Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
The light dependent and the light independent stages of photosynthesis.	[ "The light dependent stage is where the leaf take in the energy from the sun and turns it into energy it can use (ATP and NADPH) for the next step (the light independent stage).\n\nThe light independent stage is where the leaf takes that energy (the ATP and NADPH) and uses it to break apart CO2 molecules and put th...
How do snow fences prevent snow from building up on roads?	[ "As the air moves through the slats, it has to slow down to get through. This pool of slower moving air, on the upwind side of the snow fence, is carrying some snow with it. The slower air can't haul as much snow, so it drops it there instead of dropping it in the road.\n\nOn the downwind side, the air has lower pr...
How do they get animals to act?	[ "They same way you teach animals anything. Treats. Lots of treats!" ]
the medical explanation for why in Saving Private Ryan, the medic's hands were all curled up after he go shot.	[ "tendons in the hand, it takes effort from your muscles to straighten your fingers. Try it your self stretch them straight then relax and watch as they curl back towards your palms...", "I would say the primary reason was he was acting and trying to make it appear as if he was in pain. The closest medical reason ...
me: why do skunks and marijuana smell similar?	[ "The chemicals that \"give off\" the smell you are noticing belong to a group called \"terpenes\". Various terpenes are found all throughout nature and are the reason you are reminded of one item's scent by the other. I would venture a guess that a skunk and \"Skunk\" share a common or similar terpene. Limonene,...
what exactly does "Promise to pay" on a bank note means? Who exactly makes the promise to pay the barer of the bank note, and what does this pay is actually supposed to be paid in?	[ "On the vast majority of banknotes, it doesn't mean much of anything anymore. Historically, banknotes were redeemable (at times practically, at other times only theoretically) for a specific amount of precious metal (usually gold). But that hasn't been true for most currency in decades. For example, the Bank of ...
why does a natural gas furnace have to be vented out of the house while the gas oven/gas cooktop does not. What happens to the exhaust gases created from the oven/cooktop?	[ "* A gas furnace burns waaaaay more fuel than a small oven or cook top. That's the reason its gasses have to be vented while for the oven the natural air exchange is good enough.\n* You use the oven only while cooking so you would be aware of problems, while a gas furnace operates automatically.\n* Ovens need to be...
Who is Chooter and why was she fired from Reddit?	[ "Her name is Victoria, and she was the Director of Talent at Reddit, she also coordinated all of the AMA's.\n\nWhy she was fired, we do not know. What we do know is that it's lead to a massive shit storm.\n\nYou can read more about it here: _URL_0_", "_URL_1_\n\nU/chooter is Victoria from Reddit. She helps with...
how does the vibration from heavy bass during a concert or in the nightclub not harm our bodies? (Apart from eardrums)	[ "First lets put some numbers up to compare a normal and the loudest concert in the world:\n\nLess than 110 is the average maximum a train's horn can be across the world.\n\nSilenced .22 lr rifle – 116 db\n\nA night club - 118 db\n\nLighting hitting you - 120 db\n\nAverage Rock Concert - 121 db\n\nSilenced .22 pisto...
What are stretch marks?	[ "You have two layers of skin: the epidermis, which is the outer most layer, and the dermis that sits below that. Both of these layers can be broken down into even smaller layers. In the lower layer of the dermis lies collagen. Collagen is rubber band like strands of proteins that essentially holds up all the shit a...
The British were able to extend much control over the Chinese during the 1700s and 1800s by selling them opium. Why would the legalization of drugs in the U.S. not result in the same dire consequences for the U.S.?	[ "Because Opium was officially illegal in china for most of that period and didn't become legal until after the Second Opium War in 1858. When China started to grow their own, the British lost much of their influence.\n\nIn otherwords, the British had influence BECAUSE it was illegal.", "This question is not about...
