Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
- Why is it so hard to artificially replenish the ozone layer?	[ "Volume, the amount of Ozone we'd have to create is extremely high and would have to placed in high atmosphere." ]
Why exactly is it considered racist for white people to be proud of their heritage, but not any other race?	[ "The basic idea is that 'white pride' has a history of including violent aggression toward POC, like the KKK lynchings, and it's part of a Western system of institutionalized racism against POC. When a Black person is participating in a 'black pride' thing like Black Lives Matter, they are trying to fight back agai...
How come indigenous people have historically been affected by invaders diseases but the invaders weren't affected by some random disease that the natives had?	[ "It's not always one way. Syphilis was one example of a new world disease that was definitely problematic for Europeans. \nBut often times the larger populations of more developed nations meant that there were larger infection pools, over time only the most infectious of diseases would be able to propagate. \nAl...
...If aliens put a satellite into earth orbit to observe us, would we even notice with all the other satellites up there?	[ "Yes. Astronomers carefully track all sattelites - as do some world governments. Even space junk is tracked. \n\nAstronomers need to know where sattelites and debris are so it does not interfere with looking at stars. \n\nGovernments want to know where spy sattelites are and who is looking at what. \n\nNASA and oth...
What would have happened in China if you got pregnant with a second child?	[ "You would pay a one time fine at the birth of your child (or when it was discovered) and you would pay extra taxes.", "The one child policy wasn't as rigidly enforced as people may think.\n\nI don't know the exact number, but I think the average family size in China since the policy started is something like 1.5...
What's the point of the "objection" part of a wedding?	[ "It doesn't have a point anymore. Which is why lots of people are choosing to leave it out.\n\nNowadays, when you want to get married, you need to arrange the legal stuff beforehand - proof that you are legally able to marry this man or woman. Which generally comes down to showing that you are not blood related / t...
The whole world has been pumping trillions of dollars into Africa as charity since decades now. Why are malnutrition, poverty, etc. still an issue there?	[ "It's a political problem. Large parts of sub-Saharan Africa are basically kleptocracies ruled by thieving dictators who only seek to enrich themselves and build prestige.", "the money and aid 100% dont get to the people that need it, can use it properly or care about it." ]
The Limits of the Filibuster	[ "> Are there any protocols in place to forcibly end a filibuster? Does anyone or any majority have the authority to overrule a filibuster? \n\nYes, the process is called cloture (meaning the formal end of debate), in the US senate it requires a supermajority of 60 (of 100) votes. In practice, the metagame of the s...
If I just drew up some random contract on a piece of paper torn from a notebook and it was signed by someone else would its contents be binding?	[ "If it meets the requirements of a contract, sure:\n\n1. All parties in the contract must be giving something. You can't just write \"You will give me $100\" and think it's a binding contract if I sign it. If you're not agreeing to do something for that $100, it isn't a contract.\n\n2. The offers and acceptance mus...
meta-analysis	[ "Let's say that I want to work out whether 5 year olds like french fries. Lots of people have already done studies looking at how much kids like french fries but in all sorts of different ways. Also, any scientific study could be wrong. If some say that kids do like fries and others say they don't, how do I kno...
Why is it when a US service member dies on active duty the family receives at most $400k, but when young man is murdered by police and the family receives $5mil.	[ "Well, a service member expected to put their life on the line but a civilian doesn't expect to die at the hands of the people who should be protecting them.", "Depends on situation, but a soldier knows what he is getting into, he signed things. Everything was decided, but victims don't usally get that luxury and...
Why does odd meter in music (e.g., time signatures in 9/8, 7/4, etc.) sound and feel so unnatural?	[ "Music is much more acquired than you think. What sounds 'good' or 'normal' to you is the scales and the meters that you grew up listening to. The reason odd meter sounds weird to western ears is because...we don't hear it that often. 3/4 is an odd meter that we hear a lot so it sounds completely normal.\n\nYou'll ...
