does it sound like its changing when really it never does, what makes it do that?	Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxgb0q", "dbxgoi0" ], "text": [ "There are two notes on top of one another. They're both the same note, such as both being a C note, but one is one octave above the other and has a much higher pitch. If you play a scale using notes like these, CDEFGABC with a much higher pitched CDEFGABC...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpel1	Why is the feeling of impending doom a real symptom and how does someone know they're dying?	Bonus: How does it feel?	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxh0yu" ], "text": [ "What's generally referred to as a feeling of \"impending doom\" is a feeling of certainty that something terrible is going to happen to you or you're going to die, or that something is just off or wrong about your body. People with the \"impending doom\" symptom are con...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lph4s	As I lie here at 3am I wonder- why do people have trouble falling asleep at a reasonable time even when they wake up early and are tired during the day?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxh4yw", "dby4fw3", "dbxqgs1" ], "text": [ "To fall asleep you need to be both tired and relaxed, as you start to think about falling asleep and it takes too long you become nervous and try to force your body into sleep mode, to which your body senses an imminent danger and responds ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpi31	Does poetry in other languages rhyme the same way poems in English rhyme?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxh6hk", "dbxihke", "dbxh1t5" ], "text": [ "Rhyming is entirely cultural! Some cultures consider it important, and some cultures probably wouldn't even notice if they rhymed by accident. For instance, rhyming really isn't a thing in most east asian languages, but you'll hear it all o...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpn5d	Why is it easier to take hot showers rather than cold ones?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxm5sm" ], "text": [ "You have an internal temperature that your body has to regulate. Water transfers heat really well and dousing yourself in water that is 20-30 degrees colder than your core temperature your body has to work harder to keep the temperature where it needs to be so it's a li...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lptcy	Why do we need sea ice?	I saw an article describing potential methods of engineering sea ice to sustain or rebuild our melting sea ice. Why do we need sea ice, and what happens if it all melts? Bonus points if you can explain why some researchers claim ice levels are growing while others are saying they are dangerously low.	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxjys4" ], "text": [ "Sea ice is white, so it reflects a lot of radiation back into the atmosphere and into space where it can't be absorbed as heat. If it all melts, greenhouse warming effects can be compounded, resulting in even more CO2 being released by soil and methane clathrates, resul...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpwu5	Why do many TV advertisements seem to have nothing to do with their products?	For example the most recent ad campaigns by Nike and Coca Cola.	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxlrxs", "dbxkl6l", "dbxwiz2" ], "text": [ "Many things are difficult to portray on television - like smells as poly brought up. There is no real way to portray smell through pictures so old spice has terry crews screaming to create some sort of memory for their intended audience. Ot...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpxpq	Why has no law been created to enforce News/media outlets to fact-check their news before release?		Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxl4ba", "dbxksnd" ], "text": [ "It creates a conflict-of-interest situation, and opens up an enormous potential for abuse. A law like that would put the government as the ultimate decider of what's true or not, because if a news reporter was accused of breaking it, you'd have a trial an...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lpz8c	What is the House Ethics Committee and why is it (or not) significant that it is being done away with?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxmd3k" ], "text": [ "The [House Ethics Committee]( URL_0 ) still exists. It's made up of members of congress from both parties. If members of congress are accused of ethics violations, they will investigate, call witnesses, and hold votes on whether to censure or even expel members. If ethi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lq6x9	How in the American Justice system can a prosecutor prosecute someone when the alleged "victims" strongly oppose prosecution		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxn69r", "dbxnehp", "dbxp2rf", "dbxn1eq" ], "text": [ "If a person commits a crime, it doesn't matter what the victim says. It is the moral duty of law enforcement to arrest the person, and the judicial system to bring that person to justice. It's not only about attempting to pro...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lq78v	The main difference of a fruit and vegetable is that fruits have seeds. So, where the heck do vegetable seeds, used in gardeningand such, from?