Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
Are there prostitutes or camp follower types with modern armies?	[ "The army, of course, does not 'officially support' prostitutes.\n\nHowever, wherever there are soldier, there will be prostitutes. War time poverty compounds the effect, and often the soldiers who are foreign to the locale will enjoy the companies of the local girls. The military rather does not like its personnel...
why is online gambling illegal in most places, but things like draftkings and fanduel which pay out real money aren't?	[ "When the laws related to online gambling were made a few years ago, a specific exception was made for fantasy sports; but I don't think they expected it to become what it is now.\n\n_URL_0_\n\n_URL_1_" ]
What happens when a currency 'dies'?	[ "Typically the government prints a new currency, and for a limited-time period, they offer you to exchange the dying currency with the new one. In Zimbabwe's case, they abolished their old currency in 2009 and just started using foreign countries' currencies like US dollars and South African rands. People stopped u...
How does volume work? If I turn the dial on my stereo, what exactly is happening that causes the sound to be louder or quieter?	[ "[Here's a fairly simple design for an amplifier.](_URL_2_)\n\n[If you look at this picture you can see more or less how it works](_URL_1_) There's a bunch of crap on there that's not really important to understanding how a volume knob works and can safely be ignored. The important part is that the (weak) audio ...
Were the Earth to be attacked by external force & we bonded together as a whole regardless of economics and borders, what are we be capable of defensively?	[ "Attacked by an external force? We wouldn't be capable of anything. It'd probably be over before we even knew we were under attack. They'd have to be more advanced than us because they made it here. They would most likely be a lot more advanced than us. It'd be unlikely that another \"nearby\" civilisation was ...
How does alcohol make you dehydrated? Where does the water stored in your body go just by drinking another substance?	[ "Humans have a hormone that prevents them from urinating. Alcohol lowers this hormone so you urinate a lot more than you should which results in you losing more water than you gained from drinking the alcohol." ]
Why can't energy be harnessed through gravity?	[ "We already harness energy from gravity... just not in the way your friend thinks. Hydroelectric dams use their height to store potential energy in a reservoir. The height difference between the water and the turbines means that gravity is used to move water past turbines thus creating energy." ]
Why does the computer mouse sometimes jump in a random direction?	[ "It shouldn't, when just sitting still. I assume you mean when you are moving it. \n \nOlder mouses had a ball that made two different little wheels inside rotate, and that would be translated by the computer into mouse motion. But those little wheels would pick up dust and gunk and that could make them get erra...
Why Mclaren CEO Ron Dennis is being pushed out of his job?	[ "In a takeover battle for McLaren shares, he seems to have backed the \"wrong\" side (the Chinese), and the remaining shareholders (from the Middle East) don't trust him any more and are trying to oust him." ]
Insurance - what is it exactly? What is its purpose? How is it implemented? How come people are against insurance companies?	[ "Insurance is a way to control risk. The situations where insurance makes the most sense is when there is an event of a low probability of occurrence but with very severe consequences. For example there is car insurance where you probably won't get into a car accident if you are careful but if you did the financi...
Why does it take so long (longer than a week) to feel pain after a car accident and not a few days?	[ "If there still is pain you better go see a doctor and ask an actual professional about your very specific case!\n\nThere can be no general answer as injuries - from neglectible to very concerning - of all imaginable and unimaginable kinds can happen." ]
How accurate are nutrition labels on foods?	[ "Theoretically, they're pretty accurate. Numbers can be gotten through chemical testing or by combining the known nutritional quantities of the ingredients that go into the food. \n\nTypically, the bigger the food manufacturer, the more accurate its nutritional values are, as the manufacturing process and ingredien...
Why are lactose-free products primarily targeted towards women?	[ "I'm assuming it is purely marketing... women still do most of the domestic tasks of a hetero-normative, \"average\", family. This includes the shopping. \n\nPerhaps women are more likely to engage with the dialogue around \"wellness\" too?", "It's because that's who generally does the family shopping.\n\nMarkete...