/ Why can't/don't we make toilets that don't clog?	[ "We absolutely can, but there are a couple limits that we have to work within. First is the diameter of the outflow pipe beneath the toilet. This usually isn't much of an issue, because the toilet drain pipe is generally no less than 3 inches.\n\nThe other limitation is the amount of water and pressure we're usin...
How do archaeologists know what noses look like?	[ "The bone parts around the nose provide indicators of nose shape that they can use to create reasonable deductions of noses." ]
Conservatism, Socialism and Liberalism	[ "This is probably beyond the scope of ELI5, and is going to have a lot of loaded answers. There are as many definitions as people who care enough to have them.\n\nMy personal opinion: Conservatives tend to believe that tradition and the past are very valuable and deserving of respect. Socialists believe that people...
Why do my eyes water up when I pull out a nose hair?	[ "Tears are a reaction to irritation, an attempt by your body to flush foreign particles out of your eyes. The pain of pulling out a nose hair is so close to eye pain, I imagine it causes the same reaction. Just speculation.", "Real manliness is measured by how many nose hairs you can rip out at once with a single...
How come there can only be two sith but loads of Jedi	[ "* Expanded universe history. The Sith fought a massive war with themselves long ago and the last Sith standing decreed the current system to keep them from destroying themselves again.\n* Its a lie. Palpitate clearly keeps multiple force capable individuals under him through the series and expanded universe books ...
how do wireless connections really work?	[ "In short, in the late 1800's James Maxwell, amazingly without having to observe anything and with pure mathematics showed the existence of electromagnetic waves otherwise known as radio waves. Shortly after, Heinrich Hertz proved him correct with real life observations." ]
Why is Tai Lopez considered a scum bag for his "knowledge" videos?	[ "The popular YouTube channel H3H3 made [this video](_URL_0_) describing it really well. Essentially, his \"motivational\" videos are clearly disingenuous and fake. This, tacked on to his annoying voice and arrogant attitude, makes him pretty fuckin' scummy", "Because his whole 67 step program is bullshit, and he ...
How do civil engineers calculate how much weight a bridge can hold?	[ "There's a class in college called \"statics\" and \"dynamics\". Where you learn about how much weight various materials can support and what happens if the weight is applied at an angle and how you can add support with cables and such.", "There are agreed-upon values for how much force materials can withstand. ...
What makes wholesome memes as funny, despite them being very boring at face value?	[ "A big factor of comedy is the unexpected. When you get so used to edgy jokes the opposite will throw you off and are more likely to find it funny." ]
Why do we have different punishments for murder and attempted murder?	[ "Because we decided that actually ending someone's life is worse than not ending their life.\n\nYou could rephrase the question as \"Why do we have different punishments for assault and attempted murder? Why do we punish the criminal because their victim had a weak skull and it nearly gave out totally?\"" ]
Is countries printing more money a good sign or a bad one? Why?	[ "Along with things like adjusting interest rates and taxes, printing more or less money is one of the things a government can do to steer their country's economy. So your question is a bit like \"Is a car driver applying the brakes a good sign or a bad one?\". Depends on the situation. It's something you normally d...
If Gandalf knew Bilbo has the ring, why did he let him keep it?	[ "He didn't know it was The One Ring - it was thought to be destroyed. In The Hobbit the ring was nothing special (other than the invisibility), and in the Lord of the Rings books it took Gandalf 17 years from Bilbo's farewell party to discover that it was in fact Sauron's ring.", "Remember the rhyme that counts t...
Why newlyweds should get blood tests	[ "I'm sure someone can explain this better than I can, but its basically to see if they can have children and what their children's immunities and what not would closely correlate too.\n\nAgain... I'm sure someone can explain this better than I, but it has more to do with the children they might have than an aids te...