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxn9l2" ], "text": [ "The definition of fruit and vegetable are rules with a couple exceptions. The definition that covers most fruits/vegetables is as follows: A fruit is the part of the plant that develops from a flower. It's also the section of the plant that contains the seeds. *The ot...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lqeto	Why is forming chords on guitar different from other instruments, and how does it work?	Why exactly are the first/third/fifth notes in a scale used to form a chord repeated on guitar? For example, one would use c-e-g-c-e-g on a c chord on guitar when a c chord is just c-e-g. How do you know which exact notes to use (ie use this c on this string instead of that c on the other string)?	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxq9wz" ], "text": [ "Guitar strings are tuned to intervals of IV (four) with the exception of the G and B strings (tuned to a III interval). As you said open chords like a C chord (x-3-2-0-1-0) are not only constructed of three notes (in their most common voicing) but often double up on cer...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lqh0n	why do surface antibacterials, like soap, not effect human skin cells?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxp9t6", "dbxr68e" ], "text": [ "They do actually. Over time it starts breaking down the skin cells. You will see redness and inflammation and then tiny scratchy like lesions. This is from the antibacterial agent in soap.", "So first it helps to know how soap works. Normal soap, that...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lqoqx	Why are we only able to accept blood transfusions of the same blood type?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxqpk6", "dbxrb8x" ], "text": [ "We have markers on our blood cells and so if we transfer wrong blood, it coagulate inside you and you die", "**Disclaimer: Please note that this is all an ELI5 simplification; it's the basic idea, but in real life it's more complicated, and it's serio...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lquhx	How did Crocodiles survive the extinction of dinosaurs?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxt6zx", "dbxttjc", "dby1pwk" ], "text": [ "First off, let me clearly state that there is no \"definitive answer\", there are several theories out there but none has been proven so far. However [this website lists several theories]( URL_0 ) which are quite interesting. Among others i...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lqwz9	Why is it called 4K (3840x2160) resolution when its only 3x the regular HD/720p (1280x720)		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxs8te", "dbxsbe3", "dbxs7hq" ], "text": [ "Other than with Full HD (1080p/i) or regular HD (720p/i) which describe the amount of vertical pixels, 4K describes the approximate amount of horizontal pixels in the image. There is also another 4K standard that is mostly used in movies an...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lqyrc	Why do hot drinks soothe a sore throat? If my throat is inflamed, shouldn't cold drinks help?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxslci" ], "text": [ "Your blood vessels react to temperature. When your body is cold, they tighten up and become smaller, in order to retain your body heat. When your body is hot, they relax and open up wide. So when you put heat on a sore area... say, drinking something hot to soothe a sor...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lr22y	Why is it that when we think about our breathing we can forget how to automatically breath normally? Or when to blink? Has anyone ever died because they 'forgot' to breath?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxttt4" ], "text": [ "Your breathing, blinking etc is all controlled by your autonomous nervous system. It's like a brain within your brain that just keeps all this stuff ticking over. However, you can consciously choose to 'override' it and hold your breath, for example... but as bucketdwel...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrapu	What causes mental fatigue while studying?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxut9e" ], "text": [ "When you look at the activity needed for the brain to study and learn new material, it is a pretty large machine that needs to be running. The core component of the nervous system in general, and the brain in particular, is the neuron or nerve cell, the “brain cells” of...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrb7b	Why can a honey badger get bit by a poisonous snake, and be okay?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxunf5" ], "text": [ "The Honey badger isnt immune to the venom but just has thick skin and fur, and usually the venom doesn't penetrate their skin AKA Honey badger dont give a shit" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrdsf	With all the fancy digital and video audio effects on media devices these days, why is it so hard to get a "Make the action scenes the same volume as the dialogue scenes" button?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxuyqc", "dbxxq12", "dby2gws", "dby3l2g", "dby2uwz", "dbxzalb", "dbxz52n", "dby43ut", "dby3ikl", "dby12hm" ], "text": [ "Arguably there is no interest. The action scenes are meant to be loud for the purpose of sensory overload. Such a feature will simply...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrf4z	Would a mummy left undisturbed eventually turn into a human fossil?