How did diseases that are only transmitted Sexually originate ?	[ "Most infectious human diseases, not just STDs, originally came from animals. Often domestic animals, but sometimes wild animals as well. The flu, TB, etc., come from pigs, chickens, and cattle. HIV came from wild apes or monkeys, and Ebola is thought to have come from bats.\n\nMost STD's weren't originally only...
How and why are the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploding and catching on fire?	[ "A huge flaw in the lithium ion batteries they use. Unlike most batteries, lithium ion batteries contain a flammable electrolyte. Under certain situations this can cause it to release gas, which builds up inside the highly pressurized case.\n\nIn most cases, it starts to swell first and then, well, explodes: _URL_0...
How does metamorphosis work?	[ "Inside the cocoon and the chrysalis, the caterpillar is transforming into a new creature. This requires that the old caterpillar body be broken down and turned into something new. Think of it as insect recycling!\n\nInside a chrysalis, a caterpillar’s body digests itself from the inside out. The same juices it use...
How do volcanoes work?	[ "Short answer: Volcanoes come from melted rock rising from deep underground. \n\nLong answer:\n\nThe crust of our planet is thin like the skin of an apple, but it does not stay in one place like an apple. Pieces of the crust, called plates, float around and even bump into each other. Or they float apart and reveal ...
If deep freezing only puts bacteria to sleep rather than killing them, then why does deep freezing sushi/sashimi fish makes them safe to consume raw?	[ "I think you're confusing bacteria with parasites. Freezing kills harmful parasites like tapeworms and roundworms. \n\nThe bacteria you're concerned about has nothing to do with the fish itself and everything to do with who handles it. If there is any harmful bacteria on your sushi, I'd blame your chef for not wash...
How can this camera "visualize" the movement of light?	[ "Unlike a normal camera it doesn't capture the action as it happens. \n\nInstead, what it does is it takes many different images at different times and different experiements and then splices them together to form a coherent picture. \n\nIt's like if you wished to get a slow motion video of water falling. You could...
What's the difference between a unitary system and a federal system?	[ "In a federal system there are multiple and separate governments. They have no direct \"say\" over each other. But if there are conflicting laws, then one government, usually the federal one, has its laws prevail.\n\nSo for instance, if I am in Las Vegas, I am subject to the laws of the US and the laws of the State...
Why when recording a song in a studio do they use a screen in front of the mic?	[ "It's called a pop filter, and it is used to break up \"plosives\" which are your Bs and Ps. When these sounds are produced they release a blast of air, and the microphone picks these up as bass rumbles under the fundamental frequency of the voice. The mesh of the pop filter diffuses the air passing through so ever...
How does the resonance in a certain room make just a single string of stringed instruments vibrate and get louder and louder?	[ "Sound is a wave - a series of compressions (extra dense spots) and rarefactions (extra empty spots) in the air. Those sound waves bounce off the walls of the room, and propagate back into the room, where they overlap with other sound waves. (Mathematically, the overlapping of two waves is called [superposition](_U...
When you burn yourself, for instance by running very hot water over your hand, why does it take a solid second or two to actually feel pain?	[ "This coming from highschool bio knowledge so someone else might be able to give you a better answer. But there are 2 different kinds of nerves. The reason you pull your hand back is the first nerve in action, it's a reflex nerve. This saves time for the brain. Rather than have the signal go all the way to the bra...
What happens to a country's Nuclear Weapons after its government falls?	[ "As far as I am aware the only time something like this happened was during the fall of the USSR. Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan all returned the war heads to Russia as far as I know.", "When the USSR collapsed, the former communist states handed over their nukes to the Russian Federation. An example would be U...
What are the scientific reasons why consanguineous marriage causes disabilities, malformations and congenital anomalies in the offspring?	[ "They don't, always. The degree to which it happens is typically overstated. However, inbreeding tends to result in homozygosity. Basically, more people sharing the same copies of genes. Since you get them from your parents, and your SO is closely related and also got them from their parents, your kid has a greater...