What happens when we swallow our own blood?	[ "You will expel it like anything else you eat. But the average human can only consume a little over a pint of blood before you get sick. Don't puke you will rip your stiches lol" ]
If heat sanitises, why can getting a burn cause an infection?	[ "Burning leads to an open wound. Your skin protects you from nasty things entering through your flesh, so if it's burned off it can no longer protect you.", "From what I can recall, the heat also kills all the good bacteria. Essentially, you’re left with an exposed wound that doesn’t heal because of how much dama...
why do we bruise?	[ "A bruise is caused by tiny blood vessels called capillaries breaking and allowing blood to leak into the surrounding tissue. This happens because we aren't invincible." ]
How does encryption work?	[ "Most simple explanation:\n\n* I put a key (key A) in a box, and lock this box with my padlock using my other key (key B).\n* I send this locked box to you. The \"man in the middle\" is unable to see this Key A. I never send Key B, so that key also stays secret.\n* You put a second padlock on the box, using your ke...
Why do different regions have different tasting water?	[ "Different mineral content in the source water will change the taste.\n\nWhat do you mean by mess up science experiments though? Any serious science experiments will use distilled water to remove the minerals, while most high school or lower science experiments shouldn’t be too dependent on mineral content/care abo...
How do I create shirts based on existing properties without getting in trouble for copyright infringement?	[ "You either don't do it, or change the source enough that you can claim it's a parody. Selling merchandise using copyrighted characters you do not own is an incredibly clear violation, and there isn't a court in the country that would rule in your favor." ]
Why does water bother our eyes so much?	[ "This is dependent on the source obviously, but most water is not \"clean\", meaning it has particles of other things in it. Water in outdoor environments can have contaminants from farm runoff, dirt, algae, etc. Pool water can have chlorine, bromine, and salts that can cause irritation, and virtually all water, fr...
Why is it that Asians who come to America not knowing English do better, within a few years , than most Americans who lived here their whole life?	[ "because the Asian immigrants that come here, at least the highly visible ones to mainstream american society, tend to be wealthy, highly educated, and highly motivated. If you compare them to the broad swathe of the American populace, then yeah, they seem to be doing better. \n\nIf you compare them to American bor...
Why do boobs from the 60's/70's look so much different than present day boobs?	[ "As someone who has seen thirty year of boobs, the boobs themselves don't change. It is the boobs you see that do. I am assuming you are talking about the boobs you see in movies and on websites. Back in the 60's and 70's what a filmmaker saw as a perfect set of boobs was different than what you would see as a perf...
Why do mosquitoes prefer one person's blood over another?	[ "Mosquitos prefer:\n\n* [Type O Blood](_URL_3_). On the same note, most people secrete chemical signals through their skin that indicates blood type, but about 15% do not, so naturally mosquitos prefer the 85%.\n\n* [People who exhale high levels of Carbon Dioxide](_URL_0_). Mosquitos use an organ called a maxillar...
What is the appeal of social networking services such as Snapchat or Instagram?	[ "Snapchat and Instagram both allow text to be added as captions. For the sake of conversations, they have a similar appeal that a Skype video call has over a normal one - seeing the person's face. \n\nInstagram is more like a Facebook newsfeed than a conversation tool. It's more to show off meals eaten, clothes bou...
Why do fake phone numbers start with 555?	[ "Because no real phone number start with that prefix. This means shows can use a number without accidentally giving out a real person's number - 8675309.", "Fun fact, there are valid 555 numbers. For example, area code+555+4141 will get you 411 in that area code.\n\nHow do I know this? I run a call center auto d...
How does it make sense that WhatsApp sold for $16b while Beats only went for $3.2b?	[ "BOTH acquisitions are ridiculously, excessively high. It's unlikely beats is even worth more than a $1.5B or so. Whatsapp, is probably worth maybe a couple billion, haha, maybe, probably not.--- Which doesn't answer your question. \n\n So why did they go this high? Because they companies that bought them are throw...