Why do aircraft need so much maintenance?	[ "Let me just throw 2 random facts out there. This is a long story short version, I'm sure someone else might post a more detailed one.\n\nThere are over 250 MILES of wiring in a 747 and over SIX MILLION parts (half of which are bolts, rivets ect).\n\nPoint being, it all needs to be inspected, and replaced or repair...
Deep sea exploration. What's being done and what has been done?	[ "I have a friend who is a hadal (deep deep sea) ecologist so I'll answer with what I know from talking to her. \n\nWhat do we know? very little. Her PhD dissertation is trying to figure out what is down there and what they eat - in other words, the most basic ecological questions you could possibly ask. \n\nWhat's ...
Why is Bob a funny name to children?	[ "I don't know for certain, but I can infer several reasons:\n\n- In addition to being a palindrome, it's linguistically simplistic. There was a study conducted at the University of Alberta that suggests that one's expectations have an impact as to the subjective \"funniness\" of a word. It could be that the unusual...
Can humans be allergic to meat?	[ "Yes. After being bitten by a Lone Star tick, you can develop an [allergy to red meat.](_URL_0_) I'd bet this isn't the only situation." ]
public key cryptography.	[ "Imagine you can only decode my message by counting to some big secret number. But you have no idea how big that number is. However, I tell you that in order to code the message to me, you use my public coding number of 27. Now all anyone needs to do is count the rest of the way to the really big secret number...
Cloud Storage and how it's different from storing stuff on servers like we always have	[ "\"Cloud\" is just a marketing buzzword. It means servers.", "Technically, storing your files on a server is no different than \"cloud\" storage. The phrase \"cloud\" was invented to give less computer-savvy people a way to visualize how their data is being stored. They picture some intangible thing that they can...
Why do smaller dogs generally live longer than large dogs?	[ "Larger dogs have larger bodies, which require larger organs and larger bone structures. Larger organs and bone structures have to work harder and don't typically last as long. On top of that, we have traditionally used larger dogs for work, which adds \"extra mileage.\"" ]
When we jump into very cold water, what occurs in the human body that makes us feel acclimated when we're actually getting colder?	[ "your body has a process of adjusting to things as they happen so you dont become a husk of a person from sensory overload - ie putting on cologne in the morning that you wear regularly you will smell for a few minutes then it goes away, you still smell it, but your brain purposely ignores it so you can pay attenti...
Why do the Bloods and the Crips hate each other so much?	[ "It wasn't always that bad until drugs got involved. With the advent of cocaine and crack, the gangs needed to have places to sell it because it was an extremely profitable revenue stream. Eventually, those territories began to overlap and what was once minor disagreements turned into outright violence.\n\nIn short...
Where is a virus/malware stored in a computer system, how is it removed?	[ "A virus/malware is a program like any other but it's task is to harm you computer. It is stored on your hard drive and it can be remove by deleting the file. Unfortunately, most virus execute on windows loading so you load the virus every time you launch your computer.\n\nThe tricky part is to know which files to ...
How come Germany isn't filled with anti-semitism, or is it?	[ "After WWI, germany was given a slap on the wrist, and longed for revenge and glory.\n\nAfter WWII, the allies realise they can't do that mistake again, they literally remove the state of Germany from the map. Little by little, the West and East Germanies are allowed to regain their independence from the Americans ...
How do people get addicted to prescription drugs, such as painkillers?	[ "Imagine a pie factory. This pie factory makes ten pies a day. It is a shitty pie factory. \n\nOne day the pie manager hires an additional pie maker who is awesome at making pies. He makes twenty pies a day. \n\nAfter a while The other pie makers in the factory Realise they can start slacking off and being idiots a...
Why is my muscle memory so much better than my memory for other things?	[ "How much effort did you make in learning that instrument? Months, years? How much effort did you make in remember those names? Probably not much." ]
How do companies continue for years without ever making a profit?	[ "The value of a company and whether investors want to be involved is not based on current earnings or profitability, but instead on what they think it will eventually be worth. \n\nCompanies called Venture Capitalist specialize in providing seed money to these companies while they are just starting out. This money ...
