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2r7gqt
store tells me to rub the chip when my debit card is not recognized? the chip is clean, so why does this help?
My debit card has a chip on it. The payment tills at the store often don't recognize it and I am being told to rub the chip. Doing this once or twice usually gets it to work again. What is going on here? I requested a new card already thinking the one I had must be faulty but within a month the problem returned on the ...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2r7gqt/eli5_store_tells_me_to_rub_the_chip_when_my_debit/
{ "a_id": [ "cnd5708", "cndd9g7" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Sometimes a fine layer of oil forms on the chip. Rubbing it removes this layer", "Cashier here, bend the card only slightly so the chip is directed further in the machine. That always work." ] }
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
qt6rp
How did Julius Caesar's mother and father raise him? And what effect did his upbringing have on his personality?
When i ask "how", i mean what type of environment did a young Julius Caesar grow up in? I just want to learn more about his childhood, as his personality fascinates me, I am curious as to how his parents influenced his later personality.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt6rp/how_did_julius_caesars_mother_and_father_raise/
{ "a_id": [ "c42lnyv" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Little is known about Julius Caesar's early life; his father died when he was relatively young (about 16 years of age) and thus Julius was thrust into the position of pater familius at somewhat of a young age. It's extremely difficult to comment ...
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[]
[ [] ]
5o2k46
Why did iced tea, rather than hot tea, become popular in the United States?
In the US, if you ask for tea, you will more likely receive iced tea, unless otherwise specified. The region appears to be unique in this regard, and I would like to know the cultural reasons as to why this is.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5o2k46/why_did_iced_tea_rather_than_hot_tea_become/
{ "a_id": [ "dcg9wkj" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "While hot tea was extremely popular in the colonies that would become the United States, taxes on tea became a point contention for many colonists, leading to boycotts and the adoption of coffee as a preferred patriotic drink. \n \nAs such, coffe...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
21crs7
showering after a meal
I was told as a kid that taking a shower right after a meal was bad. I never really got a good reason why though. What are some reasons, if any, as to why it is a bad idea.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/21crs7/eli5_showering_after_a_meal/
{ "a_id": [ "cgbs4xa" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "For a warm shower: Blood gets diverted to the skin, to lower your body's temperature (which increased all of a sudden when you're under hot/warm water). \n\n\nSince this happens on a large surface area (almost your entire body's surface area), th...
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[]
[ [] ]
69x23k
why does the same setting in the shower feel warmer in the summer than in the winter? i've noticed on a warm day, i need to turn the shower down because it feels too hot, but surely it's the same temperature?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/69x23k/eli5_why_does_the_same_setting_in_the_shower_feel/
{ "a_id": [ "dha1gnm", "dha1kti" ], "score": [ 2, 4 ], "text": [ "The water starts warmer in warm weather.\n\nImagine the heater raises the water temp by 20 degrees. If it's 90 outside, it goes to 110. If it's 50 outside, it goes to 70.\n\nThis is a gross oversimplification, of course. But...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
z4vdq
the difference between routers, switches, access points
Its work related and id love to know
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/z4vdq/eli5_the_difference_between_routers_switches/
{ "a_id": [ "c61g3th", "c61hcpt", "c61hsnz" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 6 ], "text": [ "For this example we will keep it simple.\n\nRoutes are smart switches, they can assign IP addreses and handle local and internet traffic.\n\nSwitches are not as smart as routers, they basically add more...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
2l9zhx
why car companies have such a problem with the destruction of their cars in video games , but apparently not that much in the movies ?
Sorry for bad eng :-/
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2l9zhx/eli5_why_car_companies_have_such_a_problem_with/
{ "a_id": [ "clsvmme", "clt4e6e" ], "score": [ 6, 2 ], "text": [ "It depends on the video game. Manufacturers like certain video games and license their vehicles to those games because they put the brand in front of young and impressionable consumers. They also like their product in movies...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
ahy4j8
How did people keep track of time during the middle ages?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ahy4j8/how_did_people_keep_track_of_time_during_the/
{ "a_id": [ "eekd1uf" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "In Western Europe, certainly in ecclesiastical and monastic contexts, the day was broken up into eight parts by the Canonical Hours. These were times which were specified for different prayers and services (I believe these are still in use today ...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
5032e9
Where there any inhabited places on Earth that were totally unaffected by World War II?