The Legitimate reasons for using off shore banking.	[ "Let's pretend you are Apple, you have a lot of research and development offices in the US, a bunch of retail locations, maybe a few warehouses and repair centers. Company HQ all in the US.\n\nA lot of your main bank accounts are here in the US. However you have a large accounting office in Ireland because of their...
I see ads for the drug Humira on TV all the time, and it seems like every time I see a commercial for it, the drug is being advertised to treat a different disease whether it be depression, RA, plaque psoriasis, Crohn's Disease, etc.. How can one drug treat so many ailments?	[ "Humira is a drug that reduces inflammation. Because Humira treats a symptom, rather than the root cause of a disease, it's useful in treating a wide range of diseases that share that symptom.\n\nI don't think Humira is advertised as a treatment for depression, all I found online was people asking if depression wa...
What is science behind this ?	[ "Circulation mostly. \n\nWhen it's warm, our bodies circulate blood normally, sending oxygen, vitamins, minerals, all the things needed to grow nails. \n\nWhen it's cold, our bodies preserve the heat by lowering circulation to our extremities, i.e fingers, toes...\n\nLess circulation, less things to make nails with...
The Salem Witch Trials.	[ "If you want a really good depiction of it I'd say check out the crucible. It is also an allegory for the red scare but it still does justice to the trials themselves.", "There was suspicions of witches in the town, and people started to be accused. At first people just called witch in order to not be accused the...
Why does the colour black attract and store heat?	[ "You've got it slightly wrong. The reason why an object is even black in the first place is because it absorbs all the light. \n\nIn other words, the color of an object depends on how it absorbs, reflects and refracts light. When an objects absorbs a lot of light, it will, by definition, be a dark color.", "White...
Why are some people smarter than others?	[ "There is no single determining factor. Size of the brain makes a big difference but doesn't always have a direct correlation. You also have to remember that \"smarter\" is a very vague term. There is \"artistic\" intelligence, \"mathematic\" intelligence etc etc. Some people are great artists but can't do simple A...
Why is death by firing squad so bad?	[ "I would think any experts would be unavailable for comment. Coming up with a best way to die is like debating what kind of dog crap tastes best.\nI think the anticipation would be the worst. A shot to the heart would cause shock (feel no pain) and unconsciousness within seconds. Death would happen within minutes. ...
In the hypothetical Gray Goo doomsday scenario, wouldn't an EMP sort the problem?	[ "If hypothetically we were to create a device that's not a nuke that was capable of generating a large EMP, then it would likely be able to destroy the hypothetical grey goo assuming your hypothetical nanobots worked in any way similarly to modern electronics. But since we have neither nanobots nor EMPs, speculatin...
Why is reddit hivemind considered left and not center?	[ "Young people are generally more left leaning, where older people are generally more right leaning. Young people are also more likely to be on an Internet forum such as reddit." ]
Why are soft porn books so popular in America?	[ "Are you talking about the so-called \"romance novels\"? There's not generally a large section at bookstores labeled \"soft porn\", so I'm not exactly sure what you're asking about.\n\nEdit: And if you are talking about \"romance novels\", yes, [they are very popular](_URL_0_), and I suspect that the authors don't...
Aside from tradition or belief, what are the benefits/drawbacks to female circumcision?	[ "There are no known health benefits to female circumcision.\n\nDrawbacks include recurrent infections, chronic pain, cysts, an inability to get pregnant, complications during childbirth, and fatal bleeding.", "Benefits: None\n\nDrawbacks: You're cutting off the clitoris, which severely reduces the pleasure of sex...
So how did cows, chickens and pigs become the standard protein to consume?	[ "Cows are large and don't fight back. They also provide milk daily.\n\nChickens can't fly, and lay eggs.\n\nPigs reproduce FAST, and will eat damn near anything.", "Animals that are easy to domesticate have several qualities in common.\n\n1. They don't take up much space\n\n2. They don't cost much to keep\n\n3. T...