Google Reader (or RSS feeds in general)	[ "Oh, hello, five-year-old that knows how to use reddit. Do you like water? Me too! Some people like water so much they go to different places to pick up water each day, and the stores sell different pieces of water each day. Different stores sell different colors of water, so people will drive by each store and pic...
Why do ghostwriters ghostwrite when they are clearly talented enough to make a name for themselves?	[ "Some ghostwriters are already famous authors, and write for a paycheck. Some might be modestly successful, but an \"auto\"biography from someone famous is likely to make a lot more. \n\nAlso, some writers like their subjects and want to write those stories. People line up to write for Presidents and Politicians. \...
How one would go about training themselves to wake up LATER as opposed to earlier	[ "Keep your room absolutely pitch black until you want to wake up. Light is the main signaler of your body to be awake, so if you have a window, especially a window that faces East (where the Sun rises in the morning), more than likely the sunrise is waking you up. Get some blackout curtains, and keep your room d...
Whats the point of voting for President if the Electoral College exists?	[ "Your vote tells the electoral college how to vote (more specifically, you're voting for an elector who has promised to vote for a certain candidate).", "The electoral college is supposed to vote the way a state votes (or a district if you're in one of those split states like Nebraska), however they technically d...
What does it mean when the PM "forms a new government" in the UK political system?	[ "The US equivalent is the \"new administration\". Different officials (in the UK, elected in their constituencies) are appointed to various positions in the 'new' government to replace those who lost their positions (by failing to get enough votes in their local elections, or because the current ruling majority par...
How does Tilt-Shift photography work? What causes the change in the photos?	[ "It's created by literally tilting the lens so part of the picture, that normally would be in focus, is now out of focus. In photography, [depth of field](_URL_0_) is the term that refers to how much of the scene is in focus. Close up pictures of small things will have a narrow depth of field and far away pictures ...
Why can't we drink seawater when we're dehyrdated?	[ "Seawater has about three times the salt content of urine.\n\nThat means for every cup of seawater you drink, you body has to come up with 2 more cups of water to eliminate it.", "The amount of salt that is mixed in saltwater is very high, and upon drinking, (in a nutshell) your body will try and equalize the sol...
Why do people get drunk quicker / easier in high altitudes? (Colorado, etc)	[ "[You don't](_URL_0_).\n\n > In a series of studies for the Federal Aviation Administration, scientists simulated the effects of altitude, performing blood alcohol tests on groups of subjects who drank under ground-level and high-altitude conditions. They found no difference.", "you just feel more drunk because y...
Why did we nuke Hiroshima and Nagasaki instead of hitting Japan's military bases?	[ "> I don't see why hundreds of thousands of people had to pay the price for the actions of their government.\n\nIn a sense, that's why we did it. The Japanese were basically too stubborn to give up, and the bombings were (in part) to terrify them into submission. Ruining the shit out of civilian populations is a go...
Why does time of morning make it harder to get up?	[ "It's likely because of a process called circadian rhythm. The chemicals in your body, the temperature of your body, and the amount of light causes you to either feel sleepy or alert. It's probably an evolutionary response, so the first humans could have the energy to gather food and everything else they needed whe...
Wi-Fi - How is data loss not an issue?	[ "Ok, first part\n\nYes, data loss absolutely is an issue. You said it yourself, your connection speed goes down as you get further away from the access point. Why? It's because of [forward error correction](_URL_0_), basically your device and the access point notice an increase in errors and so negotiate to use a c...
Why does a vacuum 'suck'?	[ "It's not actually that a vacuum sucks, but that any gas will spreed out as there is nothing to contain it. It's just something of higher pressure will move towards lower pressure to even it out.", "It's not really a \"suck,\" it's a push. But, first, some background. \n\nWe tend to think of most of the world as...
Where Hitler's ideologies came from	[ "Many think they were at least, in part, derive from Herbert Spencer. Darwin’s contemporary, he fused Darwin’s ideas of evolution with sociology and politics, forming social Darwinism, the “belief popular in the late Victorian era in England, America, and elsewhere, which states that the strongest or fittest should...
