Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
How do I determine order of atoms	[ "I believe we put the less electronegative agents first, followed by the more electronegative ones.\n\nElectronegativity is an atom's tendency (or a functional group's tendency) to attract electrons. So for single atoms, the farther to the right they are, and the higher up, the more electronegative (ignoring the n...
What is existentialism?	[ "In a few words, the belief that everything is inherently meaningless, and any semblance of significance is entirely subjective and derived by the individual experiencing it.\n\nExample: We're alone in the universe (which will some day fold in on itself and invalidate the entirety of human achievement), we're going...
If I was driving at 100km/h and crashed into a car in front that was going 90km/h, would the impact be equal to crashing into something stationary at 10km/h?	[ "Yes, the initial impact would be like 10km/h.\n\nHowever, if the initial impact causes loss of control (which it might, depending on the exact nature of the impact), the following impact with the scenery will not be like 10km/h!", "It's like they say, \"it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at...
Why are there different research funding organizations for different types of cancer?	[ "We know the root cause of cancer, cells that multiply uncontrollably due to some sort of mutation or defect. Each type of cancer requires different methods to treat however due to the nature of the type of cell infected.", "The problem is that cancer isn't a singular disease - it's an umbrella term that describe...
Considering all the different elements of sound, how is audio translated into binary so that a computer can understand what it's processing?	[ "As complex as sound.. uh.. sounds, really your ear drum is interpreting all those various sounds into one wave form. That is because you have one ear drum in each year, and it has only so many dimensions. It's really a matter of how much pressure, and how fast, the ear drum is vibrating. \n\nWhen we first start...
Why is fish (or sea food) so much softer than mammal meat?	[ "Basically fish have less collagen that attaches muscle to bone because fish don't need the skeleton to support them because they swim in the water every day. Also their muscle fibers are shorter that's why when you eat fully cooked fish you notice the pieces fall apart in consistent chunks.", "unlike a pig or co...
Why does my skin feel so sensitive and why do my muscles ache when I have a cold?	[ "One of the main reasons that your body aches when you are sick, like with a cold is that your body's immmune system is producing plenty of anti-bodies.\nThese anti-bodies also produce histamines which typically dilates (widens) blood vessel near an infection, this allows for more of the body's defences to get at t...
If cracking your knuckles is pockets of air escaping, how does the air get in and where does it go?	[ "It doesn't go anywhere. When you crack your knuckles you stretch out the sacks of fluid that act as cushions but they don't break. Stretching them creates a vacuum inside which pulls any dissolved gasses out. That's the cracking sound, the bubbles just stay inside that sack and eventually dissolve back into the fl...
Why is blackmail illegal?	[ "its coercion or extortion involving a threat of harm or slander.\n\nyoure basically demanding money under threat of harm." ]
How is disney not a monopoly?	[ "To be a monopoly, you have to control all (or nearly all) of the commerce in your given market. Microsoft was thought to be a monopoly in the past because they controlled ~95% of the PC OS market.\n\nDisney is in the entertainment market. Even after the merger, they won't even control 50% of that market, much le...
Why do flies and gnats consistently bother the same person even after being shooed away?	[ "They're attracted to the smell, or the color, or maybe they're just jerks.", "They dont really have intelligence, they're just following patterns that look like a good place to eat, poop, and/or make babies. Over and over..." ]
Who creates the, I assume mostly not real, computer programs we see characters using in films and are they actually functional?	[ "I would guess it's just added post production via a cgi program. No reason to write a fake program when all you need is something to just look like a program sense nobody has to use it outside of a scripted scene", "Software developer here. I've noticed a handful of times where the code was clear enough to read...
If our skin cells are constantly dying and being replaced how do tattoos remain on our skin forever?	[ "> If our skin cells are constantly dying and being replaced how do tattoos remain on our skin forever?\n\nThe ink is injected below the skin that is constantly being sloughed off.", "Skin has three layers. Epidermis (the part that sloughs off), dermis (the part that makes sweat and oil and helps you feel thin...