If an AC unit says it is 900w, what is the time frame in which it uses that much energy?	[ "A Watt is a complex unit, like a Newton. \n\nA Watt is actually a measure that includes time. \n\nOne Watt is equal to one joule per second. \n\nSo 900 watts means 900 joules per second.", "A Watt is a unit of power. In physics, power and energy are two separate, but related, concepts. Energy can be thought of a...
Why does it seem that there are always massive breakthroughs in finding a cure for cancer, then we never hear about it again or It seems we never actually get any closer?	[ "Because the media is very very very very bad at properly reporting scientific breakthroughs.\n\nMeaning they hype up something gigantically, taking it out of context, presenting it as if it is already ready to be used, but in reality that is never how it goes. Usually what happens is \n\n1. someone does research, ...
Why don't we wake ourselves up when sleeping in an uncomfortable position?	[ "When your brain falls asleep your body is flooded with chemicals that both numb and paralyze muscles, so yeah, you dont actually feel it until you wake up." ]
Why when I get sick does only a single nostril get clogged?	[ "contrary to popular belief, your nose doesn't get clogged with snot, it gets clogged by the blood vessels expanding...so blowing your nose a lot does not clear it. I always thought laying on one side relived pressure on the other allowing me to have at least one working nostril. Failing that, lying on my back but ...
Why do many songs have the same four chord progression?	[ "It's mostly Western music that does this, because of our scale-system. Different cultures do different things, but we have identified [12 'primary sounds'](_URL_1_) on which to base our music. \n\nWhy 12? Why not 20? Or 50? That's to do with how well the human ear can distinguish between frequencies. The syste...
Why do people go to see Operas in languages they aren't fluent in?	[ "Why do a lot of russians enjoy AC/DC even though they can't speak english? Because music is universal. Anyone can listen to music, and vocals are an instrument. All part of the piece.", "The music is beautiful, and a translation is always available - usually projected onto a screen, but if not, available in prog...
What causes the heartache you feel in your stomach/chest when you love someone and miss them?	[ "subtle physical changes you get, but don't notice. changes in breathing, digestion, muscle tension, etc. The odd sensation is a result of a bit of confusion. All the symptoms you get are features of the sympathetic nervous system. So the activity of the sympathetic nervous system ends up triggering the.. sympathe...
If someone were born in Hawaii, before its annexation into the US, could they run for President of the United States?	[ "It is actually (probably) a misconception that someone must be born in the US to become President. The Constitution states that you must be a \"natural born citizen.\" Note, this is not the same as a \"native born citizen.\" What it probably means is that only those people who were American citizens at birth may b...
How will people feed and clothe themselves after all minimum-wage jobs are automated?	[ "This doesn't answer your question but this is the premise of Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano which you might enjoy. It is satire and written in the 50s so it's not in any way realistic but it is entertaining.", "I think it is unlikely that we will ever reach a place where all machines can do everything better than...
Christian mystics	[ "TL:DR Faith is a funny thing. Miracles are performed and if you are not agreeing to it, it's your faith in the miracle that led to it's failure. Ergo, any miracle you don't see is the result in your lack of faith. You weren't changed by your deity? You didn't believe enough. To deny change means you are not worth...
What happens to the 3 minutes and 55.9 seconds in a day?	[ "23 hours and 56 minutes is the amount of time it takes the Earth to make one rotation around its axis. However, during that time, Earth also makes about 1/365 of a revolution around the Sun. This means that Earth needs to rotate around its axis for 4 more minutes in order to orient itself relative to the Sun.\n\n[...
Since different animals on different islands and continents evolve different traits, why is it that fish such as a bass in a lake that is not near a river have not evolved differently in Georgia versus Minnesota	[ "The Georgian fish likely has only been isolated from the population in Minnesota for a short time (geologically speaking). If you were to leave one population of bass in a lake in Georgia and another in Minnesota and leave them isolated for a very long time, they will, indeed, diverge into different species.", "...
