Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
How does a bidets work?	[ "Hi sir I've used a bidet.\n\nMost bidets these days are not things you sit on top of and have them lightly splash your anus while sitting down.\n\nMost of them are hand held sprayers that you aim yourself. The water pressure is usually quite high, relative to a shower.\n\nIf a shower can get dirt off of you, a bi...
How did worms get inside a mango seed if it didn't make any holes on the outside.	[ "They burrow inside before the seed is fully matured.\n\n > The newly hatched larva is about 1 mm long and burrows through the pulp and into the seed where it will remain until it becomes an adult. Minimum time from hatching to seed penetration is one day. There are at least five larval instars in Hawaii. Larvae c...
Why cant we just make up a number when we divide by 0 by 0	[ "You could define it to be anything you want, but such a definition isn't very useful. Suppose that you decided to define multiplication in such a way that zero has an inverse. Then for any number x you would have:\n\nx=x\\1 (multiplication by 1 has no effect)\n\n =x\\(0\\0^-1 ) (00^-1 =1 by assumption)\n\n =(x...
what is that noise we hear when we put our ear in an empty shell?	[ "Cupped shapes focus noises. Think of the megaphone shape on an old phonograph, your ear, an owls face, or just turn a song on your phone, make a cup with your hand, put it between the speaker and your face and you'll hear the volume go up.\n\nThat shell is esentially that same shape. Background noises, like wind, ...
How can humans forget the benefits from vaccination?	[ "What do they gain? Attention and money. The majority of the anti-vax movement was started by Andrew Wakefield in an effort to promote his business venture of selling nutritional supplements as a replacement for vaccinations. Then the pornstar-turned-selfproclaimed-medical-expert Jenny McCarthy started attention...
Why to big rigs have different types of tires on the FRONT and REAR of the truck?	[ "If you want another example, go to the drag strip. Even the street muscle cars swap out their rear tires for \"slicks\" which are big, specially formulated, and with little to no tread for racing purposes. When you don't have to worry about rotating your tires, you can tailor the kinds of tires for the application...
Why do movies cost so much?	[ "Script writers, editors, cameras, special effects, equipment, labor, power, transportation, CGI takes an extremely long time to make and often takes a lot of labor, actor fees and incomes, lawyers, logistics. Have you ever counted all the people on the credits? All those people get paid to do what they contributed...
Why can't "superbacteria" live outside hospitals	[ "It's not that they can't live outside of hospitals, it's just that hospitals are great places to go if you want to catch antibiotic resistant bugs. Everyone who goes there is sick, and if they have bacterial infections they are going to get dosed up, which can lead to resistant strains. Plus they are sticking need...
Why does garbage day getting pushed back a day actually change anything? Wouldn't this mean they work on some other day they normally have off?	[ "Many places also have different days for garbage pick up in different areas. To save on the number of workers, they split their area and do pickups each day but in different areas. \n\nIf services was pushed back a day long term than the schedule readjusts. A one-time or short-term pickup change would result in ei...
Can one neuron produce a thought?	[ "I don't think we have enough understanding to answer this question, we don't fully understand what a \"thought\" is so we can't specifically say what's required to create one.", "Can one pixel produce a movie?\n\nClearly not. The best you'll get is a single dot changing colors, possibly in a slightly-interestin...
What is matching? (Clothing)	[ "Matching is just putting things together without clashing colors or patterns. Now the harder part- what clashes and doesn't . Starting with colors, generally things on opposite sides of the color wheel- (just search it) will go well together. Those next to each other on the color will as well. Those in some other...
British Cricket for an American	[ "[We've done this shit 11 fucking times in the last month.](_URL_0_)\n\n[Here is the one with the most responses and information](_URL_1_)\n\nI can do the following if you so request...\n\nA) Copy and paste the responses into a Word Document and email it to you\n\nB) Screenshot the whole thread, upload to imgur as ...