What does it mean it mean to be "in shape" physically, and what does my body actually do if I'm in shape?	[ "\"In shape\" is just another way of saying that you exercise with some regularity and your diet is good; you're not obese.\n\nBeing too much or too less of anything is detrimental to your health, and being in shape is that balance for someone where they are not obese and scoffing down processed foods 24/7, and it ...
Do alcohol, tobacco, caffeine fit in 'receptors'?	[ "Yes and no, it depends on the drug. Some are structural analogs to neurotransmitters (like nicotine) and some act on neurons and stimulate/inhibit release of neurotransmitters or their binding to receptors (like alcohol)\n\nFor example, nicotine (the active ingredient of tobacco) is a structural analog (similar ch...
Crowd gps	[ "Crowd GPS apps are different in that they give your more real-time information such as obstructions in the road, red cam lights. All the added real-time information is gathered through different people who use that app. Functioning as a self sustaining community, people update the public map with new information w...
Would we have to brush our teeth if we consumed no sugar?	[ "Yes, you would want to remove acids as well, as they also cause tooth problems. Brushing your teeth can also help remove pieces of food stuck in your teeth, which would otherwise rot. This is an area where flossing is helpful as well, which you should also do everyday." ]
Why do people say "What is -----" on jeopardy	[ "The guy who invented jeopardy was on the daily show once, and he explained it as follows.\n\nHe said that jeopardy was one of the first attempts to have a real quiz show after the big quiz show scandals earlier in the 20th century. Those involved shows were the producers would give one of the contestants the answ...
Why do some people (like me) get really squirmish about things like Veins, the inner mechanics of Reproductive organs or blood and injections, etc ?	[ "It sounds like you might be experiencing a vasovagal syncope, which is the mechanism that causes people to faint at the sight of blood. You get this because you are a wimp.\n\nNo, actually this happens because of a nervous system malfunction. Rather than activating the sympathetic nervous system which would be the...
Why did the english language rename other countries? Ex german=duetsch	[ "Countries didn't always have the same borders as they do today and so some names come from the names of the people who lived there way back when and have become corrupted in different ways over time. Example: the Franca people led to the name France and Francaise. Different rules in different languages can explain...
Why when you breathe out with an open mouth is the air warm, but if you purse your lips then the air is cold?	[ "Its not cooler air, it just mixes with the surrounding air faster. Add that to the fact you are probably blowing onto your sweaty fingers or palm, the evaporation of the sweat makes you feel like its cooler." ]
The rise, fall, and importance of the Byzantine Empire.	[ "Since the Roman empire had lots of trouble - civil wars, plagues, barbarian invasions - it was divided into two parts, because it would have been impossible to administrate otherwise. \n\nAfter the western part collapsed and Rome was looted by barbarians, only the east part remained. Since the only remainder of Ro...
why toasted bread tastes different than regular bread	[ "No. When you heat bread, chemical reactions take place on the surface of the bread that fundamentally change it. See the recent question about the Maillard reaction for a little more, if you want." ]
Why is it that I see so many surfing videos that show surfers sitting out in the water with no waves?	[ "Often we wait behind the waves to prepare, find a good wave or take a break. Then you move up and \"drop into\" the wave. Waves may come in sets of three for example and you want to ride the best one so you wait. Sometimes you wait a bit." ]
Why is steam formed in a shower at 50 degrees Celsius?	[ "Most people refer to visible water vapor as \"steam,\" but technically it's not steam. Steam, by definition, is the gaseous state of water (over 100 degrees Celsius at normal atmospheric pressues). When steam is released into air which is at normal temperatures, some of it condenses into the clouds which we CALL \...
Why are oil prices plummeting? What is OPEC and why are they not cutting production?	[ "There are a lot of reasons why oil prices have dropped recently. One major one is a recession in places like China, and a surplus of extracted oil. OPEC is the organization of petroleum exporting countries. OPEC is group of a bunch of countries that work together to coordinate oil production. Why opec isn't simply...