Why do TV shows sometimes have cast that are "featuring" or "with," and included as part of the main cast?	[ "In addition to /u/Teekno's great response, last billing is often used when an older, more established actor takes on a non-leading role.\n\nIt is important for both the show and the actor to give the impression they are more than just an ordinary cast member. Rich and famous Danny DeVito working on a small projec...
Why is it when oil prices were $110/barrel I paid $4/gallon at the pump, but now that they are $60/barrel I pay $3/gallon at the pump?	[ "That is only the price of crude oil, which still needs to be refined in order to be used in your car. The price of crude oil is not going to be exactly proportional to the price of gasoline because the costs to process the crude oil haven't necessarily gone down.", "In addition to the other answers about the fi...
Ignorance is bliss?	[ "It's a bit misleading, since being ignorant (meaning, not knowing something) isn't really reason to be happy. It's not like ignorant people are prancing around all jolly, saying, \"I'm so happy I don't know anything!\" \n\nMore appropriate would be \"knowledge can be depressing,\" because there are a lot of things...
Why is the D.A.R.E program so ineffective?	[ "Having experienced it as a child, I would say the number one reason it is ineffective is it paints all drugs as equally bad and immediate life destroyers. So when one of your friends smokes pot and is totally fine the next day/week/month you do not take what you were told seriously.", "One of the main problems w...
Please could you help me understand the causes (historically/socially/economically) of the current Police Brutality events in the USA.	[ "Most of the issues is widespread media saturation. Stuff like cop shootings boost ratings, not cops doing their jobs. Most cops are doing their jobs perfectly and doing their best to keep all people safe. \n\nThat said, Yes there are some issues. Some cops take the power to their heads and abuse their powers. Ther...
Why do different people like different music?	[ "So I was just wandering around Google, looking up the whole \"4 chord\" theory -- which suggests that there are 4 main chords that morph into the most popular and \"hit\" songs. I read this really cool article a few years ago discussing the science behind manufacturing \"hit music\" in the pop genre. I'm going to ...
Why is it that when I oversleep, it is harder to wake up naturally than say if I only get 4 or 5 hours of sleep?	[ "You are waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle.", "I think I remember that the average sleep cycle is 90 minutes. So if you wake up at the end of a cycle, you'll feel much more rested (even if it's just 3 hours) than if you slept 7 hours, because 7 hours would have you waking up in the middle of a cycle.\n\nTh...
Why do i wake up with a massive erection every morning?	[ "Essentially your body has a use it or loose it principle. In terms of its reproductive capability, regardless of your daytime sex life, it goes through what I think of as a \"systems check.\" The brain initiates the physiology - normal blood flow in by artery and constricting of the outflowing veins which create...
What causes traffic in bad weather?	[ "It's a combination of a lot of things\n\n- There are more cars, since less people take transportation that makes them wet. But this is only a small influence\n\n- The average speed is lower because people are afraid of slipping\n\n- People keep more distance, thus allowing less cars on the same stretch of road. \n...
Why has Comcast/time Warner not been sued for a major class action lawsuit for owning a monopoly like Microsoft was?	[ "They are only a monopoly like the power and water companies are. it would also be so expensive for another company to build all the needed infrastructure that even if they took 80% of the customers it still wouldn't be worth it. A single Node (device that makes coax into fibre) cost upwards of 5,000USD for one and...