The process for connecting new construction to already existing infrastructure. (i.e sewage, internet, power)	[ "Permitting and code - you start by getting permission to make a physical connection. The process for a small user (like a home) is probably pretty simplified, but for a large users like industrial and comercial locations, you go through a review on how you would impact the rest of the distribution system. You may ...
Why do your eyes get puffy after crying?	[ "When you cry eye ocular muscles constrict and the salt in tears may cause fluid retention in the eye area. This is called ~~Pussy~~ Puffy eyes.", "I don't know but I hope you feel better soon :(" ]
Why are the rules for elections for federal offices allowed to vary between different US states?	[ "The country was formed from 13 States (hence the name of the country), and the Constitution preserves a lot of autonomy on their part. For most purposes, the federal government is very loose.\n\nStates establish and conduct the elections that send representatives to the federal House and Senate, and also that app...
why is it woman and children first during natural disasters	[ "For women:\n\nWomen are needed for reproduction and rebuilding of the human race. One male can impregnate a lot of females to ensure that life goes on. If there is only one female and hundreds of males, re-population isnt going anywhere fast.\n\nFor children:\n\nThey are the future of the human race and naturally ...
What are the ramifications to the U.S. and the world if the United States were to stop trading with our closest allies?	[ "Huge damage to our economy. A huge percentage of Americans are employed making things that are sold in other countries. A huge percentage of the things Americans buy are made in other countries. Quite a few of the products American companies make use components are tools from other countries." ]
Why does balding seem to occur exclusively in humans and not other mammals?	[ "Elderley animals develop thin, scruffy fur; old ladies get thin hair like that. This is the result of the overall breakdown of the body due to age. Male pattern baldness is different, it happens in healthy men; it is related to testosterone level. Male pattern baldness evolved, presumably for a reason. [It i...
With same sex marriage federally legalized in the US, why is there a big taboo against Polygamy (even if all parties consent)?	[ "Legally, the grounds for one does not necessarily pave the way for the other. \n\nBesides changing the wording of a few forms, all the legal structure was in place for gay marriages, gay divorce, gay parental rights, etc. If jenny could marry Steve there was no legally justifiable reason for Joe not to be able ...
The difference between Sunni and Shi'a Islam.	[ "The differences between Sunni and Shi'a Islam are based on beliefs, culture and history, though they share far more in common with each other than what makes them different. Sunnis comprise about 85% of the global Muslim population. Shiites comprise the remain 15% and are located mostly in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Az...
Why aren't people more accepting of nuclear power in the USA?	[ "Basically things like Chernobyl and Fukushima have given nuclear energy a bad wrap. It really only takes one worst case scenario" ]
How do clicky pens work, and what is the mechanism called?!	[ "Here is a great animation: _URL_0_\nAs you can see from the animation, the inner surface of the pen is grooved. The button has a \"holder\", which holds the pen shaft in place and slides back and forth on the grooves. The shaft has a complementary part that fits into the holder. The holder is designed such that th...
Why do bridges ice before the road?	[ "I may be wrong about this, but I was always told it's because of cold air movement above/below causes it to freeze much quicker, whereas regular road is partially insulated by the ground", "The bridge is colder than the road because it is not insulated by Earth from below, and air over water is colder in general...
Are vitamin pills beneficial for us to take, or are they a complete waste of money? Is eating healthy food the only real way to absorb nutrients?	[ "Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, meaning that they dissolve in fat, rather than water. This means they tend to hang around in the body for a while. A large overdose of these vitamins can be dangerous, especially a chronic overdose since it will build up in your system (this is called hypervitaminosis), b...