How is glass made?	[ "When sand is melted you get a hot liquid substance, then you can form it into shapes with special tools and when it cools you are left with glass." ]
How exactly does my neighbors property effect my property value?	[ "property value is just a guess at what an average consumer will be willing to pay. If you have a nice house, but it's surrounded by meth labs, no one will want to pay very much to buy it.", "Imagine your neighbor's house was run-down and they had a bunch of rusty cars parked on the lawn and a few dogs that would...
Why is it that so many people remember how blue the sky was on 9/11?	[ "The contrast was striking - over and over again, all day long, I remember people remarking on it - this massive and horrible event, on such an especially beautiful day.\n\nAnd certainly in NYC, most of us didn't go to or stay at work all day, either, so that may also contribute to our noting and remembering what a...
Why isn't "quantitative easing" money just given directly to taxpayers?	[ "The Fed isn't there for the sake of taxpayers. It's there for the sake of banks and that kind of guy." ]
Why are unhealthy foods seemingly always less expensive than healthier alternatives?	[ "Less than 1% of federal subsidies go towards fruits and vegetable. With 63% going to meat and dairy and 20% to grains, which is mostly used to feed livestock. Hence, the true market price of unhealthy food are artificially suppressed by federal subsidies.\n\nsource: [_URL_0_](_URL_0_)", "This herein lies a probl...
Shakespeare's genius	[ "Nobody popularized memes like Shakespeare, ever, in history. Think of all the little words and phrases you have made up... does anyone else use them? Does everyone one else use them? [HERE IS A PARTIAL LIST](_URL_0_) of words and phrases that have no record of appearing before Shakespeare used them. And they left ...
How the IRS would tax the winner of the power ball for the foreseeable future	[ "If you took it as a lump-sum prize they would tax you 350-400 mil as you say, but after that you wouldn't be taxed on it as income anymore because its already been taxed. It is not \"income\" just because you still have it next year, the only way it would continue to be taxed is if you invested it you would be tax...
How does the mouth deal with things hot enough to burn most other parts of the body?	[ "If it's hot enough to burn other parts of the body, it'll burn your mouth, too. In fact it'll probably burn your mouth easier than other parts of the body." ]
Why is bathroom water so much better than kitchen water?	[ "Clearly because you are a dog.\n\nReally tho...\"Most people like to drink water that is very cold. In the bathroom, the water is often very cold because the person getting a drink first uses the water closet (toilet) and flushes. This starts the flow of cold water. Then they wash their hands, which continues to f...
Why is allergy medicine so expensive?	[ "A lot of the newer allergy drugs have a narrower focus than previous generations of allergy drugs. Benadryl is an antihistamine, but it affects the whole body system much more than more modern drugs. Drugs like Afrin can clear congestion, but at the expense of elevated blood pressure and tolerance buildup. Its ...
It seems that when devastating disasters happen in North America, less than a hundred are killed, but how come in countries in the Middle East, Asia and the Far East suffer far more casualties for similar disasters?	[ "that's easy, it comes down to primarily two things:\n\n- Money\n\n- the number of people living there (population density)\n\nWhile the US are huge, they're not as densely populated as other areas, especially in Asia or the Middle East. In Texas you got an average of 40 people per square kilometer (or roughly 100 ...
Why is -3 not an applicable square root of 9?	[ "The square root of 9 is ±3.\n\nThe principal square root of 9 is 3.\n\nUsually you use the things that make sense. I don't understand your problem, but usually when solving problems like \n\nx^2 = 9\n\nyou write that \n\n\|x\| = 3\n\nx = -3,3.\n\nThis problem has 2 roots. Both of them satisfy the equation x^2 = 9.",...
Why is water transport so inefficient? Why can a mid-level car easily reach 200+kph, while you need a 1000+hp offshore boat to reach the same speed?	[ "Essentially friction and surface area. I'm no expert but look how much of a boat/ship is actually making contact with the water, now look at how much surface area your tires on your car take up, a hell of a lot less.\n\nI'm not a smart man but there's my two cents. I'm sure someone will explain it better.", "Wat...
