Split (2)

train · 226k rows

question stringlengths 3 301	answer stringlengths 9 26.1k	context list
What mechanisms are at play so that there are very precisely 50% males and 50% females? And is it the same mechanism among all animals?	There's a very good answer to this question from evolutionary biology, called Fisher's Sex Ratio Theorem. It explains why in humans our sex ratio is about 50/50, and why it's different in some other species. So imagine a population in which one sex predominates. Say there are way more girls than boys. In that case, an...	[ "In mammalian mating systems generally, and among primates in particular, female spatio-temporal distribution – how clumped females are in the environment and how much they overlap their fertile periods – affects the ability of any single male to monopolize matings. The basic principle is that the more females are ...
How did Jim Crow laws effect Mexican Americans in the American Southwest?	More of course can be said on this, but [this older answer](_URL_0_) on Jim Crow laws regarding other minorities might be of interest for you.	[ "The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly \"separate but equal\" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those p...
At what point during the process of snapping does the associated noise occur?	It's the tip of the snapping finger striking the base of the thumb. This was asked recently, although I can't find that post. It was also asked not so recently in the link below (and it's on [wikipedia](_URL_0_)). Please do a search next time before posting! _URL_1_	[ "Crackling noise arises when a system is subject to an external force and it responds via events that appear very similar at many different scales. In a classical system there are usually two states, on and off. However, sometimes a state can exist in between. There are three main categories this noise can be sorte...
What is known about population dynamics of any American Indian tribes between years 1-1492? Birthrates, infant mortality, lifespans, cause of death, etc.?	That is a rather broad time period spanning two continents. Is there a more specific time frame, group, and region you are interested in?	[ "From the 16th through the 19th centuries, the population of Indians sharply declined. Most mainstream scholars believe that, among the various contributing factors, epidemic disease was the overwhelming cause of the population decline of the Native Americans because of their lack of immunity to new diseases brough...
Where does the energy radiated by gravitational waves come from?	It's the kinetic energy of the system. As gravitational radiation carries away energy, the decrease in kinetic energy causes the orbit of the binary system to decay. The [Hulse-Taylor pulsar](_URL_0_) was the first system where the predicted orbital decay was observed (and then in 1993 Hulse and Taylor won the Nobel pr...	[ "Gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of spacetime that propagate as waves at the speed of light, generated in certain gravitational interactions that propagate outward from their source. Gravitational-wave astronomy is an emerging branch of observational astronomy which aims to use gravitational waves ...
Between Israel and Palestine, who has been the primary aggressor in modern history? Who will go down in the history books as the 'bad guys', and why?	We won't know until the conflict reaches its resolution. However, I certainly hope academic history has moved on from silly distinctions like good and bad.	[ "Alfred G. Gerteiny (born 1930) is an American author and scholar of Middle Eastern and African Studies, a specialist on the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Palestinian issue, and International Terrorism. Gerteiny posits that the \"imposition\" of Israel in Palestine by the International Community was an unprec...
Did the French Revolution have any influence on tsarist Russia?	The immediate impact of the French Revolution upon the tsarist state and society is difficult to parse out. News of the events in Paris often happened at a distance, and in a ancien regime society with low levels of literacy and strong divisions between those who were literate, news of the Revolution was akin to gam...	[ "The alignment of the autocratic Russian Empire with Europe's two largest democracies was controversial on both sides. Many Russian conservatives mistrusted the secular France and recalled British past diplomatic maneuvers to block Russian influence in the Near East. In turn, prominent French and British journalist...
is my reflection what others truly see?	_URL_0_ watch this video, it will explain everything. VSauce is amazing and he explains in very great detail why we look different in pictures than mirrors!	[ "Consider a reflection which appears to us in a mirror. There is nothing corresponding to the reflection in the world external to the mind (for our reflection appears to us as the image of a human being apparently located inside a wall, or a wardrobe). The appearance is therefore a mental object, a sense datum.\n",...
Which military battle has the biggest whitewash?	The one that occurred prior to 1992 that immediately comes to mind is Operation Desert Storm. Coalition forces had massive advantages in air power, technology, sea power, and supply. I don't remember the exact casualties but coalition forces suffered only a few hundred killed compared to tens of thousands for the Iraqi...	[ "The Battle of Palan (1 September 1883) was one of several clashes between the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps and Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army during the Tonkin campaign (1883–1886). The battle took place during the period of increasing tension between France and China that eventually culminated in the Sino-French War ...
how can shows like saturday night live use the names of real companies when other shows have to cover logos and make up fake names.	Because it is considered Parody. A parody is a work that ridicules another, usually well-known work, by imitating it in a comic way. Judges understand that, by its nature, parody demands some taking from the original work being parodied. Unlike other forms of fair use, a fairly extensive use of the original work is per...	[ "Television programs made in Canada for the Canadian market are not permitted to show or mention real brand names except in certain specific circumstances. The CRTC's prohibition of product placement exists primarily to prevent producers from accepting payola, especially if accepting it affects creative control or ...
What issues led President Harry Truman to relieve General Douglas MacArthur of command in April 1951	Well, when you say "not responsive to civilian control" you're kind of glossing over a lot. MacArthur had given Harry Truman a string of deliberate insults, and repeatedly brushed up against insubordination. At the Wake Island conference he failed to salute the President, and generally treated him as contemptible. ...	[ "On 11 April 1951, U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieved General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of his commands after MacArthur made public statements which contradicted the administration's policies. MacArthur was a popular hero of World War II who was then the commander of United Nations forces fighting in the K...
If you cut your lips off and didn't open your mouth until they had healed, would they heal together?	TL;DR: Yes. While I admire clessa's work at trying to explain why, he's missing a major element. Collagen forming is not a (physiologically) fast mechanism, and would be destroyed by minor movements of your mouth, so unless you moved less than a catatonic mime in a coma your mouth would not heal together. Specificall...	[ "Sutures are often used to stitch the lips together, though sometimes piercings are made with needle blades or cannulas and monofilament is threaded through the holes. There is usually a fair amount of swelling, but permanent scarring is rare.\n", "Immediately after the tooth is removed, a bite pack is used to ap...
The new Assassins Creed game is set in Ptolemaic Egypt, and yet the Pyramids are shown in their pristine form with white slopes and gold caps. Is this an accurate representation?	Herodotus indicates, in his Histories (c.430 BCE) that the casing stones were present and had inscriptions of strange characters on them. He doesn't seem to mention the presence or absence of a cap/capstone, which suggests that something may have been there but that it may not have been the original--assuming that w...	[ "SAK S 3 (\"Saqqara South 3\") is the provisional, modern name of an Egyptian pyramid, which was discovered north of the Pyramid of Khendjer in spring 2006 during a field survey in Saqqara south. The structure appears on some old maps as a hill, without being identified as a pyramid. It is dated with some certainty...