- how does someone get into whiskey/bourbons and able to pick up tastes?	[ "Just like in beer, it takes training. You have to try a lot of different types and compare notes.\n\nIt helps to find one or two you really like, drink them a bit to become very familiar with them, then compare others to your \"base\"." ]
Is it possible to make a battery with enough amperage to hook up to your house's main electrical box?	[ "Yes. For example, you could just wire 10 car batteries together in series, and they'd made 120V DC.\n\nThe size of the battery doesn't really affect its voltage if you're making a single cell. You pretty much always get 1.5V for a zinc-carbon cell, for example, regardless of its size. To make a car battery, you pu...
Would the Attack on Titan 3D Maneuver gear work on Earth? If not, anywhere else?	[ "No. 3DMG relies on rapid changes to momentum that would wreak havoc on a human body that weighs 150-200 lbs, especially since most of the force would be applied to one section of the body.\n\nYour second question is the more important.\n\nAt 1.35 m/s^2 , there is a planetary body where the average human of the sam...
What are the differences between alcohols (Isopropyl, stearyl, etc)?	[ "It has to do with the other parts of the molecule. Alcohol just means it has an -OH group on the molecule, ethanol has two carbons attached to the OH, methanol has one. (They’ve also got hydrogens on the carbons, just to satisfy the octect rule, but that’s details).\n\nThe difference between propanol and isopropan...
Why my eye twitches	[ "I have to know! Mine has been going crazy. Then it stops for a few weeks before it comes back again. I just ate a banana, hopefully that will cure it." ]
How are stores like Dollar General able to stay in business despite selling things for a dollar?	[ "Some of it's special made stuff targeted to be under a dollar, others is just stuff other stores are looking to get rid of (they bought too much), so they sell it at a loss to recoup some of their cost. Dollar stores just ensure they always spend less than a dollar per item and thus they can make money.", "They ...
My co-pay is $20, but without insurance it's thousands of dollars. How does the insurance company make any money?	[ "In part, because the insurance company doesn't actually pay that \"uninsured rate\": because they are a huge customer, they negotiate much better rates for the drugs/services. You will never see what they pay: they get an invoice for the face amount, and then get a discount off that.\n\nIt's somewhat the same for ...
Gyroids. Because the wikipedia page was so non-layman that it hurt to look at.	[ "> A gyroid is an infinitely connected triply periodic minimal surface discovered by Alan Schoen in 1970\n\nA gyroid is a surface in space, just like a plane, the surface of a sphere, or the surface of an idealized doughnut are all surfaces in space.\n\nNotice how a plane is unlike the surface of a sphere—the plan...
Why don't bugs flying inside fast moving vehicles smack against the back window?	[ "Why would they?\n\nThe air in the car is moving along with them.\n\nWhen you're coasting on the highway at 65 if you put your hand up in the air does it get thrown back behind your head? No because your arm is already moving at 65 MPH.", "Inertia. Everything moves along until it's acted on by a force or an acce...
When I'm walking I'm heels, why do the "clop" noises my feet make always seem like they are 2 different pitches?	[ "They're coming from two different angles, and since they come from two different sources, the sound waves will bounce off two different sets of objects around you. It'll be a subtle, but noticeable difference." ]
Is the center of a rotating circle at rest?	[ "The very center of a CD it is rotating, but not moving in space (relative to the rest of the CD).", "There is, in general, a line through any rotating body called the axis of rotation. Any points in the body that fall on this line experience no motion due to rotation. All other points experience motion due to ...
How did WWII ship flak guns work?	[ "At least for US ships, the classic flak burst comes from either the 40mm/56 Bofors, 3\"/50 AA or the dual-purpose 5\"/38. The biggest bursts would come from the 5\", as you suspect.\n\nThe general idea is that the 5\" guns shoot down the planes as they're coming at the ship, so rotation required is minimal. When...
What's to stop from getting the license, buying a gun, selling it to a criminal, and then just reporting it stolen?	[ "That's a specific federal crime already, a straw purchase. It happens, but it's almost never prosecuted. Its what most gun owners mean when they say \"Why not actually prosecute the laws already on the books instead of drafting new ones.\"", "Seems like a lot of work for very little gain.\n\nYou could only do it...