I'm trying to decide if World War II was the only event in human history that affected virtually all humanity (the except being uncontacted tribes and the like). I have a few ideas of places that might have been virtually unaffected. Western South America- I know Argentina and Brazil were involved in the war, but what...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5032e9/where_there_any_inhabited_places_on_earth_that/
{ "a_id": [ "d70wc16" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "This is kind of a broad question. By \"unaffected\" are you purely referring to military action, or just any involvement with the war effort? " ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
92aym0
what exactly happens with the moon during a full eclipse?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/92aym0/eli5_what_exactly_happens_with_the_moon_during_a/
{ "a_id": [ "e34cj79", "e34cqs6" ], "score": [ 12, 5 ], "text": [ "The Earths shadow lines up with the moon completely blocking out the light from the sun which usually lights it up during the night, like if you put your hand in front of a torch, whatever you were shining the torch at beco...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
cji5bq
why is it that a lizard can jump off insane heights but not take any damage and be fine but if we scaled us down to the size of a lizard we'd die from that high of a fall?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cji5bq/eli5_why_is_it_that_a_lizard_can_jump_off_insane/
{ "a_id": [ "evdgl0v" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Lizards weigh less, so the impact when they land is a lot lower. If I fall, it's equivalent to a 100 pound person landing on me. If a 300 pound person falls, it's equivalent to a 300 pounds of person landing on them. The gecko just takes a few ou...
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[ [] ]
73ijaa
how did medical care become standardized?
It seemed like just 100 years ago, doctors were still going door-to-door diagnosing hysteria on women and not washing their hands. Now we have this complicated system with medical schools and residencies that are consistent across the whole country and everyone learns the same thing. How did that all get standardized w...
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/73ijaa/eli5how_did_medical_care_become_standardized/
{ "a_id": [ "dnql7sj" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Many, many smart inventions. I'm not a history geek, so I'm unsure about the specifics, but the conventional microscope was only created in the last hundred - two hundred years. From this, people discovered bacteria, viruses, amoebas, cells, and ...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
b02tgm
How will the James Web Space Telescope orbit AROUND L2 lagrange point?
I've been reading up on the James Web Space Telescope and how it will orbit around the L2 point. I'm familiar with lagrange points and the balance of gravity which allows objects to be stable or meta-stable to have the same orbital speed around the sun as the Earth does while being in a different orbit "elevat...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b02tgm/how_will_the_james_web_space_telescope_orbit/
{ "a_id": [ "eic7pui", "eic7q9c", "eic848d" ], "score": [ 9, 5, 4 ], "text": [ "If you look at the individual coordinates then the point is unstable in the radial direction but stable in the other two. Overall that makes the point unstable but it gives a plane where you can orbit.\...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_orbit" ], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_orbit", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_orbit" ], [] ]
2n5dv4
why do we need the give the security code off the signature strip of credit cards when we buy things online?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2n5dv4/eli5_why_do_we_need_the_give_the_security_code/
{ "a_id": [ "cmaha8s", "cmaha93", "cmai1gl" ], "score": [ 7, 30, 3 ], "text": [ "It's an additional layer of security for online purchases. If someone were to obtain your credit card number (even with the exp date), they would likely be unable to use it online as just about every r...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
byd58i
If you control for accidental death/death by misadventure, crime related deaths and suicide, how much longer is female life expectancy than male?
Are women inherently ‘healthier’ or is it all environmental?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/byd58i/if_you_control_for_accidental_deathdeath_by/
{ "a_id": [ "eqhn4n9" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I don't think there's a good answer here. How do you count child birth? Or differences in nutrition? Or that women go to the doctor more often to get checked? Depending on the local culture, life might be harder or easier for women vs. men, this ...
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[]
[ [] ]
5ujhy3
Has surface of the Earth always been covered to 71% by water?