Why are children allowed to agree to a user agreement online but are not allowed to sign contracts without a parent?	[ "They can agree to terms and conditions online, sign contracts, and do all sorts of other stuff, but that doesn't mean its legal or valid for them to do so if challenged in court. A court could throw it out, or enforce the contract, or something in the middle. It starts getting a bit more complicated from there in ...
Why are there no navy battleships with multiple large cannons in the US Navy anymore?	[ "Because they're obsolete.\n\nThey have been replaced by aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers. Both of which can attack ships and land targets over-the-horizon more effectively than a gigantic artillery on a battleship.", "Two words. 'pearl' and 'harbor'. The sinking of most of our ships of the line by a...
Instead of trying to be emotionless, why poker players don't exaggerate fake emotions to confuse the opponent?	[ "Doing nothing all the time gives away nothing. Exaggerating fake emotions is you doing something, doing something can be tracked. In the case of poker where there are so many hands, you trying to mimic exaggerated movements will eventually lead to inaccuracies where your \"tells\" will become known. This techni...
Why do you gain weight when you quit smoking?	[ "Nicotine is an [appetite suppressant ](_URL_0_) , so it follows that people will want to eat more when they stop nicotine. Another side effect of nicotine withdrawal is anxiety, which causes some people to turn to food for comfort. Some people turn to snacking to stave off nicotine cravings as well, because it's a...
Why do employers set up their application processes the way they do?	[ "The resume thing is so a bot can scan and look for pertinent information, then, if the application is approved it's forwarded to a real person.", "Because they anticipate receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes. Especially if you're talking about a big company that does their hiring through third partie...
I am five, explain who do we owe money to if all countries are in debt?	[ "[This exact question asked and answered . . .](_URL_0_)" ]
Did YouTube just update its video player while I was watching a video...? Is that even possible? Windows 10 Pro btw...international law be darned	[ "The player does look different than it did just a few minutes ago when I watched a different video. A simple change like that wouldn't be hard to push out." ]
What is the Holy See? And why is it in the UN?	[ "It is essentially the leadership of the Catholic Church, and is responsible for the governance of the church worldwide.\n\nIt's regarded as a sovereign entity, akin to a nation state. For most of history the Catholic Church has controlled territory, however between 1870 and 1929 it had no territory but nonetheless...
why is it that when I have a cold and I blow my nose the junk inside only seems to be clear for a few seconds... Then after that I go back to a stuffy nose.	[ "You get stuffed up not because of the snotty stuff, but because your sinuses get inflamed. So everything sort of expands temporarily." ]
Why are fedoras considered "uncool?"	[ "Layman speculation, but I think it may be because fedoras have started to become synonymous with nerdy kids trying to look cool. Generally the nerdy kids who wear them aren't textbook definition \"attractive\", and they'll often wear fedoras with jeans, t-shirts, and things that fedoras generally don't go with. ...
What the heck is happening with this banana? 0_o	[ "You can't reverse something from being rotten, to edible. The title is misleading. It's not a rotten banana, it's just a little bruised. If I ha to guess, I'd say all he's doing is removing the bruised look of the banana, but the taste and texture of the banana would likely remain the same. Softer and mushier than...
Why can antidepressants increase suicidal thoughts?	[ "It's a bit of a strange thing to think about, but the most dangerous time in depression is often actually not at the lowest point: the most dangerous time is actually when you're just starting to improve.\n\nWarning: generalizations ahead This doesn't apply to everyone, everyone reacts differently to depressio...
In Asian countries it's customary to remove ones shoes before entering the house. It's seems like a very common sense and practical thing to do. And yet in America most people wear their shoes in their home. Why?	[ "It stems from classical Asian (particularly Chinese) thought and perceptions on order. \"Inside\" is separate from \"outside.\" \"Inside\" is clean and orderly while \"outside\" is dirty (this also helps explain why it's viewed as OK in many Asian city for small children to go the bathroom in the gutter, for adult...