Why does ice taste bad with milk, even though it is great with every other cold beverage?	[ "Personally I enjoy ice in my milk, I like it to be ice cold and don't mind if it'd a tad watered down at the end" ]
If you can create a smoke ring, could you make a regular air ring?	[ "Yeah of course. Like you said though, it'd be invisible to us. There are underwater bubble rings with air though! It's all about fluid dynamics" ]
How are old videos that were filmed in black & white converted to color?	[ "There literally was a person/team of people who colored it in. As you can guess, it is very tedious work. It is also very difficult of beginners, I'm a semi-pro at most everything Photoshop, but I can't for the life of me realistically colorize a B & W photo, let alone an entire film." ]
'Scandal' in UK Newspapers over funding Hate Speech, and why many companies are stopping adverts being shown in these papers	[ "Several newspapers in the UK, most prominently the Daily Mail (which is the primary focus of this campaign), are considered by some to promote hate speech. For example, the Daily Mail often makes articles which aggressively target immigrants, foreigners, single mothers, people forced to make use of state benefits,...
What exactly happens chemically that causes your body temperature to rise when you're sick?	[ "Your body releases signalling chemicals that cause your blood vessels to shrink and move deeper into your body, making your body less effective at getting rid of metabolic heat. It's kinda like a car turning off its radiator." ]
If the Senate doesn't have a germaneness rule and can combine two completely unrelated topics on a bill, but the House does have a germaneness rule, how can the House vote on those bills if they make it to the House?	[ "Generally, House members can't invoke the germaneness requirement on nongermane Senate amendments until the House has reached a stage of disagreement with the Senate over the amendments. So basically, the House has to consider nongermane Senate amendments, but when debating those amendments that they disagree with...
What's the difference between Body Wash & Shampoo? Why can't we use one for the other and visa versa..?	[ "Not an expert, but I've read (a loooong time ago) that the scalp prefers a different pH than the body. But this may not be significant enough to matter.\n\nOTOH, women tend to have longer hair than men and a shampoo may be better for longer hair. Lady Brienne of Tarth may ignore this.", "For my opinion it's just...
Can someone explain to me money markets to me like im 5?	[ "It's no different than a regular savings account, just higher minimum balances which usually yield higher interest than a simply savings account. It is not linked to any external risks, most Money Market account's are FDIC insured. Rates are generally 25-50% better than the average savings. It differs from a Ceti...
Why is it advisable to block your license plate when sharing a photo of your vehicle?	[ "License plates can be used to find where the owner of the car lives. Unless you're completely comfortable with random strangers knowing that, it might be a good idea to block the plates." ]
Why do lower frequencies in speakers require more power? Shouldn't it use less power since the speaker vibrates less?	[ "Another way to think about this is the question: Why do treble sounds travel farther than bass frequencies? To answer this, take a look at the waveform of the frequency in question. The treble wavelength will be much shorter, meaning that for the same power, an audio source can achieve a higher total sound output ...
How does one get ROMs from video game cartridges?	[ "There's hardware you plug the cartridge into and then into your computer that can read the contents of the cartridge and send it to a ROM file. [Here's an example.](_URL_0_)\n\nEmulation development is a very broad topic and I don't think I could do it justice here, but video game emulator developers will typicall...
How to start a small business	[ "Finally something I can help with.\n\nFirst, you need an idea - what will your business do? Are you going to offer a service, like fixing your friend's toys, or are you going to sell goods - like new toys for your friend... or will you do both?\n\nOnce you have the idea you have to keep the government happy. In ...
Why converting human power to electricity in gyms isn't worthwhile.	[ "Because the amount of electricity humans can produce through mechanical exertion is extremely small.\n\nA typical person on a bike generator can produce about 100 watts. Assuming someone is using the bike 24 hours per day, that would result in about 72 kilowatt-hours (kWH) of electricity per month (100 watts * 24 ...