Why is longitude measured in non-parallel lines coming from the poles instead of in parallel circles emanating from the Prime Meridian and IDL?	[ "One of these ways is really easy and convenient for plotting a map and navigating. The other is really, really, really annoying. If you plotted the parallel circles on a flat map, you would get two sets of either concentric ellipses or circles depending on the projection you use, and you couldn't keep your East/We...
Why does food turn black when it burns?	[ "Burning could also be called carbonising. I'm sure there's someone who can explain better than me, but burning food is the exact same as burning a lump of wood. Burning is a chemical reaction called combustion, and I can't remember any exact formulas but it uses oxygen, along with the organic compounds in the wood...
Why are beef hotdogs not brown?	[ "Hotdogs contain sodium nitrate as part of their curing process. Nitrates make meat pink. In fact besides hot dogs they are the reason why corned beef is the color it is, and are commonly found in things like bacon, sausages, and other 'cured' meats." ]
Slow charge vs fast charge overnight	[ "It doesn't matter. It automatically regulates power supply to prevent anything from damaging the battery; for instance, when the phone reaches 100% it stops charging, and only starts charging when it falls below like 98%-95%." ]
How Long Will The Worlds Population Continue To Increase?	[ "TL;DR - about 30 years.\n\nPopulations in most of Asia are stagnating. India is leveling out. Japan and most of Europe have declining populations. The US is leveling out. The only place left on Earth to experience a population boom is Africa.\n\nScientists have predicted that Earth's population will plat...
How can flight with a layover in Prague, be cheaper than booking a direct flight to Prague?	[ "Airline prices are generally based solely off the origin and destination, and not anywhere in between.\n\nPricing is a function of demand and competition. If there is high demand and little competition on flights from your city to Prague, prices will be high. If there is low demand and lots of competition from you...
Why does protesting work? You see massive nationwide protests when there is civil unrest, but why can't the government just ignore it until the protestors give up?	[ "Protesting isn't about getting the government or entity you are protesting to change because of the protesters. They will always be dismissed as a minority opinion and troublemakers. It is about getting a larger group of constituents (the ones who would never actually go to the protest) interested with the issue. ...
Why can't computer screens alter images for visually impaired people (glasses) to be clear?	[ "Think about it this way. A normal person's eyes are like a funnel. Anything that gets poured into the funnel comes out in a tight stream. Someone with very bad eyesight has eyes like a colander. Even if you pour the exact same thing into the colander, you end up with a mess of random crap coming out the bottom...
What happens to the pieces of a sliver that break off and can't be removed and therefore stay under my skin?	[ "Usually they work to the surface over time as new layers of skin grow from beneath. The human body is pretty amazing at ridding itself of foreign bodies.", "They either dissolve and get absorbed or they eventually get pushed out. Remember that your skin is constantly growing out. Dead skin sloughs off and is rep...
Why are cats (and other animals) noses wet?	[ "Because they often lick their noses. Think about how it smells when it rains. It's a pretty strong, distinct smell, isn't it? It isn't the smell of the rain that's sticking out - it's everything else. Moisture makes it easier to smell things we normally would have missed.\n\nWith dogs and cats, it's the same exact...
Asthma	[ "Some illnesses make you sick for a long time, like cancers and HIV. Some illnesses make you sick for a short time and then they go away, like a cold or a tummy bug.\n\nAsthma is an in between illness. You have it all the time, but it only makes you sick some of the time, as others have explained. It's like an n...
Why did everyone get upset when the Pope called it The Armenian "Genocide"?	[ "Because the Turks deny anything happened. 2 million Armenians just got \"lost\" in the shuffle after ww1/collapse of the Ottoman Empire\n\nMost everyone else isn't buying that story", "No one likes to be accused of \"genocide\", even historical genocide.\n\nMany Americans have been very upset when some Native A...