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby5m4h" ], "text": [ "Not sure, but I don't think so -- fossilization happens when other minerals get into something that was organic. Usually this has to happen in soil, which has a lot of minerals to replace with. If you're thinking Egyptian mummies, they're so far removed from soil due to...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrjrd	If heroin was available over the counter 100 years ago, why didn't most people become addicts?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxvylu", "dbxx6a3", "dbxwuko" ], "text": [ "Because, interestingly enough, the legality of a product doesn't affect the amount of users much. Switzerland and the Netherlands ran trials for long periods of time, and the amount of users/addicts hardly changed.", "[This kurzgesagt v...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrkmv	what makes dreaming so much more vivid and memorable than just thinking?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxy6q8", "dby5odr", "dbymai2", "dbyadzm", "dbxw3kw", "dbxzi0l", "dbyj1fg", "dbyaz2e", "dbyvlxw", "dbylknk", "dby8bf6", "dbye4ys", "dby3lx2", "dbyihax", "dbyrsnh" ], "text": [ "I just finished up The User Illusion and while the author di...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrpy9	how do stores like Poundland manage to maintain a consistent price even through recession or currency changing in value?		Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxxcvl", "dbxxus1" ], "text": [ "They have a profit margin built into their items, and they are willing to decrease the profit margin in order to keep customers. They'd rather make less money on each sale, than annoy customers and stop selling anything at all. Sometimes stores also have ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrqlj	I've seen posts before about our limited colour receptors (3) compared to a Mantis Shrimp (16). My question is how do cameras & computers process this information? Are they programmed based on our own limitations? Can a camera capture ALL colours, some of which we can't see?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxxf05", "dby3bpq" ], "text": [ "Most cameras are set up with three different color sensors because that makes most sense if you are to watch it with your eyes. However the colors the camera sensors detect is not the exact same as the ones humans detect but is close enough. And you have ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrtar	We're told not to trust major news outlets because they're manipulated by money, as with Facebook news and even Reddit news, so where do people get "real" news?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxxlb0", "dbxz3x0" ], "text": [ "From my experience it is about retrieving information from a range of sources. Reading and listening widely can vastly improve your understanding of a particular topic or event and broaden your whole approach. News outlets such as [The International New Y...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrvwi	What has made our internet faster over the last 20 years?	Is it better wiring like fiber optic or more efficient encoding of the data? Lots of things?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxyabc" ], "text": [ "Better wiring, but also better equipment between the wires. Faster routing, faster decision making. Comes down to both efficiency through iteration (engineers have been thinking about better ways to solve the same problem for twenty years), and technological improvement...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrxnx	How much stress does something like driving put on the brain	While driving seems to become a habit and almost second nature...when you really think about it your brain seems to be working a lot. Gauging distances, communicating with hands/feet/eyes, checking risks, monitoring other drivers, estimating times among thinking about random other things.	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxyqsb", "dbympia" ], "text": [ "In my opinion, driving requires a lot of resources. As you stated in your post, it is a fairly complex activity. Done properly, that is. When driving is becoming \"second nature\" to you, it's partly because you learn to drive better from experience. The ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lrya8	if coughing is your throat's reaction to try to get rid of whatever is in there. How come we cough for days on end after getting sick with nothing coming out and then one random cough after a while the phlegm finally comes out?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxykwp", "dby2oro" ], "text": [ "When you are sick you get increased mucus production. The mucus covers the surfaces inside your throat and is usually not an issue. However if you have too much it can start to flow and clump up. When you cough you push these clumps up the throat and it m...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ls08e	How come things like turn signals and windshield wipers initially seem like they'll align with a beat of a song but then steadily fall off pace? Is there a certain time signature that can consistently match these items?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxyxul", "dby1bef" ], "text": [ "What happens when you have two different patterns at a very close frequency, is that at some times, they will line up perfectly, but then slowly drift off until they are in opposite phase, and then drift back to lining up, and so on. Now if you had two pa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ls0rl	Why is absolute zero only 0 kelvin but absolute hot around ~1,4*10^32 kelvin?		Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbxyuqt", "dbxyv6d" ], "text": [ "Kelvin is just the Celsius scale re-balanced so that 0 is absolute zero. The increment of Celsius is based on the temperatures that water freezes (0 Celsius) and boils (100 Celsius).", "That's the point of the Kelvin scale. Zero is set at the point wh...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lsc5f	What causes the feeling of impending doom in a medical context, and why is it regarded as a reliable indicator of a patient's condition?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby497a", "dbydwlf", "dby1s0y", "dbytfc7" ], "text": [ "Do doctors ask if you've had any feelings of impending doom?", "I don't know that I would call it a \"reliable indicator\". It is, however, often a precursor to something serious going on. There are also people that have ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lsejn	Why after not having pop for a few days does my body have such a visceral reaction?	Migraine like symptoms, enough to not want to get out of bed. Passed within a day or two.	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby1r3b" ], "text": [ "If it from caffeine withdraw. There is a lot of caffeine in pop and when you suddenly remove it from your diet (or reduce it) your body starts having withdraw symptoms. The good news is that these symptoms only last a few days, and that is why they go away." ], "sco...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lserf	What does the Office of Congressional Ethics do?	What are some examples of their contributions/work?	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby2w54", "dbye0dg" ], "text": [ "The Office of Congressional Ethics is the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison. Apparently the crooks have decided the best way to stay ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lseu6	Why does massaging a sore muscle bring pain relief, but touching an acute injury hurts?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyf5mu", "dbydnc3", "dbybzlh", "dbyfmkd", "dbyh2eh" ], "text": [ "Hello! Here is as ELI5 as I can make it: Imagine the spinal cord as a thin wire that branches into smaller wires at body side of things. The tip of each branched portion is responsible for delivering messages c...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lshu5	Why is there no visible/audible lightning during winter snowstorms?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby2jbx" ], "text": [ "Sometimes there is and it's called Thundersnow. Most of the time there isn't because the conditions that cause lighting aren't typically present during a winter snowstorm. Most of the time a snowstorm is just....lots of snow. Sometimes it's snow and really bad winds. Bu...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lsj6f	What causes us to rub our face when we are tired?	Like when you wake up, you rub your face with your hands. Why?	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby2scb" ], "text": [ "Tired eyes get dry, and rubbing stimulates the glands to produce more fluid. Tiredness also closes your eyes, so you may rub to keep them open. Finally, there's a connection between the muscles that move your eyes around and your heart. When these muscles are stimulated...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lskry	If the average human heart beats 72 beats a minute. How can athletes have a resting heart rate of 40?	Please explain why/how does an athlete have to be calmer within?	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby343g", "dby34nb", "dby4492" ], "text": [ "Athletes have very high aerobic capacity, because they regularly work out at a very high exertion level. As a result, their very fit hearts can pump all the blood their resting body needs at only 40 BPM. It's not a calm/Zen thing, it's a fi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lsmy3	Why can't a car give more details with a dashboard warning light?	Assuming that a mechanic can hook to your car to get the code, why can't the car just output the code, or even better, the cause associated with the code?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby43lk", "dby3z5d", "dby3mad" ], "text": [ "They can do it if they want. However the car companies makes money to train and certify car mechanics and to provide them with the correct codes. Codes can often change between similar cars and be totally different for the same model with d...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lsvgl	How can car insurance providers charge more simply for being male?	I noticed this today for one of my employees. He's 17 and buying his first car, but pays nearly $500 monthly for insurance. A similar 16 year old employee of mine pays $260 for a similar car. I know the discrepancy probably isn't that large of a margin for most of the United States, but how can they charge even a dime ...	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby5oxl", "dby5nvm", "dby5uje", "dby9823", "dbybrpk" ], "text": [ "Because they can point to decades of statistics that a 17 year old male is extremely likely to be a doofus and wreck his car. I'm not sure there's any reason they can't charge you more for being black, too, if ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lsx51	Can someone explain to me the premise of filing out a UCC-1 form to "clear yourself from debt" by accessing a "strawman account".		Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby63ts", "dby6ayb" ], "text": [ "Is this something you are considering doing, or something you want to understand better? I ask because this appears to be a flavor of the \"sovereign citizen\" mythology claiming that there's a secret account in your name that you can access if you just s...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lt6po	Why exactly does rubbing your tongue on another person's tongue (a.k.a. making out or French kiss) feel so good?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbybj2p", "dbybp52", "dbydfb9" ], "text": [ "Lots of nerve endings on the lips and tongue, to which you're applying a (relatively) gentle, warm, soft stimulus. So it does feel good on a purely physical level. More than that, though, kissing is extremely gratifying on a psychological/e...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ltcao	Why are zoos a thing?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby9ls4" ], "text": [ "In the past humans only ever really had the opportunity to view animals in-person as photography and video weren't practical or able to fully represent the animals. There was a demand for the ability to view new things and zoos were a good tourism draw. Also they give t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ltdfd	How did people decipher brand new languages and alphabets before technology?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dby9t7n", "dbyi1bc" ], "text": [ "Well, if there's someone who speaks it, with lots of pointing and experimentation. If it's just written, you use the same process we use today, just by hand. Statistical analysis, educated guessing, checking against other known languages, looking for a Ro...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ltqje	How can Newtonian physics be technically "wrong" , but still mathematically explain many natural processes?		Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbydxc5", "dbyd088", "dbydngf", "dbycx9u", "dbyctmc" ], "text": [ "It is less wrong, and more of an incomplete approximation. For example, you have a farm in Kansas that is 5 miles by 5 miles. You have exactly 25 square miles, right? Area = side * side, after all. That would b...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ltrbl	Why is every major incident/disaster/accident a combination of numerous (maybe dozens) of tiny little insignificant things going wrong, that all link together in a perfect chain to make the big thing happen?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyd9k7", "dbydahd", "dbyd98a" ], "text": [ "Because nobody is seeing the bigger picture in real-time. Each minor incident is a daily occurence that has it's own fail safes. Working through a simple example: You are a construction worker and drop your hammer from a great height. No bi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5ltvdv	How did we determine the order of operations in mathematics?	I'm very bad at math so I know little about it, but I was wondering, how did we discover the rules for the order by which we perform operations in algebra? Surely it was not some arbritrary decision to make multiplication and division come before addition and subtraction?	Mathematics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyl3lt", "dbyek16", "dbyw37n", "dbyi49h", "dbyec5l", "dbygtc6", "dbyekvo" ], "text": [ "Everyone else is wrong. Math isn't arbitrary, there are reasons for everything. Let me give a simple example. Lets find out how much money you have. You have a dollar and 3 five do...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lu17k	How does a high-risk investor predict if a certain company is going to generate profits? Does one have to be an expert in the field the company works in or understand the products it offers?	How does one learn to be a high-risk investor and put their money into companies they are interested in while still making profit?	Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyhqym", "dbygupl" ], "text": [ "Well, first we need to define what a \"high-risk\" investment is. Usually this will mean one of two items: 1. A young company that has created something uniquely valuable 2. A company in financial distress Let's start with number 1: a young company. This ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lu2wt	Why does YouTube, a website which such high account security, have so many spam bots while Reddit, a website that seems to have low account security, has almost none?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyg6ua", "dbyfz7y", "dbyixic", "dbykqqd" ], "text": [ "I would assume dedicated volenteer moderators. Probably also why they have implemented the \"youtube hero\" plan, to use their user base to improve the site for them. On a side note, thank you to the silent moderators for mak...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lu94n	How are there people who cant dream?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyhcpi", "dbyhxtj" ], "text": [ "There are no such people. Many people, however, can't remember their dreams. Use the Search function here in ELI5 to see many posts on not remembering dreams.", "> If dreams are brought on from focusing thought while you sleep, They are not. Dreams ar...