In terms of genetics, what is a 'library'	[ "Basically it's a collection of genes that have been identified, that we know their purpose and we know the DNA sequence that codes them." ]
Are there any rules about which company name appears on a credit card statement as the payee?	[ "I am not 100% sure but I believe the written text is just a note field, the numeric references are the real information. I know that one UK credit card company actually offered the ability to change the text when they started experimenting with an online portal." ]
Why do electronic devices have a limit on the storage size of MicroSD cards that can be used?	[ "Right now, we see a pretty strict limit around 32gb, the point where larger cards must follow the SDXC standard, which also mandates a different filesystem. While for many devices (but not all) this can be added in by a software/firmware, older devices that no longer see updates may never get that added in. Wh...
How are some car radios capable of spelling out song titles and artist names when tuning into some FM stations?	[ "Radio stations do a lot of clever work to fit more information in the audio stream then just the audio. Originally an FM station were just a simple mono audio signal. However they found out that the signal quality were good enough to deliver audio signals at much higher frequency then the humans can hear. So they ...
How is the ozone hole "healing"?	[ "Ozone is constantly being created in our upper atmosphere because of UV radiation from the sun. It's a good thing too, because otherwise that same UV radiation would cause all kinds of trouble for humans here on the ground.\n\nBut in the previous century we had a number of machines, chemical processes (and even fr...
In Music why is B- > C a "half-step" and C- > D a "full-step?"	[ "The musical scale was adapted and developed from what we had in the past to what sounded nice to the composers at different times. The major scale can be brought back to the pentatonic scale which has (in C) C D E G A C, this has no clashes and is characterized by the major third (C to E). This pentatonic scale is...
Lightspeed	[ "The absolute speed limit of the universe, very close to 300,000,000 meters per secend. It is the most accurately known physical constant." ]
How does my tv, which has no internet connection tell me what the next program will be?	[ "Assuming you have cable, your cable provider subscribes to a service called an 'epg' which stands for electronic program guide. This is the electronic equivalent of the TV guide magazine. This is sent to the tv on a special channel along with all the regular shows." ]
What are incredibly niche stock images actually produced for? Are they commissioned, if so by who?	[ "Stock photos are taken by random photographers that then give the stock company the rights to the photos in exchange for payment when purchased. Having photos on a stock website does not guarantee it being purchased. \n\nI've been a model for almost a decade and worked with hundreds of photographers. Some of them ...
What caused humans to outsmart other primates?	[ "Well, humans developed symbolic thought- or the ability to attach meaning to symbols (sounds, gestures, pictures) and communicate complex ideas using those symbols. They used this to develop language, and with language they could speak of the future, and of the past, allowing them to learn from each others mistake...
Why aren't there any dinosaur-sized creatures around today?	[ "tl;dr - the ratio of food:dinosaurs was much higher, so they could afford to be big. After they were wiped out, that ratio would never be as high again.\n\n___\n\nIn addition to the answers given, when the dinosaurs were around there were orders of magnitude fewer \"creatures\" on the planet and the Earth was cove...
With #Calexit gaining traction the best argument for succession is that it has the worlds 6th largest economy. I find this oversimplified. How much of the CA economy actually benefits from being a state (e.g. importing/exporting American made goods)?	[ "California certainly has a lot to lose. Californians would presumably lose the right to live and work in the other 49 states as they lost their US citizenship for CA citizenship. CA companies might have import tariffs slapped on their goods and services. It seems very unlikely under a Trump administration that ...
Are nuclear missiles "easy" to launch? If Russia were to go into civil war how easy would it be for terrorists to find, target, and launch a weapon?	[ "No, they are not easy to launch at all. They require secret codes which are not available at the launch site; you don't want a commando team to take a nuclear silo and be able to launch and detonate a missile.", "The answer is: extremely difficult to simply detonate in situ, and it's even MORE difficult to utili...