How does water get stuck in your ear?	[ "Am I going crazy? OP asked why it happens and everyone is giving old wives tales about how to get the water out. One guy just went on a rant about not using Q-tips\n\nAnyway, to actually answer the question, it has to do with cohesion, aka surface tension. Little water droplets basically get into the small spaces ...
how do fashion designers gain fame when they start out	[ "You know how people always laugh at those really outlandish outfits at fashion shows that nobody would ever wear? That's how fashion designers get famous. They make unbelievable, over the top outfits to grab attention, then once they have it they use their renown to sell things people actually wear like jeans or t...
Why are coffee tables so low?	[ "Most coffee tables are level with the sitting height of a couch or love seat. They are at a perfect height for resting your feet on them when your wife isn't home.", "They are meant to be in front of a couch, and used as a place to put coffee, snacks, decorations, or your feet. They need to be low so that they ...
If our brains use 50-70% of our total energy, will keeping it active result in fat loss/staying leaner?	[ "Those are excessively high percentages, but yes there is some indication that tasking the brain will burn more energy.", "Not really. Our brains do not utilize fat well. They require more immediate energy sources, like sugar.\n\n > It is puzzling that hydrogen-rich fatty acids are used only poorly as fuel in the...
How do apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat work?	[ "Yes, they need to have a central server.\n\nThere are various technical reasons why phones can't communicate directly with each other - but the most obvious is that there needs to be a way of storing the message if the receiving phone is switched off.\n\nIn WhatsApp, when you send a message, it displays one tick b...
why do some people not 'know' how to swim and drown?	[ "Humans are born with the instinct to swim, or at least stay afloat. It's lost after time. If it isn't taught to them or kept in their mind, they forget how to.\n\nNot to get all preachy, but some people simply don't teach their children how to swim. They then grow up not teaching their kids how to swim, or purp...
Why did this weekends reddit super story lose up votes over time?	[ "I think people are starting to question the validity of the story. The live stream from the PI got a lot of people calling bullshit", "It's reddit's algorithms doing their thing.\nMainly to prevent votebotters from seeing if their bots have been made ineffective." ]
when did it become gramatically acceptable to put the dollar sign after the numeric as in "10$"?	[ "I've never seen that before. Where are you seeing it?", "It might be people who aren't from the U.S. but yeah it is annoying when people who should know better use it.", "The reason it is $10 rather than 10$, unlike 10%, is because it is much harder to edit cheques and accounting records.\n\nSomeone gives you ...
What was the possible cause of the dancing plague ,and considering the fact that this disease was referred to as a "mania", was it a physical or mental disorder?	[ "Modern theories include (1) group poisoning with a naturally occurring chemical that can grow in rotting grain, (2) mass hysteria caused by recent problems in the area that had people afraid of starvation, and (3) encouragement from the authorities who strangely thought that encouraging it would stop it." ]
how did man figure out Wells?	[ "It was just something that was learned over time.\n\nSomeone found a spring. Then water stopped coming out of the spring. Someone then dug a little big to gind out where the water went and the spring started back up. After this happens a few times someone figured out to dig in the ground to find water.", "We don...
What considerations are taken into account when an establishment decides to sign with Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi for an exclusive supplier contract?	[ "Generally three things:\n\n1) Which drinks are more popular in that area, Coke (Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc) or Pepsi (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc)?\n\n2) Are there any nearby restaurants that have an exclusive agreement with one company or the other within a certain range? (This is rare; nether company has much interest ...
Why are some traditional last names of certain descents (Indian, Greek, etc.) so long?	[ "might wanna give some examples. but absent that i will talk on last names in general:\n\nin most cultures a last name is either their job, who they belonged to, the first name of their father, or just something they saw when they picked out their name. \n\nthe first gives us names like smith, or carpenter, or bark...
How does the ketogenic diet work, and do is actually cause more weight loss that low calorie?	[ "Yes. Part of it is that when eating a ketogenic diet, the food you're eating is more filling becuase you've cut out starch and carbs. So people end up eating less calories anyway.", "Calories in / calories out is ultimately how all weight loss occurs, yes—with caveats such as \"the calories you see listed on t...