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lua15	The UK miner strikes		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyjev6" ], "text": [ "At the time, the coal mines were all owned by the UK government and ran at a loss overall so tax money covered the shortfall. The government was opposed to paying high subsidies to keep the loss-making coal industry running. Very little mechanisation had been introduced...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lufe1	How are all the Fate works by TYPE-MOON interconnected?	I don't want a synopsis, more like just how each one relates to each other. Including all the side games and spin-offs	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbykspg" ], "text": [ "Fate/stay night (VN) is the main body and details the 5th holy grail war. It consists of 3 main routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heavens Feel. It has 2 anime adaptations and 1 movie: - Fate/Stay Night (2006 anime), which adapts the Fate route, but mixes in things...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5luizs	Can you get rid of depression forever?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyl7ui" ], "text": [ "Briefly: no. Long-ly: It depends on the person with depression. We know very little about the causes of depression. We've got tons of theories, and many treatments that help some cases, and even some treatments that cause complete remission in rarer cases. But no one tr...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lupad	What is the difference between methamphetamine and amphetamine salts (Adderall)? What makes amphetamine salts so much safer/less addictive?		Chemistry	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbz3luh", "dbym0d1", "dbylmm7", "dbylymm" ], "text": [ "Many of the answers here are very close to being correct. Methamphetamine is (nearly) chemically identical to amphetamine except for an extra methyl group (a carbon atom with hydrogen attached). This addition makes methamphet...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lupjw	If there were a mirror in deep space (light years away), would we see ourselves in the past if we looked into it?		Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbylv8l", "dbylvek" ], "text": [ "Yes, assuming the mirror existed in the past. If it sprang into existence right now, we wouldn't see anything from it for several years (n = 2 * distance in light years). Then, we would start seeing images from n years ago. From that point on, it would \"...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lurxe	What gas is inside blisters and how does it get there?	If it comes from the inside of the skin, what gas is inside? And if it comes from outside of the skin, how does it create a bubble of skin with no entry hole?	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbym7el" ], "text": [ "They're filled with liquid, not gas. In the case of friction blisters, that liquid is usually plasma. Your skin is composed of layers of cells, and when you apply repetitive friction (shear stress) to a particular area, the upper layers are torn away from the lower laye...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5luxlk	People Say Keeping the Lights on Drives up the Electric Bill, but Isn't It Simply Using the Electricity That Is Already on Standby?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbynixe" ], "text": [ "There is no such thing as \"Electricity on Standby\". Electricity is the flow of electrons, much the same way that water from a faucet flows out. You experience electricity doing work as it flows through your light bulb. Until that flow starts there is no electricity. T...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lv0v6	What's a single-nucleotide polymorphism?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyop3h" ], "text": [ "A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, pronounced \"snip\") is a difference of a single letter in a DNA sequence. They are mutations that usually arise through errors in DNA replication." ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lv1iz	why do many major league player's sports contracts always include a deferred annuity portion?		Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyoz35", "dbyornm" ], "text": [ "I'm not sure how common they are, but here are some possible reasons why a sports contract would include one: 1) Athletes are notoriously bad with money. Annuities provide a more stable source of income rather than giving it all to the player at once. 2) ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lv6cn	if cheese and wine take so long to age, how do manufacturers know how much to make ahead of time and the demand?		Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyq7us" ], "text": [ "Sometimes they don't. For instance there was a bourbon whiskey shortage a couple of years ago because the demand skyrocketed [(more info)]( URL_0 ). In general if one winery is running out of supply because of high demand, they will raise their prices and that will shif...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lv6ot	Why is the price of Oil has fallen 51% from 30 months ago, yet the price of Gasoline is only down 15% (Canada) & 36% (US)	By comparing the price of crude oil from June 2014 (right before the price dropped) to now and then the national average for gas prices in Canada and the US, the gas prices are not reflective (especially in Canada where we are flirting with the pre oil bust cost of gas). What gives?	Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyqr87", "dbyq888", "dbyqq55", "dbyt0rd" ], "text": [ "The cost of crude is only about 65-75% of what goes into the cost of gasoline (in the US). The rest is from refining, transporting, marketing and taxes. Since the rests of those costs haven't changed (much), just decreasing t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvd99	Why does the United States sell things like Milk and Water in gallons, but Soda in liters?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyr5rc", "dbyrc33", "dbywo0f", "dbz7bus", "dbyufiu" ], "text": [ "The two-liter bottle was introduced in the USA in 1970 by John Sculley of Pepsi, who later went on to run Apple Computer. URL_0 In the early-mid 1970s the USA was dabbling with adopting the metric system, and P...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvlb6	How does our body absorb creams? Which parts of our skin do they go to?	Or oils or things like cocoa butter. I put coconut oil on my face every night but I just realised that am not sure how or why it even works.	Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbz6aau", "dbyztz0", "dbz3lk7", "dbz1xxj", "dbz3g0r", "dbzfuox", "dbz8zcl", "dbz1uy1" ], "text": [ "Hey there, pharmacist here. The most general way to understand the skin, drug absorption, lotions, and so forth is to think about how oil and water don't (easily) mi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvlzr	How much power does the computer need to fully emulate human's brain?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbysurz", "dbyuamb", "dbz501w", "dbyu2u7", "dbyt5qc" ], "text": [ "since we don't have anywhere near enough knowledge of how the human brain works to be able to make a computer emulate one, the correct answer is: No one has a clue.", "We don't know, but using the deep thin...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvo8a	How your body reject all food and water when hungover knowing it's hungry and dehydrated?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbytch7" ], "text": [ "It thinks it has been poisoned, and is trying to prevent the ingestion of more poison. In general, not being poisoned is more important than being a little hungry and thirsty." ], "score": [ 9 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvohu	when hyperinflation occurs, are people with fixed interest loans or fixed interest mortgages able to pay off their debt without any issues?	Just wondering if hyperinflation is the answer to all my problems.	Economics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbytjh6" ], "text": [ "Well it would be easier to pay off your fixed-rate mortgage, assuming the bank didn't go under. Granted your immediate problems, such as securing and affording food and medicine would be much more immediate." ], "score": [ 7 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvp4t	Why did early pistol and musket designs have such unergonomic looking grips?		Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbytlj5", "dbyuwln", "dbyumty" ], "text": [ "Ergonomics as a science hadn't been invented yet, and guns were mostly handcrafted pieces, so each gunsmith was kind of just doing his own thing. Ergonomics also isn't all that important when you have a gun with no sights and you're only ex...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvqsu	What is the difference between (for example) URL_0 as opposed to URL_1 ?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyu1nk", "dbyw661", "dbyvefs" ], "text": [ "URL_0 has a different IP address than URL_1 . When enter that address into your browser, it goes directly there, without every going to URL_1 . The part after the slash is information the website used to figure out what to do with your requ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvtqh	How where the Germans able to defeat France in such a short amount of time during WW2?	I know it helped the Germans going through the Ardennes when the French where expecting them to go through Belgium like they did on WW1, but still the French had been preparing for that war since before WW1 and the Germans only had a few years to prepare for it.	Other	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbywjk9", "dbyv9vh" ], "text": [ "See my answer [here]( URL_0 ) and [here]( URL_1 )", "France had prepared for the wrong kind of war. Everyone (except Germany) expected a repeat of world war 1, with trench warfare and lumbering armies that measured gains in meters. France had built ma...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lvtzp	Why are conifers usually triangular while deciduous trees are usually 'circular' in profile?		Biology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbyusps" ], "text": [ "Conifers tend to be triangular because they don't drop their needles and often live in snowy places. The triangle shape holds up best to the added weight. Plus it's efficient in terms of how much energy has be spent on growing a trunk, and again, they live in colder pla...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
5lw1g0	Why is it that we think of mirrors as being silver colored, even though they reflect the exact colors of objects around them?		Physics	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "dbz7x9x", "dbyyc8h", "dbyykqo", "dbz46iq", "dbzc6lm", "dbz2ex9", "dbz7t7d", "dbywrk2", "dbzb3wz", "dbz6b63", "dbzeg2m", "dbz6osz", "dbyylnq", "dbzjc4d", "dbyy5ve", "dbzgicp", "dbzgsgh", "dbz912y", "dbzdvmn", "dbziazj", "d...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]

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