What is a Sievert and its SI multiples? How much is dangerous?	[ "> For example, 3.58 µSv, is that a lot of radiation, or not so much? Would I, or any other body, be in danger around that?\n\nThat's quite a small amount of radiation. We all get a little radiation when we go about living our lives. For example those who live in Princeton gets a little under 3 millisieverts/year f...
How do names work in sign language?	[ "Just as all other communication occurs in this language, names are expressed visually. Sure they can be spelled out using signed alphabet letters, but that's so phonetic and not really how sign language works. \n\n\nIf my hearing name is Roxanne and my right eye is a lazy eye, I can almost guarantee you my signed ...
Why is marijuana officially classified as a hallucinogen if you dont actually “hallucinate?”	[ "There are tons of psychoactive chemicals in cannabis. They vary greatly from strain to strain. Some strains are bread specifically for their high or low levels of this chemicals.\n\nSome of these chemicals are in fact hallucinogens. Most of them subside after regular smoking due to building a tolerance. It's much...
Heterosexuality - Why, exactly, are men attracted to women, and vice versa?	[ "Men and women can breed with each other. That's why. It's a primal instinct every living thing has.", "we humans subconsciously think that we want to pass our genes on. when guys see a pretty girl they subconsciously think \"wow what nice genes we will make good babies\"", "Men are attracted to women because w...
Do the signs on the backs of trucks that say, "warning stay back 200ft, not responsible for broken windshields" carry legal weight?	[ "They carry zero legal weight in cases where something falls from the truck. You can't unilaterally disclaim liability for negligence. Loads are required to be secured in every state. The driver would be negligent by either not securing the load or improperly doing so, and a single stone falling from a truck is an ...
How do traffic lights 'know' when to change, etc.?	[ "Some traffic lights are on a timer. Those are the lights that seem to take forever to change. Other signals are triggered by a pressure plate under the asphalt, you can usually spot these by a square \"patch\" looking piece of asphalt at the stop line. The mechanism used usually depends on the amount of traffic at...
In the USA, what is life (in practical terms) actually like for illegal immigrants? Can they get jobs, legally drive, get healthcare, etc?	[ "They cannot legally get jobs, they cannot legally drive as they cannot legally get a driver's license, they can get treatment at an ER but they cannot get health insurance, they cannot legally get an apartment because they lack the proper documents, etc. \n\nWhat this means is that everything they do is under the ...
What are E-cigs, and what is the controversy about them?	[ "As others have said, E-cigs are devices that vaporize a liquid containing nicotine and other substances for you to inhale. There has been some testing done on these, but most of that is just understanding what chemicals are present in the vapor, as compared to the smoke of traditional cigarettes. There have been...
How are they making technology so damn small?	[ "I hate to be linking wikipedia as a source, but this article does contain fair bit of information surrounding this: [Moore's Law](_URL_0_). Since this is ELI5, I'll elaborate on key points. \n\nA little bit of background: I am a computer architect, which is to say I'm the one who comes up with blue prints for buil...
If no country is on the gold standard, why does paper money have any value at all?	[ "Because we say it does.\n\nGold does not hold any value either, if no one wanted gold it would be worthless. So long as people want paper money they will ascribe value to it.", "Paper money per se is worthless, as is gold. What it represents, though, is not worthless.\n\nIt represents production. More specific...
Difference between speculation and investment?	[ "Investment is a general commitment of resources to whatever you decided. \n\nSpecullation as a financial investment colloquialism in general means acting on an expectation, often with the aid of a loan of sorts.\n\nThat practically means that any investment in a development over the result of which you do not have...
System of Linear Equations/Inequalities?	[ "Let's say you don't get an itemized bill but you want to figure out the prices at the restauraunt:\n\nYou order a hamburger and a beer totaling $15 and on the second visit you order a hamburger and 2 beers totaling $20. How much does a hamburger cost and how much does a beer cost?\n\nh + b = 15\n\nh + 2b = 20\n\nW...