What is the difference between 2nd person point of view and 3rd person point of view?	[ "I think 2nd person is where the narrator is aware of the reader and \"speaks\" to the reader, saying \"you will love this\" or \"if you didn't know\" ect. 3rd person is just an outside voice of the story/text, narrating what's happening in the text.", "Second Person talks to you directly, where third person narr...
Why is ketchup always watery when you first use it if you continually squirt the water out?	[ "The heavy solid chunks gradually fall to the bottom of the bottle, leaving the watery part toward the top." ]
How did the Polynesians have enough food and water to travel such great distances in canoes and why did they do it?	[ "Carrying enough food isn't really a problem, especially 2,000 or 3,000 years ago, when there were lots more fish in the sea.\n\n\nI sailed 12,800 km, from Panama to New Caledonia on a 11-meter sloop.\n\nWe left with 100 liters of fresh water for 4 adults. We caught rain running off the mainsail and put it in the ...
Why it's so difficult to make Xbox 360/PS3 emulators for PC.	[ "Well first off an Emulator for a game console is a software that is replicating the hardware that is being used in the console and its operating system.\n\nOld machines we're easy to do this with such as the GameCube and N64 because they we're inexpensive and simple machines.\n\nMicrosoft and Sony however have spe...
- Why do the ads on youtube load immediately with awesome quality but then the video I actually want to watch won't load or takes forever to buffer?	[ "The videos used for ads are stored on their own server locality in relation to your location. Since YouTube makes its money off of ads, they have to make sure the ads load." ]
Why does green and blue light create yellow light, but yellow and blue paint create green paint?	[ "What happens with combining light and combining pigment is two different things. \n\nEssentially, a color of light is made up of the color that you are seeing when it hits your eyes. Mixing another light into the first will make you see a combination of the two lights, which increases the brightness, and lightens ...
2 stroke vs 4 stroke engine	[ "Four stroke- Suck, squeeze, bang, blow. Flow of air/fuel and exhaust controlled by valves.\n\nTwo stroke- Suckbang, Squeezeblow. Flow of air/fuel/oil (oil for lubrication, they don't tend to have oil sumps) and exhaust gasses is typically controlled by ports in the cylinder wall, though IIRC there are valved two-s...
Why does sending group texts and pictures use up cellular data, when normal texts do not? And how does a text to an iMessage group text compare to a text to a non-iMessage group text in terms of how much data it uses?	[ "When you send a multiple messages in group text it counts as an MMS, depending on your plan and data limits you would be charged outside of that. Most plans cover Text+MMS but some companies do Text only. There is no real way to calculate the exact use beside checking data use tools in the iPhone - sincerely an Ex...
Why does the water in my bathtub always go down the drain in an anti-clockwise direction?	[ "The short answer is: \"no it doesn't!\". Think of it like a long pole standing without support: In which direction does it fall? The answer is: That direction where it is slightly tilted already. The water in the sink works similar: it will go down in a direction based on a small amount of movement present in the ...
Why does salt water soothe canker sores when adding salt to an open wound often makes it hurt more?	[ "Salt and/or baking soda lower the acidity in your mouth which can help the canker sore to disappear sooner." ]
Why do people with a stutter typically only have trouble with the first syllable of a word?	[ "I suffered with a stutter. I was deaf until I was seven. The stutter isn't a problem of starting, it's a problem with fluidity. This problem just happens to show up at the git-go." ]
Why do humans laugh? What physiological purpose does it serve and is there have an evolutionary reason behind laughter?	[ "This is what I always think about when it comes to laughter. It's simple, a neat explanation, and it's Calvin and Hobbes so it's cool as shit. _URL_0_", "The purpose of laughter is currently unknown, but there is some evidence it has evolutionary roots. Rats, for example, appear to \"laugh\" when tickled, but t...