I know this is a bit outdated, but can someone explain Obama's Public Option to me LI5?	[ "Right now all insurance (not medicare) is run by private companies, who earn a profit.\n\nObama thought it would be beneficial if the goverment also provided health insurance as a public (government) option so people could select between the two.\n\nThis is common in many European countries.\n\nEdit: Below comment...
the difference between 100s and short cigarettes	[ "The 100s contain more filter, same amount of tobacco I believe.", "This appears to be summed up quite well at _URL_0_" ]
Why can the US have thousands of nuclear warheads but simultaneously coerce other nations into denuclearization?	[ "Most nations on the planet have signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. The NPT says that those non nuclear states will not pursue a nuclear weapons program. In exchange, they get access to nuclear power generation technology -- and (more importantly), they know that their rivals/neighbors who have signed the...
why is turning something off and on again the solution to basically every problem ever encountered?	[ "It's not, but lets assume it is, and lets compare it to you giving someone directions to do something over the phone.\n\nIf you screw up enough times and they screw up enough times, it's easier to start all over than it is to try and backtrack through your mistakes.", "Chess analogy. 50 steps into a game, what w...
Why are there so many new medical breakthroughs in the news, but practically none of them ever become legitimate cures.	[ "Because a breakthrough towards a cure is just one brick in the road, but it's what gets highly touted by the media because it's easy to point out. A team of scientists working in lab conditions come up with something promising and release their findings. Someone in the media sees this paper and turns \"Disease h...
How do Anonymous hack the systems of the government and big companies?	[ "Think of it as a house with a 1000 doors. And hackers as locksmiths. \n\nBy default you just need to turn the knob to open the doors, then depending on the wirewall or antivirus, you can see a brand on the door and the locksmith will say. Oh WEISER! I know hiw to crack them. An other might be an other brand that t...
How did we have “accurate” maps before we had satellites?	[ "well, we used surveying tools to mark spots on the land, and we used protractors, and pencil compasses, and magnetic compasses.", "Trigonometry mostly, by drawing enormous triangles.\n\nThis is a decent explanation of how William Lambton and George Everest (he has a big hill named after him) mapped the Indian s...
How do generic or “store brands” get away with producing products, sometimes in the same factory as the name brand, that are identical to name brand products.	[ "It is called \"private label\" production, and it actually occurs to the best interests of both companies. It works based on the principle that \"name brands\" are more desirable, so they cost more and have a higher profit margin than \"store brands\". \n\nHowever, the store and the producer both realize there are...
Why do innocent people need lawyers?	[ "1. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. So if we concluded that innocent people don't need lawyers, that basically tosses out the 6th Amendment.\n\n2. Innocent people get falsely convicted. It is [estimated](_URL_0_) that 4.1% of people on death row have been falsely convicted. There are about 3,000 people on...
. The electoral college, popular vote, swing states and why my vote actually matters?	[ "i feel like i post this like every week...\n\nThe importance of the electorial college\n\nThe EC amplifies the minority opinion. The number of electoral votes each state gets is based on the number of representatives (based on population) and the number of senators (2 for all states). This allows rural states like...
Why can stress make you sick?	[ "There are at least two reasons. \n\n1. The parasympathetic nervous system helps build and maintain the body. The sympathetic system breaks down and harms the body (blood glucose goes up, blood pressure skyrockets, tissue is broken down, etc). If you are stressed, your body never has a chance to activate the parasy...
How does contagion work in the European crisis?	[ "A lot of the economy is based on confidence.\n\nLet's say your brother-in-law can't pay his rent, and asks you for a $1000 loan. If he has a good job and just had some unexpected expenses, you would say he had a good chance of paying you back...you would have confidence in him, and be more likely to give him a ...
How can we know of places that have almost no human rights i.e north korea but do nothing about it.	[ "Human Rights were set up by the UN and ratified by member states. \nThe UN itself was set up to prevent another world war and promote peace, and does this by getting as many states as possible to agree to follow certain rules and by opening up a dialogue between two countries. This also includes not attacking a co...
How do credit card companies force a return?	[ "Sure, if they get a company that is giving them X too many returns (not sure what the critical mass would be) they can say \"You'll need to honour these otherwise we withdraw our service\".\n\nIn any on-line business that would be back-breaking and certainly a pain for off-line at the very least.", "> Do they h...
What does CCleaner do to your PC?	[ "Basically CCleaner (CrapCleaner) removes old and unnecessary files from your system to free some space. For example old log files created by windows or all sort of temporary files.\n\nAlso you can tell CCleaner to clear parts of your browser or most of installed applications. This includes cache, history, old fil...