Why is cut faster than copy on a PC?	[ "You may imagine that cutting requires additional time to write zeroes to the old places on the disk aside from writing in the ones to the new places, rather than copying which just writes the ones, and as such cutting will take additional time because it's actually a copy-first, then-delete process.\n\nHowever, th...
What exactly happens in the eye of a storm?	[ "in the eve of the storm it is very calm, not much wind is present due to wind rotating around the eye not past it. if you are able to stay in the eye you will be completely safe. the wind spirals upwards due to convection(pressure difference) around the eye." ]
If illegal drugs were made legal, what would happen to drug cartels and other criminal gangs?	[ "They would probably diminish since the law would protect those doing things legally. They would probably get involved in other criminal things like blackmail and extortion.", "There would still be some drug business for them, as there will always be a black market. Going though completely legal channels means p...
why 4G doesn't cover as much area as 3G	[ "4G typically runs at a higher frequency than 3G. This means that it can pack in more data, but it also means that it travels less distance before the signal degrades. \n\nThis is why you hear low-end bass coming from the car driving down the street, but you can't always hear the lyrics. The lower frequencies trave...
Why are some plants like spinach edible but plants like grass are not?	[ "you can eat grass...you probably just wouldn't like it and wouldn't get many nutrients out of it!", "The reason you get no nutrition from grass is because the carbon skeleton that makes up cellulose (the stringy, fiber-y stuff that makes up plants) cannot me digested by humans. Humans are unable to break down ce...
What happens to animal species if a wall was build between the U.S and mexico Border?	[ "They don't go across. Any animals on one side will be stuck on that side. If they normally migrate across the border, they will no longer be able to." ]
Gravity proportional to mass and volume	[ "The total gravity created by an object is proportion to its mass. No other variables (such as volume) are needed.\n\nThe effect of that gravity on a second object (such as you, or a satellite) depends also on the second object's mass, and of course the distance.", "If you want gravitational force you use the G...
What is the gross (usually green or white) stuff caked onto drinking fountains, and why can't they do a better job cleaning it off?	[ "Mineral deposits from the water/pipes\n\nIt's in the water anyways, so its not like its dangerous or toxic.\n\nUnless you're living in the USA, then it's lead and is dangerous and toxic.\n\nAlso look up CLR (calcium, lime, rust) cleaner. \n\nThat \"gross stuff\" is why CLR exists." ]
Why after a perfect nights sleep why do some people find it so hard to get out of bed and are still tired while other people would be full of energy and find it easier to get up	[ "Circadian rhythm could be part of it. \n\nSome people fall asleep and wake naturally at different times than our jobs / commitments make us wake up. \n\nNaturally, i'll fall asleep about 4am, wake about 11/12. That's my body clock. \n\nAny sleep that doesn't mesh with those times is always less productive. \n\nHow...
Why do we lose our memories of what we got up to when highly drunk?	[ "Someone actually told me the answer to this but I was highly drunk at the time and don't remember", "When your parents drink a lot of that nasty tasting stuff they call alcohol it messes around with how their bodies work in a lot of different ways. \n\nOne of these ways is in their brain, think about your favori...
How do headphones make noise sound like it's in the middle of my brain?	[ "Your ears and brain are confused.\n\nYour brain gets the location of sound from the delay of the audio and volume difference between each ear due to (amongst other factors), your head being between them (see: _URL_1_ and _URL_0_).\n\nSince sound coming from headphones is fed directly into your ears, this delay is ...
if we say an atomic clock is wrong 1 second for every 1 000 000 years, have we actually a better way of measuring time?	[ "Yes, two atom clocks. You do not know which one is right but it gives you an indication of how accurate they are.", "Not necessarily.\n\nBut if you put ten atomic clocks in a room and come back and check them a year later, you can see if they have drifted apart, and use that to estimate their accuracy over longe...