Why are dogs so much more varied than cats?	[ "Dogs can work for us, so we spent a lot more time and effort trying to breed specific characteristics. Sometimes these characteristics involve appearance as well.", "This question [was asked just a couple of days ago](_URL_0_), see if my answer there is good enough?" ]
Does anything actually stop a foreign army from invading a 'Neutral' country?	[ "The same reason you already said: money.\n\nIf any developed country gets invaded, other countries have everything to lose. Also, politics don't work that way in developed countries. Allies, treaties, UN. The UN might not do much, but the countries in the UN will have something to say about it. \n\nSo, you can...
; "Crony-Capitalism"	[ "Capitalism, in its true form, finds efficient outcomes because it rewards the most efficient and effective operators, and punishes the worst by having them go bankrupt.\n\nCrony capitalism, also sometimes called lemon capitalism, refers to the practice of businesses forming personal relationships with politicians ...
What does the little ball inside a whistle do?	[ "The ball inside the whistle is not necessary for the whistle to work but serves a purpose. A whistle without a ball has a flat tone that may get \"lost\".\n\nIn an American Whistle the ball rises and falls as it is pushed around by the turbulence. When the ball moves within the chamber, it creates variations withi...
Why bad habits are so easy to start and good ones are so hard.	[ "Most bad habits feel good instantly. Drinking, smoking, eating unhealthy food, drugs, whatever. \n\nThat's not really the case with something like saving extra money or eating a more bland and healthy meal. The payoff for things like that are weeks/months away.\n\nExercise is easy to start imo, provided you are...
Why is illegal immigration such a big deal?	[ "Here's a test for you:\n\nNext time you leave your house, leave the door unlocked.\n\nThen, let people know your door is unlocked.\n\nThen, come back and see what your house is like a few hours later.", "You can't just let anyone from any country in anytime they feel like it. There has to be certain rules in pla...
Why are there so much rape in India?	[ "Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained:\n\n1. [ELI5: Why there seems to be so much rape in India ](_URL_3_)\n1. [ELI5: Why is there so much gang raping in India? ](_URL_0_)\n1. [ELI5: Why are there so many men raping women in india? ](_URL_5_)\n1. [ELI5 INDIA: Why is there so much rape in India...
Do service dogs know that they are helping?	[ "They know they are doing what they are trained to do, and they know they get rewarded for it. I don't think that the concept of \"helpful\" is really fleshed out in a dog - they don't really understand those concepts like we do (though we like to anthropomorphise them) - but it doesn't really matter if they unders...
Why is the age of adulthood and consent (usually 18) a big deal in the western societies? Why is it, for example, normal for a 14 year old to have sex with a 16 year old, but not with an 18 year old?	[ "There are many cases where a line does need to be drawn, but no bright line exists. Certainly we need some kind of age of majority, as there exists some age which is too young to understand a contract, fight in a war, run a household, make their own decisions in terms of education, health care etc. There's nothin...
Why most eggs in the nature have an eleptic form?	[ "Because it's the sturdiest structure an egg can have, and all species that lay eggs that developed this trait for eggs had their eggs survive til hatching, thereby drastically increasing the number of surviving members of that species to go on to lay elliptical eggs." ]
Why is it I can perceive light better in my peripheral vision?	[ "This is due to the distribution of the photoreceptors in the retina (back of the eye). There are two types of receptors, cones and rods. Cones have color vision, but low sensitivity to light levels, whereas rods only \"see\" black and white, but are very sensitive to changes in light levels. Now look at this image...
What causes the "zoom-in" feeling late at night, making it look like your room is 1/10th its size?	[ "I have posted this before...\n\n\nAlice in wonderland syndrome.\n\nI'm not sure my exact age at the time but I was around 9 or 10. I was laying stomach down on the brown velvety living room couch facing out with my left cheek to couch. Must have been attempting to nap.\n\nI was staring at the opposite wall where t...