How do gas stations determine their gas prices, while varying in cost anywhere from 10-45 cents per gallon? While being directly across the street from another?	[ "Same way as any other business, supply and demand.\n\nWhen you see to gas stations with different prices, the high priced one might have better quality fuel, be easier to get to, a better convenience store, more pumps, or a have loyalty program. Or maybe their supply raised prices faster, and they would rather se...
Why is the Reddit front page so static lately?	[ "[An algorithmic change documented somewhere in an admin post](_URL_0_)" ]
Sunburn	[ "Because you acclimate to the feeling. The sun doesn't burn your skin immediately on \"impact.\" It's basically cooking your skin, at a tolerable temperature. \n\nConsider this analogy:\n\nIf you jump into boiling water, that shit is gonna hurt. But if you sit in lukewarm water with a heating element, and the heat ...
What prevents a person from lying about a degree they have and how is the validity checked?	[ "> how can I be stopped? And how do you check to.see if someone really has a degree?\n\nYour employer can request that you have your university send them a transcript of your coursework. This is a physical copy of all the grades you earned for all the courses you took, and it's mailed/faxed to them directly from t...
Why is it socially acceptable to spend so much money on your wedding day even if you are not financially stable?	[ "Traditionally, the wife's family(father) pays for the wedding as part of her dowry. It's part of why you needed a fathers permission to marry his daughter.\n\nWith the breakdown of the traditional family, and changing social norms, it now rests on unprepared couples to handle it themselves.", "People literally ...
why is dimensional lumber not actually sold in the dimensions it is named (ie: a 2x4 is actually 1.5 x 3.5 inches)?	[ "Lumber is rough cut to the actual dimensions. It is then planed to be smooth and to make it more consistent. They take off 1/4\" from all sides for the smaller stuff like 2x4's and more as it gets bigger (like a 2x12). You can actually buy \"full dimension\" lumber which is very rough but can look nice for some ou...
How does was taking long showers or leaving the tap running waste water?	[ "If we use freshwater from reserves (such as reservoirs) faster than it is replenished, then we will eventually not have enough water to use. \n\nNot to mention the fact that cleaning wastewater takes energy." ]
Cities vs City Limits	[ "Postal addresses are just there so the Post Office knows how to deliver your things - it used to refer to which office would handle your mail. City limits define the boundaries of political entity - the set of laws you operate under & who you pay taxes to.\n\nWith things like taxes & laws, you need to be very...
Is the spiciness of some vegetables (such as jalapenos and other peppers?) their method of self defense?	[ "What makes a pepper spicy is called capsaicin. Capsaicin is increased when the peppers are stressed. Not enough water, aging, and decreasing nitrogen in the soil for example will stress the peppers. Therefore they become hotter" ]
Why is the west aligned Shia Islam, but support Sunni Islam?	[ "Whether they are Sunni, Shia, or any other religious denomination is purely incidental. The US Government does not lend support based on compatibility with western value systems. \n\nForeign relations is about geopolitical strategy, not ideals.", "> Can anyone explain why we are supposedly aligned against Shia...
First CBS, now Fox channels. What does Dish Network have to gain from dropping channels? Isn't it only hurting its own business?	[ "Fox tells Dish \"pay us more money\". Dish says \"no\". Fox says \"fine, then you can't show our channels\". Then the two of them play a game of chicken- can Dish hold out long enough that Fox gives in and doesn't require them to pay a bunch more money for channels that no one wants?", "Dish has to pay CBS and F...
the ideomotor phenomenon	[ "So, I'll step from the ELI5 answer, since it's been covered a bunch before and throw a crazy idea and different ELI5 answer for you. Split mindedness.\n\nSo you have 2 halves of your brain, left and right hemisphere. They both mostly control the opposite side of your body (left hemisphere controls the right side o...