Are there any reliable sources regarding the nature and extent of slavery in West Africa before the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade?	Slave trading was already going on in West Africa by the time Portuguese Explorers began going on slave raids into the Senegambia coast in 1444. Keep in mind the "slave trade" we think of today, with a well assigned system, rules and way of treating slaves already in place. Slaves where gained by raids and through war,...	[ "The extent of slavery within Africa and the trade in slaves to other regions is not known precisely. Although the Atlantic slave trade has been best studied, estimates range from 8 million people to 20 million. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database estimates that the Atlantic slave trade took around 12.8 million...
Why can't we directly inject ourselves with Glucocorticoids to speed up weight loss?	[Cushing's Syndrome](_URL_0_) would be the main reason. Not to mention that the muscle wasting is counter-productive. You'd probably get better effect with growth hormone, because it's both ketogenic and anabolic (which is why it's considered a PED).	[ "Glucocorticoids can be provided at minimal replacement doses because there is no need for suppression of excessive adrenal androgens or mineralocorticoids. As with other forms of adrenal insufficiency, extra glucocorticoid is needed for stress coverage.\n", "Glucocorticoid drugs currently being used act nonselec...
Could there be ancient fauna in caves on Antarctica?	Most of West Antarctica is igneous rock that doesn't readily form caves. The West-Antarctic Rift separates the two halves of the continent, and East Antarctica is mainly a continuous platform of crystalline basement (igneous and metamorphic rock) but it is thought to have a cover of sedimentary rock including limestone...	[ "There is no evidence of the exact stratigraphic location of \"K. antarctica\". The specimens are from the central Transantarctic Mountains and were found at Shenk Peak (AMNH 9562) and Graphite Peak (AMNH 9545). The fossils were found in the lower member of the 3 members of the Fremouw Formation. The lower member r...
What was the American reaction to the Argentine invasion of the Falklands?	While this is not my area of expertise at all, IIRC the US was certainly less-than-thrilled to have to choose a side in that conflict. While with Gr. Britain the US had the "Special Relationship" and long-standing partnership, the Argentine military Junta was a nominal ally in the region. Furthermore, the British invas...	[ "On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces launched the invasion of the Falkland Islands (), beginning the Falklands War. The Argentines mounted amphibious landings, and the invasion ended with the surrender of Government House.\n", "In the early hours of 2 April 1982, in the wake of violent anti-government riots in Buen...
definition of parliamentary gov, totalitarian gov, and oligarchy gov?	Parliament - The executive branch derives it's authority from the legislative branch (the parliament). Totalitarian - The Government has absolute control. Oligarchy - Where power rests within a small group of people, whether it is Royalty, the Wealthy, the Educated, etc. Notice how one doesn't preclude the others. Y...	[ "In parliamentary systems, including constitutional monarchies, the head of government is the \"de facto\" political leader of the government, and is answerable to one chamber or the entire legislature. Although there is often a formal reporting relationship to a head of state, the latter usually acts as a figurehe...
what would happen to airplanes during a massive power outage?	Major airports have backup generators that would power them long enough for the planes to land. Failing that, planes can always talk to each other, and negotiate who is landing where. In fact, this is how it's done at small airports that don't have dedicated air traffic controllers. If there weren't any more planes ...	[ "BULLET::::- 19 July 2016: A Cessna 182J Skylane, registration number \"N2644F\", suffered an electrical failure and then lost engine power immediately after takeoff from runway 17 and collided with a fence and trees during the subsequent off-airport forced landing. The aircraft suffered substantial damage; one pas...
Why don't WiFi routers interfere with one another?	WiFi routers interfere with each other all the time. You simply haven't noticed. As with anything else that emits an omnidirectional electromagnetic wave, WiFi radio waves follow the [inverse square law](_URL_1_), which states that the intensity of the wave at a given point is proportional to the inverse of the squar...	[ "To minimise collisions with Wi-Fi and non Wi-Fi devices, Wi-Fi employs Carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA), where transmitters listen before transmitting, and delay transmission of packets if they detect that other users are active on the channel. Nevertheless, Wi-Fi networks are still...
What happens when microwaving a lit match?	Fire produces ions and free electrons as chemical intermediaries. Plasma is conductive, microwave induces currents in plasma, creates more plasma. Now you have a cup of plasma. Fairly clever really. Heat makes objects expand. In the case of rigid, brittle objects like glass, uneven heating often causes enormous buildu...	[ "Coulomb explosions for industrial machining are made with ultra-short (picosecond or femtoseconds) laser pulses. The enormous beam intensities required (10–400 terawatt per square centimeter thresholds, depending on material) are only practical to generate, shape, and deliver for very brief instants of time. Coulo...
In the LHC how are protons removed from the nucleus of an atom and kept together?	The proton bundles in the LHC start out as hydrogen. To be more specific, they start out as hydrogen from the bottle shown in [this picture](_URL_0_). Since a hydrogen atom is just 1 proton and 1 electron, we don't have any pesky neutrons to worry about. So that's easy. What's also useful is that protons and electron...	[ "Inside a nucleus, on the other hand, combined protons and neutrons (nucleons) can be stable or unstable depending on the nuclide, or nuclear species. Inside some nuclides, a neutron can turn into a proton (producing other particles) as described above; the reverse can happen inside other nuclides, where a proton t...
How did copyright violation come to be known as "piracy"?	The term "pirate" has long been used in a very broad sense for a private, illegal activity. "Pirate buses" existed in the 19th century (illegal, unlicensed, privately-run buses), and "pirate radio" in the 20th. The analogy here is about "literary piracy" or "print piracy." The terminology in English came shortly after ...	[ "The term \"piracy\" has been used to refer to the unauthorized copying, distribution and selling of works in copyright. The practice of labelling the infringement of exclusive rights in creative works as \"piracy\" predates statutory copyright law. Prior to the Statute of Anne in 1710, the Stationers' Company of L...
What would happen if the Earth's oceans were replaced with fresh water?	* Most macro sea life would die rather immediately. Land animals dependent on sea life could also face extinction * The heat capacity of fresh water is higher than that of salt water, which means the oceans could absorb more heat in the spring/summer and release in Autumn/winter while maintaining a more steady temp. ...	[ "The Earth has a limited though renewable supply of fresh water, stored in aquifers, surface waters and the atmosphere. Oceans are a good source of usable water, but the amount of energy needed to convert saline water to potable water is prohibitive with conventional approaches, explaining why only a very small fra...
why is it that we always see so many new awesome ways to fight cancer and yet it seems nothing of it is ever being used?	There are three main factors here. One is that medical treatments tend to get most of their news coverage when they're in early development, since that's when they're novel. It takes years for a new medical treatment to get from "we're pretty confident this will work" to mainstream usage, both because there are a lot...	[ "Not only it's important the fight against cancer, but it also is the prevention of it. Hence, the operation of this activity has been giving through interactive lectures, conferences, graphics and demonstrations among people.\n", "Because cancer is a class of diseases, it is unlikely that there will ever be a si...