Why did the Panda species let their genes deteriorate until this bad and how are they still not extinct?	[ "Because they have no natural predators and fill a niche which no other organism is really competing for, it makes sense to me that their senses might deteriorate over time. If a species doesn't need something in order to continue reproducing effectively, then expending energy to develop and use it becomes a waste ...
Are infant deaths in hot cars on the rise, or is it this summer's "shark attack" news?	[ "It's getting a lot of airplay this summer, most likely in the wake of one such fatality that [prosecutors think was intentional](_URL_0_).", "Most news events that seem to increase in frequency are \"shark attack news\". The same is true with shootings. There is an exceptionally tragic shooting like the one at S...
Chernobyl	[ "Chernobyl was a russian nuclear power station. It was one of the earliest designs of nuclear power stations, built when we didn't know all that much about making nuclear power stations. This lead to several problems in the way it was built.\n\nWhen nuclear power plants are in operation, the uranium in them spontan...
How were Integrals, Derivatives, Limits, and other calculus concepts originally discovered and applied?	[ "They were discovered thousands of years ago, but the methods for that were super complex. Someone ssked Newton how he knew that earth had an elliptical orbit and not circular. So he went home and invented Calculus to explain his reasoning.", "Math is like a toolbox. Trying to describe parts of nature without mat...
How do our bodies know to wake up right before an alarm or right before a bus/train stop?	[ "So your brain has lots of nerves all smashed together in the center of you brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. It's a very accurate clock inside your brain! We naturally look for patterns all the time and so does the nucleus. So when you get in a pattern of sleeping and waking up at the same time the nucleus...
Scott Kelly returned to earth today. How was he able to return to earth, and land in Kazakstan, by just floating in a space craft with a parachute?	[ "The International Space Station is in orbit around the earth. It's affected by gravity, but because it's moving \"sideways\", it doesn't hit the earth--it \"misses\" and just keeps going in circles around it. You can only do this when you're going very fast.\n\nTo de-orbit and eventually land, you need to slow dow...
Why are there so many claims of paranormal activities by people yet there had never been any evidence to support their claims ever in history.	[ "1. Because they're nice ideas. We die but we become ghosts, so it's a little like not dying at all, which terrifies us.\n\n2. Because there are things we can't explain - like why do we sometimes get the chills ([Cracked did a great job](_URL_0_) explaining things that until very recently were inexplicable). Beca...
Whats the difference between theoretical physics and philosophy?	[ "Science asks \"how\" and philosophy asks \"why.\" \n\nEssentially the scientists make observations, and construct theories to explain how the laws of nature interact, what those laws are, and how that explains the observations. \n\nThe philosopher looks at the scientists' work and asks, why are the laws of physics...
Why do Americans pay for so much for healthcare, yet other countries are able to get by without paying nearly as much?	[ "First: health care isn't \"free\" anywhere. There may be no charge to the patient, but somebody is paying for it.\n\nSecond: insurance companies do not make up nearly as much of the problem as people in the thread are suggesting. Their profits are in the single-digit percentages, and their overhead is not nearly s...
Where does all the rock salt for keeping the roads clear go? Why haven't so many areas near roads become too salty for grass, trees etc. ?	[ "You're on the right track of thinking. \n\nThe reason areas near roads don't become too salty right away is because when it rains most of that water enters a drainage system and makes its way towards rivers and lakes. That's where the biggest issues occur as you often see fish, algae, pretty much any aquatic organ...
Do those phone apps that say they can save power actually do anything?	[ "generally no.\n\nIf you take a look at what your smartphone uses the lion share of its battery for its the screen (40% to 70%). The easiest way for most smartphone users to extend their battery life is just to keep their screen brightness down and set short timeout for the screen (30 seconds) after that the phone ...
. What makes something "radioactive" and why is it dangerous?	[ "There are a couple of different kinds of radiation: high energy photons like xrays and gamma rays; alpha particles, which are basically high energy helium nuclei; and beta radiation, which are high energy electrons or positrons.\n\nAlpha and beta decay are caused by unstable nuclei decaying into more stable nuclei...

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