Why does every game i install on steam require the installation of that Microsoft DX thing?	[ "_URL_0_\n\n > [...]There are over 40 different versions of the D3DX library for D3D9 alone, and many more for D3D10 and 11 as well.Each game that uses the D3DX helper library is linked to a specific version.[...] Microsoft's licensing terms prevent anyone from distributing the files directly, the only way to dist...
How big do waves in the middle of the ocean actually get?	[ "5m height (so 10m peak to valley) is quite common, but since there are many different sized waves traveling at different speeds, sometimes they come together and you get a brief but very large wave. These [\"rogue waves\" can reach 20-30m in height](_URL_0_).\n\nSome things like [high speed ferries make rogue wave...
Why aren't humans able to stand completely motionless?	[ "Because standing requires motion. At the very least, you need to be alive, and your heart and lungs (at minimum!) will be moving to do so. With more complexity, maintaining a standing posture requires constant adjustment to maintain balance in a system that's constantly changing (read: internal movement, muscles g...
Why do the back of roller-coasters experience more 'whip' as compared to the front?	[ "\"Whip\" in kinematics is described as the rate of change of acceleration, also known as jerk. \n\nSince roller coasters are primarily gravity powered, the front starts going faster downhill while the back is still coming uphill. Which means the back changes from moving up, to moving down faster." ]
Why is old technology often painted pastel green on the outside?	[ "If you are talking about household appliances from the 40s through 60s--that was the style. Like stainless steel is was the style from 2000 - 2010 or something.\n\nDon't ask me what the style is now. All my shit is old." ]
Why can console games contain and directly portay extremely violent stuff that nobody would do irl, but be very subtle on sexual content which are perfectly legal	[ "Because for whatever reason, western society has become more accepting of depictions of violence than it has of depictions of sex. You see the same thing in films, TV, book, and other entertainment media.", "Touma_Kazusa : Well you just said it. We for the most part will never kill an human in real life but we ...
why are emotions attributed to the heart instead of the brain?	[ "Your chest can actually start to feel painful during a really emotionally traumatizing moment. I believe this is actually caused by your breathing muscles which is also why your breathing becomes sporadic Hence why they call it heartbreak. Because it feels like its your heart. This could be where some ideas of emo...
How do chemical attacks work? ie. The one that recently happened in Syria?	[ "Conventional weapons typically involve explosives as their payload. They explode, the pressure wave and shrapnel cause damage, but then it's done.\n\nChemical weapons replace the explosive payload with one that spreads a specific chemical gas into the air. Once the chemical comes in contact with a person, it react...
Why is it both my reading speed and absorption rate are a lot higher when reading stories as opposed other forms of writing?	[ "Think of all the knowledge in the world as a building and rooms contain things that you know or don't know. Every time you learn something new, your brain has to find the hallway or staircase that connects that room to all the other related rooms. The ease with which you can do this depends on the proximity of the...
Why do some planes leave trails in the sky but not others?	[ "It's not the plane, it's the air the plane is travelling through. The more humid the air, the more trails you get. Dry air means fewer contrails. If you see two planes, one leaving a trail and the other not, they are probably travelling at different altitudes with different humidities." ]
Why are some illnesses such as the common cold worse after waking up before improving throughout the day?	[ "_URL_0_\n\nI did a google search and got pointed to this existing reddit post, and the top comment does a really good job explaining it in fairly straightforward way, albeit a slightly scientific way.\n\nHere's the paraphrasing:\n\nThere are a couple of main possible reasons but more studies need to be done to kno...
How is it that our bodies don't leak the smells of our innards?	[ "Your esophagus(link to the stomach) is closed by a the esophageal sphincter.\nYour other end is sealed by the anus muscle, sphincter. \n\nOf course you can smell it if your body lets it vent. It's called a burp and fart. Apparently, the seal is tight enough to hold in gas.\n\nEDIT: correction", "Our intestinal t...
Why does my mouth taste gross when I'm sick?	[ "One aspect is the body's own immune responses. We have learned that some physiological changes experienced during illness are themselves autoimmune responses rather than directly being caused by the illness. That said, the illness can do such things as: Emit toxins (e.g. Waste matter of bacteriological infections)...