What an 'Epipen' is and how it works?	[ "An epipen is an easy to use syringe filled with epinephrine, an artificial form of adrenaline, and a few other drugs. It is one of the most efficient ways to delay an acute allergic reaction until you can seek medical treatment. If someone gets an allergic reaction and have problems breathing so you are not able t...
In evolution how did sexual differentiation come about, like males and females?	[ "[Ah, wikipedia :)](_URL_0_). The reason is genetic diversity. If you have two genders, that's twice the genes to one specimen (baby), which allows helpful gene selection to occur. The species then evolves quicker.", "In The Selfish Gene I believe it was explained that very very early forms of life found a reprod...
Why does wind or moving air feel cool to animals and humans?	[ "When it is hot you sweat. Moving air makes sweat evaporate faster and evaporation absorbs heat making it cooler. Also, when the air is still your body creates a sort of \"heat bubble\" around you (the air closest to your body absorbs the heat of your body). When it is windy, a steady supply of cooler air is able t...
Why do I feel like smoking about 13 cigarettes a minute when I'm drinking alcohol?	[ "Alcohol gives you very poor impulse control. Nicotine is highly addictive, which means it gives you a strong impulse to smoke." ]
Private vs. Public Companies	[ "\"Going public\" and issuing shares is a good way to raise money. It opens your pool of potential investors from a select few, to nearly everybody, as well as giant investment instutions. More investors = easier to raise more money. This money is then used to build the company's business operations.\n\nFor exam...
freudian theory; id, ego and super ego	[ "The Id is the primal, uninhibited part of oneself, which bases all of its actions on instincts and urges. The Superego is the part that bases its actions on social norms and expectations. Basically, the Superego is one's idealized version of how he or she should behave in a civilized society, while the Id is the c...
If there is no matter in space, what do the rockets push on to accelerate a ship?	[ "That's not how rockets work. Rockets don't \"push on\" anything. They're not sneakers. By igniting a chemical reaction, they cause an action, i.e., projecting a stream of expanding gas in a particular direction. The reaction is moving the rocket in the opposite direction. Whether the surrounding environment is a v...
How do geese seem to know exactly when to return?	[ "They don't. They are actually pretty terrible at it oftentimes. I've been seeing small groups of geese flying north for about a month now, as Ontario has been gripped by The Winter That Shall Not Die. It's only in the aggregate that geese are good at this, but that makes sense, and is a fairly common pattern in na...
Why do we start to salivate when thinking or about to eat spicy or sour foods?	[ "It's a Pavlov's dog effect. We're conditioned to associate the smell of spicy and sour and even the thought of it with eating food, and so our body physically reacts. It's not specific to spicy foods at all. If you walked into a bakery every day and ordered a loaf of bread and then ate it, the smell of bread would...
What happens when you get that little knot in your throat when you're about to cry?	[ "It's an inflammation in the throat because you're about to cry. It's called globus." ]
Why do postage stamps have curvy edges?	[ "In the old days, stamps were printed on a big sheet of paper, and they'd use a machine to poke rows of tiny holes in the paper so that it would be easy to tear off individual stamps. Those \"perforations\" would make the edges of the torn off stamp look wavy.\n\nModern stamps are printed on strips of sticky paper ...
How can healthy individuals with no symptoms initially develop allergies later in life?	[ "Also want to know this. Used to be allergic to cats and fine around dogs. Now it's the opposite.", "A body's immune system is also changing with age. The usual reason is there actually was a small immune reaction to it initially, but so little that it wasn't noticeable. Your body then memorizes these encounte...
Why don't you see rain in sports tv broadcasts?	[ "My guess is that it's the focal length. When they show the field they have to use a rather large focal length since the players are rather far away. When they show the bench they would use a smaller focal length which would include the rain.\n\nDepth of field is probably also in play (no pun intended) here. Wider ...