Why does equilibrium maximize entropy and not some other quality?	In a very large system, say a balloon full of gas, there are only a few numbers we use to describe it: pressure, temperature, volume. These define the macroscopic state, or macrostate, of the system. But there are many many possible microscopic states (microstates)---positions and velocities and rotations of the molecu...	[ "Following on from the above, it is possible (in a thermal context) to regard lower entropy as an indicator or measure of the \"effectiveness\" or \"usefulness\" of a particular quantity of energy. This is because energy supplied at a higher temperature (i.e. with low entropy) tends to be more useful than the same ...
what would happen if we detonated an atomic bomb in the eye of a hurricane	A hurricane gets its energy from warm ocean water, and in the process of water vapor condensing into rain droplets. The heat released during condensation serves to continue to warm the surrounding air, which causes more seawater to evaporate, condense, and continue the cycle. A fully developed hurricane releases 50...	[ "During the Attack of Pearl Harbor, The USS Arizona (BB-39) was struck with an Armor-Piercing Bomb which penetrated the upper deck and stopped inside the forward magazine. The bomb triggered an explosion which was powerful enough to cut the Arizona in half and is considered a sympathetic detonation as there was an ...
why do we need discipline?	First, you (and I'd say a lot of other people too) need to look up the definition. Second, self-discipline allows you to make the right decisions in your life using critical thinking and to make yourself better (in every aspect) even though you may not necessarily want to. Literally means: "the ability to control one...	[ "Discipline is a set of actions determined by the school district to remedy actions taken by a student that are deemed inappropriate. Some scholars think students misbehave because of the lack of engagement and stimulation in typical school settings, a rigid definition of acceptable behaviors and a lack of attentio...
how can the house pass a bill, but the senate refuses to vote on, or even look at, it?	The Constitution lays out fairly clearly what Congress can do and what it can't do. However, there is very little mention of what it must do and when it must do. The effect is that the two houses of Congress have near-total control over how they perform their constitutional duties. Which effectively means that...	[ "Bills are presented by the King or by the House of Representatives, which thus has the right of initiative (Article 82). Some bills have to be presented by the States General in United Assembly (subarticle 2). The Senate cannot propose law. The ministers can but in fact act through the King who sends a Royal Missi...
how exactly do marathons/bike races "raise awareness" for certain causes?	People are generally aware of the race to begin with, especially if it has TV/radio coverage. So if the organizers start saying they support cause "X", there are likely people watching or paying attention in some way that don't know about it. So by advertising their support for a charity or breast cancer or w/e, awar...	[ "BULLET::::- According to organizers, the Marathon is aimed to promote awareness in local people towards social issues like saving Dal Lake, fighting drug abuse, and keeping the city clean along with promoting traffic awareness, and respect for senior citizens and women.\n", "While running has become a casual exe...
What happened to Arianism in North Africa?	I would look at the Ecumenical Councils, particularly the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and the Second Council of Constantinople in 502. The First Council of Nicaea anathematized Arianism, making it pretty unpopular for fourth century Christians to harbor any sort of Arianism. This is when the decline really started. ...	[ "In Arian Africa the Vandal persecutions of Genseric and his son Huneric had driven many Catholics into exile. Huneric was a fervent adherent to Arianism. When peace was restored, numbers of those who through fear had fallen into heresy and had been rebaptized by the Arians desired to return to the Church. On being...
how is it that the farmers almanac can predict long-range forecast so accurately?	It always rains around then. All you really have to do is look at a bunch of years and figure out the trends, and then combine all of them into a comprehensive calendar for useful application. I'm sure the biggest part of the whole thing is just accounting for drift in the solar calendar compared to the natural conditi...	[ "Farmers' Almanacs have published long-term forecasts for around 200 years. While almanac publishers have attributed an 80 to 85 percent accuracy rate to the publication's annual forecasts, independent studies that retrospectively compare the weather with the predictions have not shown them more accurate than chanc...
Was Hannibal Barca black?	Apart from the "war on white history" which I won't even dignify with recognition, I'll start by saying that there is no surviving physical description of Hannibal Barca, so if History Channel wants to depict Hannibal as being darker skinned they're free to; plus I'm more concerned with their classification of Carthagi...	[ "Scipio Africanus (1702 – 21 December 1720) was a slave born to unknown parents from West Africa. He was named after Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major, the third century BCE Roman general, famous for defeating the Carthaginian military leader Hannibal.\n", "The Black Corsair is an 1898 adventure novel writ...
why i can spend a night drinking 20 standard drinks made of spirits (mixed and shots) and be fine, but if i drink a bottle of red wine at 8 standard drinks i'm really drunk and have a horrible hangover?	Hangovers aren't just about the amount of ethanol you drink. They're also a function of other chemicals, like methanol, higher alcohols, and other volatiles. Red wine is full of volatiles, so even though its not as alcoholic, it still gives a murderous hangover.	[ "Drinking more than the standard drink amount increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, stroke and cancer. Mixed results are also observed in light drinking and cancer mortality.\n", "A study found that moderate consumption of alcohol had a protective effect against intermitte...
What was the motivation behind American Indian boarding schools?	Thank you for asking this question. Far too often I see people making the boarding schools out to be something they are not. First, let me inform you that they were, for the most part, not peaceful. The actual intention of these schools was as you stated in your first paragraph: a colonial effort to destroy the Na...	[ "Since \"the relationship between parents and children was often broken because of long separation\" forced upon Indigenous families, so was the \"transmission of cultural and traditional knowledge.\" However, while the boarding schools were undeniably detrimental to Native Americans, their efforts to assimilate an...
Why is there no snow/glaciers in some areas of the far north of Greenland?	Northern Greenland's climate is somewhat similar to Antarctica's. Antarctica is technically a desert in that it gets only 6.5in of precipication in a year. Northern Greenland gets just 8in of precipitation a year.	[ "\"Greenland:\" The interior of Greenland differs from the rest of the Arctic. Low spring and summer cloud frequency and the high elevation, which reduces the amount of solar radiation absorbed or scattered by the atmosphere, combine to give this region the most incoming solar radiation at the surface out of anywhe...