Can someone explain me how electronic component get old?	[ "One reason is due to [electromigration](_URL_0_). The diffuse metal atoms in various components in a computer experience a momentum transfer with the electrons (and holes left by electrons) that gradually cause electrical shorts to form on a nanoscopic level. (metal atoms eventually get pushed around enough to for...
Legality of using real life people in fictional stories	[ "Famous people can and often do copyright their own image and likeness in order to prevent this from happening, and for people who have done so you must go through their estate even after death. Lincoln never did this, and neither did most of the long dead famous people you see on TV." ]
Why is it that when its dark, stationary things look like they're moving?	[ "The center of your retina is missing the cones that process low-light, giving you a nighttime blind spot, directly ahead.\n\nSince you cannot actually see an object when you focus on it in the dark, you have to look at something near it. Then your natural response is to attempt to focus on it directly, and so it d...
How Does A Computer Virus Actually Get Onto Your Computer?	[ "You get computer viruses from another infected computer on your network, or by getting tricked into installing it yourself. Viruses are only one part of the malware family, though. There's also trojans, worms, rootkits, spyware, and adware." ]
Major differences between USA's constitutional rights and European Convention on Human Rights	[ "A very large portion of the US constitutional rights are not basic human rights. They are the basic rights of a citizen of the US. Some of these rights are also granted to non-citizens but they are not all innate rights you have simply by existing." ]
V from V for Vendetta's philosophy	[ "FASCISM BAD. ANARCHY GOOD.\n\nThat's about the thrust of it.", "I think the simplest way to explain is the actual quote he says '[People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people](_URL_0_)'\n\nBasically, governments should do their jobs and represent the people, othe...
How do major airlines pay for new aircraft? Is it one lump sum or are they constantly paying Boeing/Airbus for old and new aircraft simultaneously?	[ "Finally! I can step in here, as I work for one of the largest aircraft leasers in the world. My company raises cash through bonds, other leases, dealing loans, and our bank deposits. We then use that money to purchase airplanes from Airbus and Boeing, which we have to order years in advance. \n\nOur originations t...
How do Native American nations function within the US?	[ "The US government basically lets them have their own pseudo nations with their own police, land (no taxes on it), casinos among other things.", "They get a limited amount of control over their own 'nation' (not full sovereignty, though). They have a limited ability to exercise their own judicial system (imposing...
What's actually happening in an electromagnetic wave? Does something move up and down the way EM waves are depicted in illustrations?	[ "Nothing is moving up and down the way EM waves are typically depicted in illustrations.\n\nElectromagnetic waves a very different from waves we're more used to seeing. A wave on a spring, whether it is an up and down (transverse) wave or a back and forth (longitudinal) wave requires the bits of the spring to move...
Why are there no drugs to help fight the common cold, only drugs to block the symptoms?	[ "The common cold is really hundreds of different things, so you'd need hundreds of different drugs and have to match the right drug to the right cold.", "The cold is a rapidly mutating group of hundreds of different viruses.\n\nYou can in theory produce a vaccine for a specific strain of the cold virus, but the h...
Why do countries dispute uninhabited, useless territory?	[ "Islands are great to own, because they give you ownership of all the water around them for many kilometers, including all the fish, oil, or whatever else might be down there.\n\nMountains are great to own, because they provide military defenses, and because they often contain minerals you can mine.\n\nI don't know...
peak oil and fossil fuels. Why are we supposedly running out of oil when the earth can create fossil fuels?	[ "Cheers to you for asking this question! It's in everyone's best interest to understand it, but too few people do!\n\nI'm going to elaborate on what dracoleo said by explaining a little about about how fossil fuels form, so you understand why it takes so long.\n\nTL;DR: Fossil fuels form on a geologic timescale...
What's P < 0.05 mean and why does it make everybody feel so confident?	[ "In statistics, you're usually doing something called hypothesis testing, which relies on something called a null hypothesis. For example, after flipping a coin a few times and getting heads each time, you might wonder if the coin is loaded. Your null hypothesis is the opposite of what you're trying to prove ...