Can the POTUS issue Executive Order on withdrawing from NATO?	[ "No. NATO is part of a treaty (the North Atlantic Treaty), and only the Senate can make or break treaties. Withdrawing from any organization that we are members of by treaty, like NATO or the UN, isn't something that the president can do unilaterally.", "International treaty powers are given to Congress in the Co...
what the parts of the scientific name (species, family, genus, tribe, etc) mean.	[ "It's used to show how things are classed and how closely related they are.\n\nLife - A characteristic distinguishing physical entities having signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not\n\nDomain - the tree of life consists of three domains: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. The first two are all ...
Why do electronics which have gotten wet, stop working even when they completely dry?	[ "In addition to the damage being done on contact (i.e. creating short circuits leading to immediate or near-immediate failure); tap water, rain/flood water, etc contain a lot of impurities. The evaporated water leaves these behind which may create a delayed onset of corrosion, which can cause poor contact between c...
How do antidepressants work in the human brain?	[ "I'll just touch on the most common type of antidepressant, which are SSRIs, or \"selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.\"\n\nSerotonin is a chemical transmitter that we understand to be important for regulating mood and other \"higher\" functions. It's released from neurons in certain parts of the brain, where i...
Why do humans still have to do their own taxes? Why isn't this process automated?	[ "It is automated. ...In other countries. Lots of countries don't force their citizen to do their own taxes, although they're still allowed to if they really want to (for example if they don't trust the government instances to get it right). It's fully possible to do, if your nation just wants to develop the tools t...
What happens when you have a 'pinched nerve'?	[ "When pressure is applied on a nerve it gets activated, that's how nerves work, you will feel the pressure, pain, etc. However, when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage, tumors, muscles, overgrowth of bone or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve's function, ...
We are all probably glued to a computer screen for way too long each day, whether it be Netflix, video games, homework, instagram, whatever. How bad is this for your eyes, and what’s the most healthy way to minimize eye damage?	[ "There's nothing \"bad\" about it - from an eye health perspective. Your eyes take in light, and have been doing so your whole life. Just because that light comes from a monitor does not make the light worse or more dangerous. \n\nEye strain and eye fatigue can give you a headache. Rest your eyes by closing them on...
Why is it that when a couple gets divorced the guy is usualy the one who gets screwed over the most?	[ "Households that had a traditional gender role split then have a traditional gender role split in divorce.\n\nIf a married couple choose to have children, and decide to divide the labour of raising the family such that one person sacrifices a career, while the other maintains their's with minimal interruption to pr...
How are crimes solved years after the fact using DNA evidence?	[ "DNA, kept in reasonable decent conditions (which boils down to not exposing it to lots of ionizing radiation ) lasts of several years. While it does degrade over time, it's half life (the point at which half of the DNA in a sample will no longer be useable) is somewhere north of 500 years.", "1. Dna technology h...
Why does it take so long for major reform to happen if most of the general public agrees that change needs to be made? e.g. Marijuana and Gay Marriage	[ "The government is designed to be slow to save us from ourselves. Having to go through the process theoretically vets new ideas and changes so they're not implemented hastily with no thought to the consequences. It may be inconvenient when the changes are positive, but it's there to prevent bad ideas from being e...
What happens when people die?	[ "She is in you, and in your siblings (if you have any).\n\nYou carry her genes, she told you her memories, she taught you how to live your life.", "You'll get a lot of answers from a lot of different people.\n\nUnfortunately, though, there's very little (read: none) scientific evidence that anything happens aft...
How do we get songs stuck in our heads?	[ "Short term memory has an audio component. When you rehearse something in your head it gets recycled into short term memory and reinforced. So you hear the song, your STM registers it, you rehearse it in your head a few times, it gets stuck! \n\nIf you want a more in depth answer I would suggest googling “short ter...

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