Is there a point where too much muscle is bad for your body?	Everyone seems to be missing the point of the question, so I will rephrase in hopes have we can get an answer. I am also curious about this question. While maintaining a healthy body fat percentage, can a person build so much muscle it can effect their health? Why?	[ "Muscle weakness may be due to problems with the nerve supply, neuromuscular disease (such as myasthenia gravis) or problems with muscle itself. The latter category includes polymyositis and other muscle disorders.\n", "Difficulty building muscle is often associated with the ectomorph body somatotype, however oth...
what makes unix/linux more stable and secure than windows?	In UNIX/linux, the default security model has always been that normal users cannot mess with the system configuration. In windows, the default security model has long been that any user could do anything they desired to the system, and had access to all critical system configuration and other resources. Admittedly, thi...	[ "Traditionally, Linux systems are generally regarded as very well-protected against, but not immune to, computer viruses and other malware. Whereas there are relatively many malware detection software packages like virus scanners for Windows systems, there are relatively few for Linux systems.\n", "BULLET::::- Se...
why do flags that have the union jack in the corner have different field colors?	It comes from the different ensigns used by the Royal Navy in the past. Different squadrons of the navy used different ensigns, so dependent on where the squadrons patrolled new colonies and institutions would use the flag familiar to them. It's all explained in this link: _URL_0_	[ "Additionally, the Union Jack features in many territorial and sub-national flags. These are often Red Ensigns (e.g., ) or Blue Ensigns (e.g., and ). A small number have backgrounds of other colours (e.g. and ) or a unique pattern in the field (e.g. and ). A small number put the Union Jack somewhere other than the ...
if ice destroys dna, how do seeds germinate successfully after being trapped in permafrost for thousands of years?	Ice doesn't destroy DNA; rapid freezing does. If you cool it slowly, it can survive.	[ "Once the seeds of Celtis Koraiensis go dormant, a process of cold stratification along with the addition of Gibberellic Acid (GA(3)) can be done to germinate the seeds. Seeds were able to germinate to a maximum of 45.2% under the conditions of 400 mg GA(3) alternating 4/15 degrees C.\n", "In February 2012, Russi...
Historiography of Early Modern German Executioners	Harrington's major secondary sources are nearly all in German (except Stuart). Still would be worth a perusal. Some stuff I can think of offhand in English: * Ulinka Rublack, The Crimes of Women in Early Modern Germany - bibliography is primarily German on Germany, but supplemented with English sources on Italy and...	[ "Carl Gröpler (22 February 1868, Magdeburg – 30 January 1946, Magdeburg) was Royal Prussian executioner () from 1906 to 1937. Responsible for carrying out capital punishment in the Prussian provinces, he executed a total of at least 144 people, primarily by beheading with an axe, but also with guillotines. Gröpler ...
why does the us distribute it's milk under refrigeration?	mainly because of consumer acceptance. milk in usa has always come refrigerated. In June 1993, Parmalat introduced its UHT milk to the United States.[12] In the American market, consumers are uneasy about consuming milk that is not delivered under refrigeration, and reluctant to buy it. To combat this, Parmalat is ...	[ "In the American market, consumers are uneasy about consuming milk that is not delivered under refrigeration, and reluctant to buy it. To combat this, Parmalat is selling its UHT milk in old-fashioned containers, unnecessarily sold from the refrigerator aisle. UHT milk is also used for many dairy products.\n", "P...
if x-rays and gamma rays are the only ionizing radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum, how does uv light damage cells/dna?	Some UV light can be ionizing. But radiation does not have to be ionizing to cause problems. Non ionizing radiation can still catalyze chemical reactions. In the case of UV light, it stimulates the bonding of two parts of DNA in a way they shouldn't be (production of thymine dimers for the interested) and this can stil...	[ "X-ray photons carry enough energy to ionize atoms and disrupt molecular bonds. This makes it a type of ionizing radiation, and therefore harmful to living tissue. A very high radiation dose over a short period of time causes radiation sickness, while lower doses can give an increased risk of radiation-induced canc...
stocks please	Some of the details you are asking about depend on the specific plan you have or on the company that manages it for your employer. > I understand you put a portion of your check into buying stock and you make money from interest I think but is it money that you could possibly lose over time? The stock that you get f...	[ "Stocks are an external framework in a shipyard used to support construction of (usually) wooden ships. They are normally associated with a slipway to allow the ship to slide down into the water. In addition to supporting the ship itself, they are typically used to give access to the ship's bottom and sides.\n", ...
A lot of questions about the flu vaccine	Basically the WHO monitors flu strains around the world and predicts which ones will be the most prevalent. This is discussed [here with a video](_URL_2_) and this [PDF summary](_URL_1_). The amount of change depends on whether the virus "drifts or shifts." The CDC does a good job of explaining that [here](_URL_0_). ...	[ "Influenza vaccines, also known as flu shots or flu jabs, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. A new version of the vaccine is developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies from year to year, most provide modest to high protection again...
why does politics make people so hostile?	Politics places people on teams. Each team promotes how great and awesome their team is while saying how horrible the other is. When people that might otherwise get along find out they are on opposite teams, suddenly all those horrible things the pundits say about the other team applies to them personally.	[ "Political apathy is a feeling of disinterest in the sense of politics or apathy towards politics. It can consist of interest apathy, voter apathy, and information apathy. It can be categorized as the indifference of an individual and a lack of interest in participating in political activities. This includes lack o...
Why are large primes so desirable and hard to calculate?	Can you tell me if 1000000000001 is prime? Well, it's not, 73 is a factor. 10000000000001 is divisible by 11. 100000000000001 is divisible by 7. Can you tell me if 10^(10000)+1 is prime? Most numbers of the form 10^(n)+1 will not be prime. We have a couple like this that were made to find primes, like [2^(p)-1](_URL_7_...	[ "Industrial-grade primes are sometimes used instead of certified primes in algorithms such as RSA encryption, which require the user to generate large prime numbers. Certifying the primality of large numbers (over 100 digits for instance) is significantly harder than showing they are industrial-grade primes. The la...
when the large baby boomer generation begins to die and their homes flood the market, will real estate prices drop dramatically?	Real estate in certain areas that have very high boomer populations might suffer some but it isn't like they are all going to drop dead on the same day. [Boomers are about 20% of the population](_URL_0_) (wow!) but they live all across the US and there is wide range of "normal" life expectency as well as untimely deat...	[ "Greenwood, Seshadri, and Vandenbroucke ascribe the baby boom to the diffusion of new household appliances that led to reduction of costs of childbearing. However Martha J. Bailey and William J. Collins criticize their explanation on the basis that improvement of household technology began before baby boom, differe...