How much "power" does the president of the United States have?	[ "The president's power is kept in check by the Legislative and Judicial Branch of the government. \nThe president can create executive orders to implement things rapidly, though these can be struck down by the Legislative or Judicial Branch. \nThe president cannot author laws, but his position as the leader of hi...
in baseball, Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak of 56 consecutive games is one of the most notable records in the sport and is considered "unbreakable." Why is this?	[ "The trick is that hits are hard to get (harder than just getting on base) and that even great hitters don't get hits that often. \n\nIt's easier to understand with an example. So, let's say that a person is batting .400---meaning they get a hit four times every 10 at bats. being a .400 or above hitter is all-time ...
How do sewer systems and, afterwards, water treatment facilities work, from the moment I flush the toilet?	[ "it really depends on where you are, what is your legislation and the kind of treatments.\n\nAnyway usually toilet flushes (with any sink flush) got collected (sometimes into piping, sometimes into \"buried\" water streams) and goes into treatment facilities which try to \"clean\" the water.\n\n* floating objects a...
Why does water cause electronic devices (I.e. cellphones) to malfunction even after said devices have completely dried?	[ "Unless it's distilled water, water is actually pretty dirty. It's full of little particles and sediment. Take a really close look at a glass of unfiltered drinking water and you might probably see some. \n\nAnyway, when a device gets wet those particles settle on the microchips shorting out some of the connections...
How does air humidity percentage work and how are we still able to breathe when it's 100%?	[ "100% relative humidity means the air has as much moisture as its temperature allows (since the amount of water vapor that can be in the air depends on the temperature - warmer air can hold more moisture). This means if you sweat, it won't be able to evaporate since the air is fully saturated with water vapor. So...
Why are vision problems more common than problems of other senses (ie. hearing, smell, etc.)	[ "Eyes require their exact shape to work. Vision is done by a reciever (rods and cones) that needs a focused light on it. That light comes from the front of the eye and gets put through the lens, which can be adjusted, and the iris (which opens and closes to allow more or less light as needed.)\n\nContrast that to...
Can someone explain to me what exactly constitutes an illegal hit in rugby?	[ "Anything above the shoulder or where a player is lifted off the ground and not brought down 'safely' as deemed by the ref. Basically don't drop people on their heads.", "You have to wrap your arm around the guy you're tackling. No arms = illegal tackle.", "Tackling:\n\n- Nothing above the shoulders.\n- Tackled...
Please explain to me the relationship between Reddit and Imgur.	[ "Imgur was created specifically for Reddit, by a redditor. [Here's the post he made when it was released.](_URL_0_) Here is [his follow-up AMA.](_URL_1_)" ]
Why do countries want to take people in for asylum?	[ "I could be wrong but I think it's a matter of humanitarian motivation. They take them in because they support their cause/protection for whatever reason and feel it's the right thing to do.\n\nAgain, there may be many examples where this is not the case.", "Humanitarian reasons, such as not letting people die n...
Why did most of the mammals from the Ice Age go extinct?	[ "The Pleistocene overkill hypothesis suggests that the time frame of the extinction of Pleistocene vertebrates matches the spread of humans through North America. Although this theory is mostly based on North American human expansion it could possibly be correlated to the rest of the worlds situation as well.", "...
What does an Apple computer do better then a (Windows) PC?	[ "Mac owner here: Nothing, really.\n\nThat being said, I like the fact that I don't need to deal with drivers, have a nice GUI on top of UNIX (BSD), and I can still boot into windows to play those \"Windows Only\" games.", "Back in the day, Macs were a lot better for things like video editing, sound recording, fil...
What is the difference between men's and women's razors?	[ "Good question! The biggest difference is the angle of the blades themselves. Men's razors tend to have a greater angle, which aids in cutting down thick beard hair, but can also mean a stronger shave with leg hair. The downside to a more aggressive angle, though, is a higher tendency for razor burn and cuts if you...