Why does it feel so much better when another person massages your head as opposed to when you use your own hand to massage your head?	[ "This is based on my own experience, not scientifically-proved. But as someone who loves massaging very much, when massaged by others, I cannot predict which part of my organ (like head, feet) is going to be massaged and I feel really pleased. I guess this can also answer why you cannot tickle yourself, as your bra...
Are some humans inherently more intelligent than others, or do we all pretty much have the same potential for brilliance if we work our brains out enough? (ignoring birth defects)	[ "Intelligence is highly heritable. It has a heritability of ~0.5-0.75, more or less the same as the heritability of height (0.6-0.8 heritability). \n\nIQ is a little complicated, because we aren't exactly sure what we're measuring. Theres plenty of decent theories, including speed of neuronal transmission, more eff...
Has human intelligence changed drastically over time?	[ "There's multiple types of intelligence. Also, if you were to try to debate Socrates, you'd have problems of language and culture, religious and scientific understanding that's developed over 2,000 years. \n\nIf you just want to know about intelligence, there's something called the Flynn Effect. When we've looke...
How do spiders walk on walls and pretty much any other surface?	[ "They use the force, specifically the [van der waal force](_URL_0_). Like geckos, the bottom of a spiders foot branches out into ever finer little hairs until they are so fine they are able to interact with the surface they are walking on at a molecular level, loosely bonding with it to the point that they almost b...
How did the ancient civilizations/kingdoms "die out"	[ "Each civilization died out in a different way. Some slowly and over time, some relatively quickly. It almost always comes to some fundamental flaw in said country's system of government; the Roman Empire fell because they could not supplement their armies, and had to rely on mercenaries, and as you might guess, hi...
why is it that the age a person can legally appear in porn is universally at least 18 (in some countries older) but age of consent varies so much?	[ "Just a guess I would think that we hold a child at a sexually mature age competent to engage in an intimate relationship. We do not see them competent to understand the ramifications of what appearing in porn can do to you in the future", "There is really no good answer, different places made different laws with...
Why do arguments involving racial bias in the US rarely take into account the fact that the white population is much higher than people of color?	[ "These things are often taken into account, but even when you take that into account it still turns out that white people are over represented. The US Census says that non-Hispanic white people are about 62% of the US population. However, more than 62% of actors on major TV shows are white (from my experience. I ha...
How do TV programmes like The Simpsons make money from being aired?	[ "Fox pays the creators of The Simpsons to create 1 or more seasons (depending on the contract). They use this money to pay the writers, animators, voice actors, creative staff, and everyone else involved with making the actual show. \n\nFox is paying the creators because a certain number of viewers will watch the s...
pushing a car to start it?	[ "If the car is in gear and you're pushing it, then the rotation of the wheels will rotate the drive shaft (transmission, which then rotates the piston shaft (engine) (none of that is accurate terminology, by the way). If you get the piston shaft rotating, it can help you start the car because it will expand and com...
What is maximum dynamic pressure, or "max-q" in aerospace engineering?	[ "When a rocket takes off, it has to force its way through the air. If a rocket was launched horizontally (going sideways at the same height above the Earth the entire time), the air resistance would just get higher and higher as the rocket got faster and faster.\n\nRockets don't launch horizontally though. They r...
Why are memory storage options set up on increments based on the power of two (16gb, 32gb, 64gb etc...)?	[ "When you store something in a memory, you have to remember where you saved it, i.e. the index of the starting byte. E.g. you save a file, it is at index 1000. And remember you need to store that index somewhere, so that next time you are looking for yoir your file you can find it. Computer saves the address in mem...