What do you feel are the best books on modern Orientalism, other than Edward Said's? Also on that point, what is your view on his book?	Among historians, Said's critiques were generally taken to heart, and actually a lot of historians were already working to correct the field along the lines of Said's criticisms before Said even published Orientalism. The introductory chapter of Marshall Hodgson's The Venture of Islam (published in 1974, four years...	[ "On Edward Said's work \"Orientalism\": \"I am a medievalist, but he hates the Middle Ages. Altogether he loathes the past, he does not have the ability to enter into the spirit of other ages. He lies about European novelists and twists their words; I am myself a novelist with great sympathy for some of those whom ...
why is using horses for consumer meat viewed so negatively?	Humans have relied on horses for thousands of years to do work and for transportation. People have a lot of feelings about them and a lot of attachment, similar to dogs and cats. Thus, there isn't much market for it. I also don't think it tastes particularly good due to being so muscular with very low fat. I don'...	[ "A misconception exists that horses are commonly slaughtered for pet food. In many countries, such as the United States, horse meat was outlawed for use in pet food in the 1970s. American horse meat is considered a delicacy in Europe and Japan, and its cost is in line with veal, so it would be prohibitively expensi...
why is it that insurance is worth more than the car itself in uk and in many other countries?	Well, in many cases if you crash into someone with your car, your insurance company has to pay their medical bills, and/or pay to have their car repaired. If you kill someone, your insurance company may also need to pay legal fees, damages, etc. Or, if you damage public or private property, they might also have to pay ...	[ "In 2008 the UK insurance industry paid out £18.4 million per day in private motor car claims, and more than one in six private drivers make a motoring claim each year, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers.\n", "Despite vehicle insurance typically costing men more, there is some research ...
How much time, money, and effort, went into making the elaborate clothes of the Marie Antoinette period?	"Marguerite!" Nicholas, Comte d'Ogeras, stalked into his wife's dressing room. She did not pause, continuing to apply pomatum as he came to stand next to her toilette. "Marguerite, what is this bill?" "Je n'ai aucune idée," she murmured. "You ought to show it to me before you demand that I explain it. It's most unju...	[ "The extravagant styles of the French Royal court racked up enormous debts to keep up its pace, at the peasants' expense. Such fashion sprees notably ruined Marie Antoinette’s reputation, and were one of the many factors paving the way for the French Revolution.\n", "Couture beginnings. Rose Bertin (July 2, 1747 ...
record player	I'll start from the vibrating needle... The end of the needle in the cartridge (at the end of the record player's arm) vibrates in the presence of a coil in a magnetic field (like a guitar string vibrating over a pickup). The current that the vibration induces in the coil is an audio signal that is sent on to a receiv...	[ "After electrical disc-playing machines appeared on the market in the late 1920s, often combined with a radio receiver, the term \"record player\" was increasingly favored by the public. Manufacturers, however, typically advertised such combinations as \"radio-phonographs\". Portable record players (no radio includ...
how are humans able to focus at different depths even when one eye is shut?	Each eye has its own lens that focuses like an autofocus camera lens. The only thing you lose with one eye is depth perception or stereoscopic vision. Hope that helps.	[ "To perceive depth, infants as well as adults rely on several signals such as distances and kinetics. For instance, the fact that objects closer to the observer fill more space in our visual field than farther objects provides some cues into depth perception for infants. Evidence has shown that newborns' eyes do no...
how different are each and every sperm? everyone is unique, but would a different sperm from the same man really change child anything close to drastically?	One sperm vs. another sperm would definitely change the child (as would one egg vs. another egg) but "anything close to drastically" is in the eye of the beholder. The children produced from two different sperm from the same father would be very similar and have many of the same genes, but they would be as different a...	[ "Each sperm or egg cell possesses a random selection of genes from its mother or father. While not the most probable event, a sperm or egg may randomly acquire, for example, mostly alleles that confer light skin coloration or mostly alleles that confer dark skin coloration. In such cases, fraternal twins can differ...
what is the difference between taking medicine in capsule form versus pill form. for over the counter medicine, what is the reason to take one over the other if they have the same dosage?	IIRC capsules work faster because the medicine inside them is in liquid form (?) and the gel on the outside breaks down faster than the solid pill form.	[ "The purpose of the fixed dose combination is to make it easier for people to take their medication; but also to ensure that if people forget to take one or two of their drugs, they do not then develop resistance to the remaining drugs. \n", "Since their inception, capsules have been viewed by consumers as the mo...
how did blue and red become known as opposing colours?	Blue and red aren't opposing, but bright basic blue and bright basic red are heavily visually contrasting. They're easy enough to differentiate in most visual situations.	[ "In painting and traditional colour theory, blue is one of the three primary colours of pigments (red, yellow, blue), which can be mixed to form a wide gamut of colours. Red and blue mixed together form violet, blue and yellow together form green. Mixing all three primary colours together produces a dark grey. From...
how are international laws enforced? by who?	International law can be enforced in a few different ways, but the most common is through treaties. A treaty is basically a piece of paper that two or more countries sign that says "We REALLY promise not to break the rules of this treaty". There is no technical retribution like a police force could do inside a single c...	[ "International law differs from state-based legal systems in that it is primarily—though not exclusively—applicable to countries, rather than to individuals, and operates largely through consent, since there is no universally accepted authority to enforce it upon sovereign states. Consequently, states may choose to...
What were the "mystery religions" of antiquity, specifically those practiced in the Greco-Roman world?	It's difficult to say anything definitive about mystery cults compared to other ancient religions like Christianity or Judaism, because these cults did not leave much documentary evidence behind. The mystery was a central part of the ritual, and so we have passing comments from ancients about them and archaeological ev...	[ "Mystery religions, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates \"(mystai)\". The main characterization of this religion is the secrecy associated with the particulars of the initiation and the ritual practice, which may not ...
Could Ancient Greek women in Athens work as mercenaries?	A simple answer would be that no they could not. Athenian women typically were always relegated to a domestic role in daily life. The Athenians were very conservative in regards to how they treated their women. Women were not allowed to be in public without male supervision nor allowed to attend plays at the amphitheat...	[ "There is evidence of mercenaries (\"misthophoroi\" in Greek) being hired in Ancient Greece from the 6th century BC. The tyrants of that time hired bodyguards from other city-states. It is not known if earlier Greek armies and navies, such as the Minoans and Mycenaeans, used mercenaries. \n", "BULLET::::- Likewis...
what did Victorian prostitutes wear or look like?	Television and movies warp our image of women who engaged in sex work historically (and probably in the present day, but I don't know much about that) - the stereotypical Victorian prostitute on film is a haggard and often drunken woman in a tattered décollété, often sleeveless dress and an excess of makeup, cackling i...	[ "Prostitutes were the first women in this time period to be depicted with pipes, cigars, or cigarettes as seen in artwork from Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The women used smoke and make-up (as seen from their very white faces) to attract male clients. Some artists wanted to change social norms an...
why do leds work as a light sensor?	LEDs are photodiodes that emit light when electricity is passed through them. Because of this, they are also sensitive to wavelengths of light that are slightly shorter than or equal to the light they emit when voltage is applied. A Green LED for instance will be sensitive to Blue light and will emit voltage in the opp...	[ "The light from LEDs can be modulated very quickly so they are used extensively in optical fiber and free space optics communications. This includes remote controls, such as for television sets, where infrared LEDs are often used. Opto-isolators use an LED combined with a photodiode or phototransistor to provide a ...