What is wire fraud in the US?	[ "Any crime in which the defendant voluntarily and intentionally devised or participated in a scheme to defraud another out of money; the defendant did so with the intent to defraud; it was reasonably foreseeable that interstate wire communications would be used; and interstate wire communications were in fact used....
When film earnings are being calculated, especially big releases that break all sorts of "biggest opening weekend" and such, is inflation taken into account when comparing these numbers to older films?	[ "The only reason that films keep breaking records all the time is because ticket prices have been going up over the last few decades. If you look at how many people went to see 'Gone With The Wind', you'll see newer films won't come close to selling that many tickets, even though they make more money.\n\nBoxOfficeM...
Why does food taste so much better when you’re drunk/high?	[ "So I don't have the exact science but basically when you're high, everything that you like the taste of becomes even better tasting. Additionally, the THC interacts with brain chemistry so that you can't feel as full. Add this to the fact that if you're smoking (anything), you have dry mouth. Eating/drinking is ve...
Why do the Japanese care about blood groups?	[ "There was an Japanese person who wrote a best-selling book in the 1920s or 30s on personality being determined by blood group. They were successful in convincing people it was scientific, since it was based on a biological testable characteristic. In other words, the writer made it seem like a scientific fact, eve...
Why is size of an animal such a good estimate of its strength, but size of a brain is not a good estimate of intelligence?	[ "The answer by /u/Doktor_Wunderbar is a good one (and increased surface area is a big deal in intelligence, especially in humans), but it misses out a critical factor - the EQ\n\n_URL_0_\n\nAt a simple level, this says \"based on what you look like, your brain should be about this big. How big is it really?\". So a...
Why can't telescopes work like magnifying glasses?	[ "Microscopes and magnifying glasses take light from a small area and spread it out. Telescopes take light from a wide area and bring it together." ]
Why is that even though I've been waking up early for school for years at pretty much the exact same time, my body is always tired and never seems to get used to it.	[ "There's more than one reason this happens, I'll try to explain 2 of the most important/accepted ones.\n\n1. Teenagers and adolescents (which I assume you are?) generally go to sleep at later times because they have more academic and social obligations than children. This basically means they have to study more and...
What is a Workers Union and what do they do?	[ "A union is basically an organization of workers that will collectively bargain in order to ensure that wages and working conditions are good, using the resources of the collective crowd that could not be attained by the individual.\n\nThe good thing about this is that it ended practices such as child labor, horren...
Why do military ship names begin with USS, HMS, etc.?	[ "They signify what country's military they represent. \n\nUSS = United States Ship\n\nHMS = Her/His Magesty's Ship, meaning UK.\n\nHMCS = Her Majesty's Canadian Ship", "USS = United States Ship\n\nHMS = Her Majesty's Ship\n\nThese prefixes are part of naval tradition and vary from navy to navy." ]
How do paleontologists know anything about the behavior and diets of any dinosaur?	[ "The shape of the teeth tells you what it ate. The shape of it's skeleton tells you how it moved. From that, you can deduce a lot of things.\n\nThere is some speculation involved of course, but it's a very educated guess." ]
why are people with autism/asperger's sensitive to various environments.	[ "Because autism is a processing disorder. It means we process things, everything, differently from other people. Either more, or less, but usually more. You see a bright like and your brain processes it as a bright light. We see a bright light and our brain doesn't know how to process it, so it processes it as ...
Black holes suck in light, so why are they black?	[ "We call them black because we believe that they suck in light and don't let it out.\n\nIt's outgoing light we can see, you can't see light that's being absorbed only light that is being sent out or reflected.", "Black is the label we apply to an absence of light. You can't make a flashlight that projects black....
How to radio stations know how many listeners listen at a certain time of the day?	[ "Here's one way. I wore one of these for about two years: \n\n_URL_0_", "Terrestrial radio stations just survey people. I don't know about satellite.", "There is a lot of guess work on this. Radio has used the Arbitron ratings system for a while. Not all stations subscribe to this but most in mid to large me...