Why do Republican candidates want to defund planned parenthood?	[ "1. Being against abortion is a winning strategy for Republicans wanting other Republicans to vote for them. Planned Parenthood is an abortion provider.\n\n2. Republicans want to control women's sexuality and Planned Parenthood provides basic health care for women by providing birth control advice, contraceptives,...
why did commanders throughout history fight in the front lines?	[ "Because they were often the the most effective fighting force in the field of battle. Your typical commander was a noble, which meant:\n\n* they had ample food and medical care as a child, making them bigger and stronger than most men\n* they were trained in sword and horse almost from birth\n* they had the best ...
How can companies give away free products and still make money?	[ "The actual cost of producing those products is only a fraction of the cost the average consumer will usually end up paying for them. Meanwhile, marketing is actually a huge expense for businesses.\n\ni.e. Let's say a vibrator costs $10 to make. The company usually sells for $20. You get one for free - to you, it...
How time signatures work and why songs in unusual time signatures are notable.	[ "Consider the time signature to be like a language. Most pop music is written in the language of 4/4. This is when the emphasis is on the fourth beat, and everything is written nicely to fit into grouping of four. In this language there are many chords, scales, and note progressions that we've used to hearing. Thes...
Everyone wants to cut the defense budget, but what would actually happen if USA removed half of its defenses around the world?	[ "If that actually happened, there would probably be a lot of geopolitical chaos, but it's not that simple. The US wastes billions of dollars in wasteful spending contracts that ends up in the pockets of CEO's of military supply companies, rather than actually going toward defense. \n\nSo cutting the defense budget ...
How do screens that you can only see when facing them from straight on work?	[ "Polarizing filters.\n\nThink of shining a flashlight beam. It comes off like a cone, right?\n\nA polarizing filter only allows certain light rays through. So picture a piece of cardboard with a narrow slit cut in it. Shine the flashlight through that. Only a little bit of the light comes out, straight through. \n\...
Why does the stream of water from a faucet get thinner as it gets lower?	[ "The rate of flow (liters per minute or whatever) depends on the width of the flow and its speed: a high-speed narrow stream can carry the same volume as a slow wide one. Gravity causes the speed to increase as the water falls, so it must get narrower in order to maintain the same flow rate everywhere along the str...
Why do so many of my local (Californian) marijuana dispensaries get shut down if marijuana is legal through a Dr's. Reccomendation?	[ "The state has decreed they are legal, the federal government has not. So the feds can still raid/shut down these dispensaries.", "Two-part situation. First, marijuana is not legal in California like other states. Because of that, cities can use zoning laws to restrict where it can be sold. Strip clubs, liquor st...
How does percentage grade work in regards to terrain?	[ "It means that for every 100 feet you travel horizontally, you move up 20 feet vertically. The percentage change is the percent increase in elevation as you move horizontally", "Percent means \"per hundred\". So a slope of 20% will rise 20 metres per hundred metres. That's very steep, by the way." ]
If the human race originated from Africa and spread across the world, how do we all have different complexions and facial features compared to our African counterparts?	[ "Basically, what you have is natural selection producing different traits: for example, if you live in Northern Europe, and you have dark skin, you may not get enough Vitamin D, and you won't live to produce offspring. Thus, in Northern Europe, having paler skin, and less natural protection from Vitamin D productio...
Heartburn	[ "Like you're 5: Basically, different foods react differently in different people. Heartburn can be caused by a wide variety of food, but it's usually a food the is high in acidic content or is spicy. When eaten, that food doesn't sit well in the stomach and causes stomach acid to react, often 'climbing up' the esop...
Why doesn't America, Britain or "the free world" send an army to just take ISIS out?	[ "Let's assume we did this. Who do we target ? How do you tell an ISIS member from a local ? Answer is you can't unless they do something. We could probably enforce martial law but then we are an occupying force in a country (Mostly Syria) that hasn't asked for us. That's a recipe for guerrilla warfare - something t...
Why do you feel like you're burning when in contact with something extremely cold?	[ "The extreme cold is sending your pain receptors into overdrive. At the end of the day tissue death feels horrible whether by heat or cold. Fire is generally much hot than the cold we feel is cold. So the \"burning\" feeling is not really a literal burning feeling but most associated with extreme heat applied to ti...