How did Carter's foreign policy on human rights increase tensions and undermine vital alliances?	There was a thread about his attempts to keep the world peaceful. It should be a good jumping off point for you. ["We never dropped a bomb. We never fired a bullet. We never went to war" - Jimmy Carter. Is Carter's assertion true? Was his administration as peaceful as he claims? ](_URL_0_)	[ "Upon taking office, Carter reoriented U.S. foreign policy towards a new emphasis on human rights, democratic values, nuclear proliferation, and global poverty. Carter ended U.S. support for the Somoza regime in Nicaragua and cut back or terminated military aid to Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Ernesto Geisel of Brazil...
given the growing consensus on climate change - why has there not been an adverse impact on real estate proprotities prices in costal areas?	Even fairly aggressive climate change models don't predict huge disruptions for the next century or so. Most people don't care very much if the house they buy now will be in good shape for their grandchildren.	[ "In many beach areas, but especially in the towns of Tamarindo and Jacó, a real estate boom took place when many foreigners from developed countries began buying beachfront properties and building holiday and vacation houses and condominiums. These developments completely changed the life style in these towns, and ...
trans genital surgery	Which one? There are a bunch.	[ "Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) refers to the surgical and medical procedures undertaken to align intersex and transsexual individuals' physical appearance and genital anatomy with their gender identity. SRS may encompass any surgical procedures which will reshape a male body into a body with a female appearance or...
When were the economies of the USSR and the US most equal?	Well, let's take a look at some graphs! [Here](_URL_1_) we have the USSR's economic history from 1970-1990. They peaked at ~1 trillion dollars ~1980. This is lower than any point of the US during that same period. [Same source](_URL_0_). At no point in time was the economy of the USSR close to that of the US durin...	[ "Nevertheless, some countries under communist rule with socialist economies maintained consistently higher rates of economic growth than industrialized Western countries with capitalist economies. From 1928 to 1985, the economy of the Soviet Union grew by a factor of 10 and GNP per capita grew more than fivefold. T...
why does the snow only accumulate in these parking spaces??	Cars haven't parked there. Where the main aisle for the spaces is (that dark patch between sets of spaces) the pavement is still very warm, so it just melts snow when it hits.	[ "Snow removal impacts the design of city infrastructure. Where possible, street boulevards are wider to accommodate the windrows and sidewalks are not right next to the street. Fire hydrants will have tall flags to locate them under the windrows. Reflective traffic lane markers embedded in the roadbed is not possib...
Is it possible to translate an alien language like in prometheus? And if not, how would we communicate with them?	Cryptographing is like find out a new language. Once you find out the structure and rules of the language you might be able to decode it. Also, they could have software that detects language on our computers.	[ "Noam Chomsky (1983), basing on his theory of the existence of a genetically-predetermined universal grammar of human languages, holds that it would be impossible for a human to naturally learn an alien language because it would most probably violate the universal grammar inborn in humans. Humans would have to stud...
Day of Reflection \| July 22-28	Woo, Day of Reflection! I was waiting for this, cause I just found a new guy on here who's my new BFF! (Sorry Arty. I'm breaking up with you and taking the cat and the house and the car. You can have the couch though!) So I noticed a user I'd never seen before in a [couple](_URL_1_) of [threads](_URL_0_) this week, a...	[ "The first Day of Private Reflection took place on Thursday 21 June 2007. The purpose of the day is to \"Provide an opportunity for people to remember the events of the past in a non-confrontational, dignified and respectful manner.\" Healing Through Remembering and its Day of Reflection Sub Group took time to care...
why have i learned so much about the holocaust and the war crimes committed by the nazis, but i have never learned anything about the japanese war crimes during wwii?	My understanding (in the US) is that post-war, Japan grew to become a vital trading partner with the US. As such, it would be better to avoid touching on "controversial" topics such as Japanese atrocities during the war, or the US's Japanese internment camps. On the other hand, Germany kind of embraced a cultural sha...	[ "On a similar note, both countries would continue to conceal any war crimes committed by the other side for the remainder of the war. The Holocaust was systematically concealed by the leadership in Tokyo, just as Japanese war crimes, e.g. the situation in China, were kept secret from the German public. An example w...
why is not standing for the us national anthem so offensive?	Because most baby boomers are arm chair patriots who have never set foot outside of the US.	[ "Beginning in August, several professional athletes have participated in the 2016 U.S. national anthem protests. The protests began in the National Football League (NFL) after Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers sat during the anthem, as opposed to the tradition of standing, before his team's third preseaso...
How long did it take the population of the USSR to recover after the Second World War?	[Here](_URL_0_) is the data for the Soviet Union for the 20th century. (Second link in contents will take you to a graph and a spreadsheet) You can see the effects of the Russian revolution and subsequent NKVD purges. And you can see the effect of WWII. However, the figures for recovery might not be exactly fair as the...	[ "Estimates of Soviet deaths attributable to the 1932–1933 famine vary wildly, but are typically given in the range of millions. Vallin et al. estimated that the disasters of the decade culminated in a dramatic fall in fertility and a rise in mortality. Their estimates suggest that total losses can be put at about 4...
how are uk prime ministers chosen?	The Prime Minister is normally the head of the largest party able to get the confidence of the house. They will still represent their constituents. The UK does not have a written constitution so there's nothing saying what happens if the leader loses their seat. Bare in mind though that before the 60s most PMs weren't...	[ "The Prime Minister is the head of the United Kingdom government. As such, the modern Prime Minister leads the Cabinet (the Executive). In addition, the Prime Minister leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the House of Commons (the lower House of the legislature). The incumbent wields b...
the old testament, new testemant, and the koran all have passages denouncing and prohibiting the practice of collecting interest on loans, so when and how did this practice become accepted in society?	It's not quite that extreme -- notably the Old Testament only said not to charge interest to the poor, or within the Jewish community. This left Jews free to charge interest to others. It became more permissible over time, as the definition of usury moved from "charging any interest" to "charging an unfair amount of i...	[ "In the continuation of the reading, Moses forbade the Israelites to charge interest on loans to their countrymen, but they could charge interest on loans to foreigners. A closed portion (, \"setumah\") ends here.\n", "It was the interpretation that interest could be charged to non-Israelites that would be used i...
why does the us currently not have a surgeon general?	Congress wont approve the nominee as the NRA objects and the Republican House members take their orders from the people with the money. Many federal judge appointments are also vacant for political reasons.	[ "The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. The surgeon general's office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon G...