Why does it seem that no one "drops dead" from cancer?	[ "Cancer doesn't grow that suddenly. You have time to be sick from it before the day it kills you — typically for months.", "Cancer generally gives warning signs, though sometimes they come to late to treat the cancer.\n\nBut my girlfriends grandmother slipped one day. Her spine completely dislocated because a can...
If something were to break the sound barrier in space, how would it differ from here on earth?	[ "The speed of sound depends on several variables even here on earth - humidity, air pressure, etc. Thus there is no \"speed of sound\" anywhere sound can't travel, such as in space.", "There is no sound barrier in space - because it means the speed of sound in air and there's no air for there to be a speed of sou...
when I drink water, does my body still try to digest it as if it were food?	[ "Yes and no. It goes down the same path and is absorbed in a similar way. But your body doesn't \"try\" things on various chemicals ingested, it just sort of happens when exposed.", "Water goes through your digestive tract with the food. Whereas food is digested and vitamins/nutrients are absorbed in the small in...
a hunger strike	[ "They often work. Usually the point is not really to change the other's opinion - it's to take the only thing you have control over (whether you eat) and use it to get media attention. Someone so passionate about their beliefs they are willing to risk death by starvation for them is often newsworthy, and being th...
why do some people love food that other people find disgusting?	[ "Humans may have the same types of taste buds but the concentrations of taste buds may differ. For example, [supertasters](_URL_0_) have a very high concentration of a certain taste bud so they experience very strong reactions to specific tastes.\n\nFurthermore, these taste buds are connected to our brain which may...
Why is that military personnel can't open fire against anyone until they have been fired upon or lethal threats are obvious but US police officers can pretty much shoot at will?	[ "I can't answer this with certainty, but I think it is just the fact that the Military personal are extremely well trained, police are not. There are many military personal in the news commenting on the inappropriate behavior of the police. Such as a soldier of any sort will never raise their weapon or point it at ...
why do we find blood so.... disturbing?	[ "Not everybody does. \n\nBut in short, a lot of people do simply because its an easy way to tell that somebody is injured and possibly dying." ]
Why does being Hispanic categorize you so differently?	[ "Your ethnicity (where you are from) can have an affect on what diseases you are more or less susceptible to or likely to have." ]
Why is ocean water naturally salty while lake and river water is relatively pure?	[ "River water is, generally speaking, rain. Oceans, on the other hand are places where salt can collect. \n\nBasically, water falls from the sky, runs over/through the ground, and ends up flooding the lowest possible area, which becomes the river. The water in the clouds starts basically pure---since it's evaporate...
why is there a lag after putting my hands in scalding water before the pain registers?	[ "I'm not really sure what you mean by that -- I feel both in what seems to be the same time. But I'll see if I can do an explanation:\n\nA cut severs part of the nerves, causing an immediate chemical reaction that triggers the electrical impulses which inform the brain.\n\nHeat has to transfer through the layers of...
Why do we still use steel if many synthetic materials claim to be X times stronger than steel	[ "When you talk about strength of a material from an engineering perspective, there are many different types that are used. You have tensile and compressive strengths, and things like strength to weight ratio, which most people have heard of. But you also have definitions like yield, ultimate, and fracture strengths...
What makes pee burn when you're dehydrated?	[ "Uh, that's not normal. You might want to go talk to a doctor if it burns when you pee. Good luck with that and remember, \"No glove, no love.\"", "Pee is your body getting rid of toxins that dissolve in water.\n\nIf there isn't enough water to dissolve them all, these toxins interact with your urinary tract more...
Why is the US in so much debt, and what caused it to be so high?	[ "Basically, there are two streams of cash: coming in and going out. What comes in is taxes. The government collects taxes every year to pay for the things it wants/needs to do. \n\n What goes out is spending. Every year (kinda), Congress passes a law that lays out exactly what is going to be spent on what, and it's...

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