Why does going into hot tubs make you want to pee?	[ "Looks like it has to do with a change in blood pressure when you get in the tub. The hot water raises your blood pressure which triggers a chemical called atrial natriuretic peptide which directs your kidneys to produce salt which then your body wants to get rid of. So you need to pee." ]
Why does it matter when I take medicine ? (day, night, after/before meal)	[ "Some of it's to do with absorption process. Some drugs are designed to be absorbed in the stomach. If you want a drug to break down in your stomach, then it needs to be taken with food so that the stomach is ready to break things down. Food can also help avoid nausea, and can slow down the actual absorption since ...
How does investing in a startup work? And how do you make a profit as an investor?	[ "It just depends on the deal you make with the business you are investing in. \n\nYou could, for example, invest some start up money, and buy a share in the business. you will then make what ever % you decided on of the profits the business makes. So, for example, you invest $10,000 and own 40% of the business and ...
how are plants related to animals? Which evolved first?	[ "A lot of different sorts of life evolved before either plants or animals even existed. At some point way back when, the Tree of Life split into two groups. Group A comprises organisms we now call \"Bacteria,\" while Group B includes everything else: lots of single-celled stuff, algae, plants, fungi, animals, and o...
How do plants that don't have seeds reproduce?	[ "Naturally Roses do reproduce with seeds, but many plants also reproduce vegetatively, this means they can spread through the soil with roots, or over the ground rather than spread through the air. \nIf you take a cutting, many plants can detect that they could grow roots by having contact with soil and not light o...
Why does background prove/give evidence that there was a big bang?	[ "1) By looking at the stars we realised that they are all going away from us in all direction. And not only that, the farther they are from us, the faster they are going away. This point to an expansion of the universe.\n\n2) Speculation time. If we are currently expanding, that mean that in that past the universe ...
What did Rick Perry actually do?	[ "He told a person that she should resign.\n\nShe said, no, she didn't want to resign.\n\nHe said that if she didn't resign, he would veto all funding to her office.\n\nShe didn't. He did.\n\nHe was indicted for using his veto power inappropriately and coercively." ]
what does it mean to be a "neckbeard"?	[ "a \"neckbeard\" is shorthand for the stereotype of the \"live in their parents basement\"-internet user who is long on obscure knowledge and short on social skills and hygiene. The term itself comes from a particular type of beard, the neckbeard, that most people consider unstylish, but that many people who don't ...
How do we hear where sound comes from?	[ "Several ways. First, we have two ears and the closest one which is pointing toward a sound will perceive it as being slightly louder. There is also a travel time for sound and it will arrive at one ear slightly before the other, and our brains can detect that and translate it to approximate direction.\n\nAnother f...
Other than going splat, what are some potential health risks to Skydiving?	[ "Similar risks to riding a roller coaster- the excitement could mix poorly with certain health conditions. Heart conditions in particular come to mind- your heart will probably beat like crazy.\n\nIt's also possible to injure yourself on the landing even with a fully deployed parachute.", "It is a huge adrenaline...
Why is amateur acting (like films made by students for a class presentation or something) so unnatural, awkward, and different from movies/tv shows?	[ "The quality of acting gets better with experience, and often times the editing and scheduling does as well. An amateur film for a class presentation might have two or three people working on it for a few weeks...and they're splitting their time between filming and the rest of their life. A \"real\" show has teams ...
Help me understand networking protocols and ports	[ "nitpick -- UDP is a network layer protocol, as it's best-effort. TCP is a transport layer protocol, as orderly delivery is guaranteed." ]
Why does Santa Claus go by so many names (St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, etc)?	[ "Santa Claus is an amalgam of dozens if not hundreds of different mythical/religious characters and a few actual historical figures. As such some of the names of those separate figures carried through to modernity as alternate names for Santa Claus." ]

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