How will the waters actually recede from Harvey, and how do storms like these change the landscape? Will permanent rivers or lakes be made?	As a flood engineer i wish i came here sooner to answer a few questions. But the main thing is that a number of vectors will remove the water due to gravity. Namely sewers, ground drains, good old evaporation, lay of the land, local ground geology, tidal differences to name a few. Once the hurricane has passed tho...	[ "To prevent damage to the river, the surrounding environment and fish, surplus wet-season flood flow would be pumped from the river inland from the coast and transported by canal, avoiding interference with the eco-sensitive flood plain, then stored by aquifer recharge in and re-gathered from the La Grange Aquifer ...
how did an oppressive nation get picked for the winter olympics?	The IOC do not make hosting decisions lightly. Ru$$ia mu$t have had an excellent pre$entation.	[ "The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted on three continents by twelve different countries. They have been held four times in the United States (1932, 1960, 1980 and 2002), three times in France (1924, 1968 and 1992) and twice each in Austria (1964 and 1976), Canada (1988 and 2010), Japan (1972 and 1998), Italy (...
Is it actually possible to increase your alcohol tolerance?	Sadly yes. Alcohol tolerance proceeds pretty slowly, and it can take years to build up an appreciable tolerance, unless drinking is very heavy. Tolerance occurs mostly because of a diminished number of GABA receptors. The worst part about this particular tolerance is that those receptors are responsible for nerve atten...	[ "Alcohol tolerance is increased by regular drinking. This reduced sensitivity requires that higher quantities of alcohol be consumed in order to achieve the same effects as before tolerance was established. Alcohol tolerance may lead to (or be a sign of) alcohol dependency.\n", "The researchers noted that moderat...
Why not 1024bit encryption or beyond?	512 bit encryption gives you about 10^154 possible keys. If you took every single atom in the known universe and somehow turned every single one of them into the fastest supercomputer ever build, it would still take an unimaginable many times the age of the universe to try all possibilities. While quantum computers low...	[ "BitLocker is a full volume encryption feature included with Microsoft Windows (Pro and Enterprise only) versions starting with Windows Vista. It is designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes. By default, it uses the AES encryption algorithm in cipher block chaining (CBC) or XTS mode with a...
how do they film the scenes where an explosion-esque event happens, the movement pauses, and the camera moves through?	Multiple cameras at different angles. If you set a bunch of cameras up in a row and record with all at once you can move to the same timestamp in each camera and have a different view of the same second.	[ "The camera is usually stationary throughout the film, but this trend is sometimes contrasted by abrupt, rapid movements of the camera. The sudden movements are always accompanied by a loud sound effect, usually an explosive gunshot. A notable exception is the final crane shot, which moves gently away from the Butc...
Are the Bosnian pyramids man-made or nature-made?	None of the actual experts take it seriously. It's a natural hill, and the people who in their ignorance refuse to accept this have wrecked genuine sites of archaeological interest in their random digging. There's nothing to this claim, it is pseudo-archaeology of the rankest sort.	[ "The 'Bosnian pyramid complex' is a pseudoarchaeological notion to explain the formation of a cluster of natural hills in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2005, Semir Osmanagić, also known as Sam Osmanagich, a Bosnian businessman now based in Houston, Texas, has claimed that these hills are the largest human-m...
How accurate is the history in the Master and Commander Series?	hi! not discouraging anyone from contributing any more info - especially a general assessment - but FYI, there have been several questions on various aspects of this series. Check out these posts for previous responses [What would happen if you are a PoW during the Napoleonic wars and escape, go back into service, and...	[ "Master and Commander is a nautical historical novel by the English author Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1969 in the US and 1970 in UK. The book proved to be the start of the 20-novel Aubrey-Maturin series, set largely in the era of the Napoleonic Wars, that O'Brian continued working on up until his death in ...
what does it mean to be jewish?	> So my question is if it is a religion or an ethnic group? It is both, and used interchangeably for either. > And what about people like Adam Sandler? He is ethnically Jewish but not particularly religious.	[ "\"Who is a Jew?\" ( ) is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question explores ideas about Jewish personhood, which have cultural, ethnic, religious, political, genealogical, and personal dimensions. Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism follow Jewish la...
what causes foods like radishes, horseradish, and ginger to taste spicy?	Allyl isothiocyanate in radishes and zingerone, shogaol and various gingerols in in ginger. All of them(and piperine from black pepper) act on the same receptors as capsaicin, but weaker and for a shorter time. This is why they don't have the same lasting heat feeling.	[ "The characteristic fragrance and flavor of ginger result from volatile oils that compose 1-3% of the weight of fresh ginger, primarily consisting of zingerone, shogaols and gingerols with [6]-gingerol (1-[4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl]-5-hydroxy-3-decanone) as the major pungent compound. Zingerone is produced from g...
Book/online resource request for learning historical evolution of technology and culture	If you have specific interests in the History of Technology I would be happy to suggest things. Most of the very broad histories of technology I find to be severely lacking and I have little patience for these books that attempt to apply a sweeping theme to the technological history of a whole era. For example if you ...	[ "Media Technology and Society: A History from the Telegraph to the Internet is a 1998 book by Brian Winston. The book's central thesis is that technology, rather than developing in relatively discontinuous revolutions, evolves as part of a larger evolutionary pattern. It was named 'Best Book of 1998' by the America...
why does science denialism appear to be on such an upswing lately?	Some of this has to do with time, and some are about unexamined assumptions, but there's a third component. First, time. When we discovered vaccines, the world was a very different place. It was not unusual for most children to die from disease. Whole generations might be decimated by disease. This happened only 100...	[ "The authors discuss the broader concept of denial using social science theory, noting its occurrence appears in society when individuals are frightened or ashamed of their actions. They write that these motivations, when expanded from an individual to wider society, present themselves as a form of disease. The boo...
how does wireless data transfer works with so many devices receiving information from one source?	In addition to UntitledDocument37's info on addressing, I would like to add some more information about how this complex process works. The main thing to realize is that your phone can only "yell" so loud to the tower. There may only be a couple of towers that can even "hear" your phone nearby. You must also realize ...	[ "Data can be transferred either wirelessly or through cables. Cables are often used for permanent installations, while wireless radio transmissions are used for targets placed provisionally in the field and for running targets.\n", "One use of this is wireless push technology, by pushing data across wireless netw...
What is the process to fix deep and wide sinkholes? I'm thinking of the ones have hundreds of feet deep that simply can't be filled.	Very often they are ignored. It's no something exactly hard to do, but is very expensive. But if they are in a place that is convenient and worth enough to the huge cost to repair, they can use infills from three different resources. The first, very common in my country (Brazil) is demolition disposal. Is an cheap and...	[ "Partial depth removal involves the selective removal of deteriorated concrete to a certain depth or of a concrete overlay to a depth exceeding 3/4\". It is usually done in the case of concrete restoration projects where embedded objects such as rebar are substantial and need to be preserved.\n", "A sinkhole is a...