In British politics, what are the politicians with 'Shadow' in their title e.g Shadow chancellor, shadow foreign secretary. What is their purpose?	[ "They are the official opposition, so the government will have a health minister, the opposition will have someone who \"shadows\" that minister and in debates etc. asks questions and generally holds that minister to account for decisions that they make.", "In a roughly two party system, one party gets the most ...
what does a physics engine do? Are directx, frostbite, and source all physics engines, and what is the difference between them? And how would make a physics engine?	[ "DirectX is a graphics interface, not a physics engine. Frostbite and Source are game engines that include physics engines.\n\nBasically, the physics engine is the part of a virtual environment that simulates the physical interactions between objects in that environment. A basic example of this would be gravity.\n\...
How come electrical plugs aren't hot when then come out the outlet?	[ "Keeping it fairly ELI5:\n\nThe heat generated by electricity is due to resistance. Copper has very low resistance.\n\nThe law of conservation of energy essentially means that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Only transferred/converted. By resisting the electrical flow, that energy must go somewhere. It is e...
Why do we crave certain foods?	[ "Not a expert but I think it's just because your body knows what food has what a lot of fat/protein/carbs/calories etc. so you have a big craving for them.\n\nFor example, let's say you have a pretty bad flu bug, you are sore, tired, coughing etc. Your body wants to recoup what it lost. So you want to eat a lot of ...
[US] What could happen if the executive branch just ignored the judicial branch?	[ "> What would happen if Obama did the same thing today?\n\nCongress would impeach him. In record time. \n\nThat's how the checks and balances works, if the president gets too out of line, congress can boot him." ]
Is dangerously high volume of music as dangerous for people that has impaired hearing?	[ "The perception of sound isn't what is dangerous, it is the impact of the associated pressure wave (what we register as sound) on the delicate apparatus of the ear. If the ear is structurally intact, then that impact can damage it whether you are able to perceive sound or not. \n\nIn other words, whether you can he...
Why is Mars' core not molten anymore?	[ "Because it is small.\n\nIt did have a molten core, even a magnetosphere but because it's small it lost heat faster. Small things have a larger surface area in relation to their mass than big things, hence when they cool down quicker." ]
Why Does Water Soak Upwards, Appearing to Ignore Gravity?	[ "So you understand that gravity is pulling it down. The 'problem' is that it isn't obvious what exactly is pulling the water up! \n\nYour answer is the capillary effect. In a very broad sense, water molecules have a negative end and a positive end. Opposite (charges) attract, so all those water molecules want to li...
Why are divorce rates higher than ever?	[ "Your perception. Divorce rates peaked in the 70s or 80s when all the old style marriage - man works, woman keeps house, love is nice if you have it - gave way to the current focus on love and happiness. The divorce rate has actually declined over the past few decades though it remains much higher in the south/mi...
Why is there a dispute over labeling products from the West Bank and Golan Heights areas? They can't be labeled "Made in Israel" anymore.	[ "Under international law, Israeli settlements are considered illegal and not part of Israel. Israel's government has repeatedly been urged to destroy all settlements and return political and judiciary control of disputed areas back to its rightful owners.\n\nThe EU voted to ban imports of products from outside Isra...
How do geologists determine how much water falls from a water fall?	[ "The same way you measure volume of water that flows down a river. You go to where you can easily determine the cross sectional shape of the river. Then you measure how fast the water is moving. Do some math involving multiplication and perhaps integration over time and there you go.", "That's actually hydrology ...
Where does the average human height (say 170cm) fit on the cosmic scale from the smallest known piece of matter to the largest known distance?	[ "Planck length is roughly 10^-35, distances smaller than this are not described usefully by modern physics. The diameter of the observable universe is roughly 10^26. However this value is constantly changing so it's less fundamental than the planck length.\n\nStill, your height is about 26 orders of magnitude small...

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