So I saw that news about a newfound continent, and was wondering, has dry land on surface always been only 29% of its surface? I'm not sure even if there is a way to find that out. For example, the ancient continent Pangaea. It was consisted out of all continents that exist today, and thus how do we know that percent ...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/5ujhy3/has_surface_of_the_earth_always_been_covered_to/
{ "a_id": [ "dduxrqa", "ddv0mzx" ], "score": [ 5, 6 ], "text": [ "We do know a lot more than is generally realised but it is scientific subject and not particularly interesting to teachers and the media. \n\nThere have been seven supercontinents of the Earths crust since the Earth formed 4...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subduction" ] ]
3l81yj
How accurate if the movie, "Inherit the Wind"?
Inherit the Wind: _URL_0_ * Court proceedings * People's attitudes (townspeople, visitors, and people on other states) -- what comes to mind are the newspaper headlines in the beginning of the movie. Edit: *is
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3l81yj/how_accurate_if_the_movie_inherit_the_wind/
{ "a_id": [ "cv422ke" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "One of the most glaring omissions in both the play and the film is leaving out defense attorney Dudley Field Malone, who gave an impressive speech on why the government should not step into religious matters, among other things citing the religio...
[]
[ "http://imdb.com/rg/an_share/title/title/tt0053946/" ]
[ [] ]
4hv2ij
why does sweet and salty food taste better together?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4hv2ij/eli5_why_does_sweet_and_salty_food_taste_better/
{ "a_id": [ "d2sk2j7" ], "score": [ 11 ], "text": [ "We generally do not like the taste of bitter. Salt has the miraculous ability to block the taste of bitter. When we say salt is a \"flavor enhancer\" what we're typically talking about is its capacity to block bitter, allowing other flavors to...
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[]
[ [] ]
1h0th8
Do we really know how much protein we need per day?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1h0th8/do_we_really_know_how_much_protein_we_need_per_day/
{ "a_id": [ "cappsf5" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "There are all kinds of calories and estimates, and formulas for determining this, however what it really comes down to is every person is different. A person's caloric and nutrition needs are unique to themselves and defined by many different fac...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
jaxjs
bosnia
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/jaxjs/eli5_bosnia/
{ "a_id": [ "c2ami4w", "c2ami4w" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "A place where bad people go. ", "A place where bad people go. " ] }
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
7nlae9
If I cook something at 200 Degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, why can’t I cook it for 10 minutes at 400?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/7nlae9/if_i_cook_something_at_200_degrees_fahrenheit_for/
{ "a_id": [ "ds3562n", "ds3af3h" ], "score": [ 12, 8 ], "text": [ "It takes time for heat to penetrate food; if you cook at a higher temperature, the outside can be overdone while the inside isn't done yet. So, you generally pick a temperature that is a compromise to get an acceptable resu...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=plot+exp(-100%2FT\\)+with+T%3D0..100", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrhenius_equation", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction" ] ]
1qkvpa
Questions About the Greek War of Independence
1. Why did the greeks rebel? 2. Why did the European powers who were anti-revolution support the Greeks? 3. Why did Egypt get involved? 4. Did other ethnicities in the Ottoman Empire rebel during this period?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1qkvpa/questions_about_the_greek_war_of_independence/
{ "a_id": [ "cde1xkt" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ " > \n > Why did the greeks rebel?\n\nThe spread of Nationalism in Europe after French revolution and Napoleonic war. Also fueled by atrocities of Ottoman administrators in Greece and legal discrimination on Greek Christians population (They'r...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
7xdahg
During the American Civil War, what happened to the sitting Representatives and Senators of the seceded Southern states? Did they resign their offices, or maintain them?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7xdahg/during_the_american_civil_war_what_happened_to/
{ "a_id": [ "du7v3t0" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "They resigned...mostly. Seeing as their states had, per their lights, left the Union they viewed their service in the Congress at an end. After resignation, most went right home where they either sought some kind of office with the Confederacy o...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
3m7rvl
when employers take 1+ weeks to get back to you after an interview, what are they waiting for?
No rejection, no offer, no indication of anything other than "you are still in the process, very busy, please wait". What are some common things they're doing, why don't they reject the candidate already (since in my experience waiting a long time = usually not good) and is waiting for more than a week usually bad?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3m7rvl/eli5_when_employers_take_1_weeks_to_get_back_to/
{ "a_id": [ "cvcp8o3", "cvcpbm2", "cvcpqk7", "cvcpvkk", "cvcq50f", "cvcrpx5" ], "score": [ 12, 9, 2, 3, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "They are interviewing other people. There's really no reason to reject someone immediately, for two reasons: one, it limits their optio...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
p86sv
Is whale sperm any bigger than human sperm?