What methods are used by historians to answer counterfactuals?	Historians generally do not try to answer such sweeping counterfactuals. There are too many "variables" in such approaches, and you end up in totally speculative territory. Narrow counterfactuals are much more common, and are arguably implicit in every statement of causation (if I say _X_ was important, I am implying ...	[ "Few further attempts to bring counterfactual history into the world of academia were made until the 1991 publication of \"Plausible Worlds: Possibility and Understanding in History and the Social Sciences\" by the Cambridge sociologist Geoffrey Hawthorn, who carefully explored three different counterfactual scenar...
What, aside from knowledge of how to use/extract coal and oil, prevented an industrial revolution from occurring earlier in history?	There's always more that can be said but while you wait you might enjoy some of these older posts on the topic. As you'll quickly see, its actually a pretty complicated discussion. /u/Daeres and a deleted user discuss [Why didn't we get an industrial revolution during Antiquity ?](_URL_2_) /u/AlviseFalier talks about...	[ "Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels have been used as sources of energy. Coal began to be widely used after 1800 and would continue to be the dominant source of fuel into the 20th century. However, two events set the stage for the Age of Oil: The first was in 1846, when Abraham Gesner in...
why does an electrolyte solution like gatorade hydrate, while an electrolyte solution like salt water dehydrates?	A solution with a higher concentration of electrolytes than your blood has will increase the concentration in your blood and draw water out of your cells to correct it. A solution with a lower concentration (or just water) will have the opposite effect. Something like Gatorade aims to have the same concentration as you...	[ "Electrolyte solutions are normally formed when a salt is placed into a solvent such as water and the individual components dissociate due to the thermodynamic interactions between solvent and solute molecules, in a process called \"solvation\". For example, when table salt (sodium chloride), NaCl, is placed in wat...
why are bombs in cartoons always stylised to be the big, round black ones with a fuse and the word "bomb" written on them?	That's what old-timey artillery shells and grenades looked like. Black iron sphere with a fuse in one end. Light, launch, and hope it explodes near where you want it to explode.	[ "BULLET::::- Bombs – These black objects are important in the game. When they get together they stick to each other. Two or more sticking together can be blown up with the B button, erasing blocks or hurting enemies. Stick four up in a square to make a big bomb, stick two big bombs together to make an even bigger b...
why did i throw up the fish oil plastic capsule	[Those aren't plastic](_URL_0_, that would be very bad. Chances are, the capsule broke and you simply brought it back up. Those things dissolve so it is likely that it never made it very far, but broke on the way down and released the oil.	[ "Discarded plastic bags floating in the ocean resemble jellyfish, a common food of sea turtles. If a turtle eats a plastic foil, it tends to clog the turtle's digestive system and results in the animal dying. There have been many cases of dissection showing plastic foil and other debris inside turtles stomachs and ...
what is the difference between a carburated and fuel injection engine	Carburated is basically fuel getting into the engine by vacuum from the intake which is a gravity type system since it doesnt work when your upside down and needs about 2-3psi to work and a fuel injected system has electric solenoid injectors that open precisely at the right time to spray fuel right before the intake v...	[ "On petrol engines, fuel injection replaced carburetors from the 1980s onward. The primary difference between carburetion and fuel injection is that fuel injection atomizes the fuel through a small nozzle under high pressure, while a carburetor relies on suction created by intake air accelerated through a Venturi t...
why do some states disallow voters with no party affiliation to vote in primaries?	Many states havd closed primaries: by law or decision of the political parties, only those with a registered party affiliation can vote in the partisan primary ballots. Those who have not registered affiliation can vote in closed primary election, but will be given a non partisan ticket (generally only referendum qu...	[ "The Democratic and Republican parties have both allowed voters who decline to state a party affiliation to vote in all of their respective primary elections until the 2008 presidential primary election, in which the Republican party disallowed the practice.\n", "In some states an unenrolled voter who votes in a ...
in a water drought, why don't supply/demand economics increase the price of water and, thus, incentivize us to use less?	Public water supplies aren't part of the free market. Water districts are heavily subsidized through taxes & generally have hefty regulations placed on their rates. On top of that, they're generally monopolies. You can't use public money to build a system then throw your hands up and say "free market!" when there'...	[ "Attempts to increase water supply to cope with growing water demand, which is fuelled by the increase in supply, has been shown to be unsustainable. Drought occurrences can trigger temporary reductions of water availability, often leading to water shortage when water demand cannot be satisfied by the available wat...
spontaneous water glass explosion at dinner?	Was it a shatterproof glass? It was likely under tension, like a [prince Rupert drop](_URL_0_). It will be much more durable than standard glass, until a sudden shock comes along. Maybe it had a microscopic crack that propogated slowly from thermal expansion.	[ "At the moment when the water reached its highest possible point in the glass pipe, visitors could witness an interesting physical phenomenon for about a minute. The air pressure above the water had lowered dramatically. Therefore, the evaporation of the water happened so vigorously that the water started to boil s...
why is it that we don't overheat and die when the outside temperature is over 98 degrees, body temperature? shouldn't our body be unable to loose heat heat at those temperatures?	In addition to sweat, the fact that air is a bad heat conductor also helps a lot because it takes people a while to actually heat up. If the temperature outside is 115 degrees you'll be fine. If the temperature inside is 115 degrees you will almost certainly die. Only one person has ever survived that, and it was after...	[ "Significant physical exertion in hot conditions can generate heat beyond the ability to cool, because, in addition to the heat, humidity of the environment may reduce the efficiency of the body's normal cooling mechanisms. Human heat-loss mechanisms are limited primarily to sweating (which dissipates heat by evapo...
Do solar systems have an electric charge?	I feel like there are a couple of different questions blending together here. As to whether the solar system acts like an atomic system with the sun/planets/sundry stellar bodies acting as fundamental particles, the answer is essentially 'no' (or at least, it lacks many of the features of an atom). In the article you...	[ "Electric charge is a quantity used to determine how a particle will behave in an electric field. There are three possible \"types\" of charge: positive, negative, and neutral. However, the distinction between positive and negative is by convention only. Electric charge is quantized in units of the elementary charg...
Question about Hungarian Military Uniforms of World War II	Just to clarify your question, do you mean a Shako like [this](_URL_0_)?	[ "The Hungarian Second Army is probably the best known Hungarian wartime army because of the part it played in the Battle of Stalingrad. Before being sent to Russia, the rank-and-file of the Second Army had received but eight weeks of training. The only tactical experience for many of these soldiers were the maneuve...

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