A recent conversation of my friends.. DNA to carry would be roughly the same size, but wouldn't the whale sperm have to swim more..
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/p86sv/is_whale_sperm_any_bigger_than_human_sperm/
{ "a_id": [ "c3nadwt", "c3ncq2o", "c3ndpbo", "c3nevi0", "c3nf9qp", "c3ng5tg", "c3ngp0j", "c3ni19a", "c3nihnq", "c3nlc45", "c3nlo4p" ], "score": [ 663, 24, 11, 20, 5, 10, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "[In male humans, spe...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://pitnicklab.syr.edu/Pitnick/Publications_files/nature.1995.pdf", "http://www.harmlesslion.com/dolphins/rm_test.htm", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermatozoon#Mammalian_spermatozoan_structure.2C_function.2C_and_size" ], [], [], [], [ "http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila" ...
1pz138
What evidence is there for the use of the Roman pilum?
Hello historians, first post here as an enthusiast and would like to hear some opinions on the pilum. I've always taken for granted that pila were used, at least in Caesar's time, as thrown weapons before the heavy infantry engage. I imagine it having the same sort of use as the Frankish fransisca in that it is not ex...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1pz138/what_evidence_is_there_for_the_use_of_the_roman/
{ "a_id": [ "cd7l0e4", "cd7n1xl", "cd7omf2" ], "score": [ 2, 4, 5 ], "text": [ "There are many account's of the pilum being thrown before an infantry charge. For example, in Caesar's own account of the decisive battle of Pharsalus in chapters 3.88 his Civil War (as translated by W...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbata", "http://www.fectio.org.uk/groep/plumbata6.jpg" ] ]
3az6so
What is this I found at my grandma's house? (UK)
_URL_0_ She told me that her grandmothers second husband had been a free man of the City of London. After finding the copy that her Gran left her (I've added at the bottom encase anyone was interested) I also found this loan bill inside the small leather sleeve. As a Brit I know very little of the American civil war b...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3az6so/what_is_this_i_found_at_my_grandmas_house_uk/
{ "a_id": [ "csimc5r" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "That is a form of currency- a note issued not by the Confederate States government or the State of South Carolina but by the Cotton Planters Loan Association. Or it appears to be- I'm no paper currency expert but I do know Confederate currency ha...
[]
[ "imgur.com/a/tZo2c" ]
[ [] ]
7m57ks
difference between led, amoled, lcd, and retina display?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7m57ks/eli5_difference_between_led_amoled_lcd_and_retina/
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[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_rgb.asp", "https://imgur.com/a/nbl54", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_density", "https://imgur.com/a/S2KOv", "https://imgur.com/a/uvy8v" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "...
fhc2t
Schizophrenia and optical illusions…
Schizophrenics have the ability to decipher optical illusions. What is it about the brain of person who has been labeled as schizophrenic that doesn't allow them to be fooled by these illusions, as most of us are? Can anyone enlighten me on the cognitive processing that is occurring here? Check out the video included ...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/fhc2t/schizophrenia_and_optical_illusions/
{ "a_id": [ "c1fy7bi" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Well, the Wired article that ablackhat linked has a decent description of the \"what\" that happens:\r\n\r\n > When healthy subjects looked at the concave faces, connections strengthened between the frontoparietal network, which is involved in t...
[]
[ "http://areyoutargeted.com/2011/02/if-you-fail-this-test-youre-not-schizophrenic/" ]
[ [] ]
c1gecc
Question regarding British cruisers during WWII.
I was reading about the Town-class cruisers (specially Belfast), and came across something that confused me. The successors of the Towns, the Crown colonies and Minotaurs don’t seem to offer any particular advantage over the Towns. In fact the later Towns, like Belfast, were larger and more capable. So this brings me t...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/c1gecc/question_regarding_british_cruisers_during_wwii/
{ "a_id": [ "erd7nsw" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "The shift towards smaller cruisers in the late 1930s was driven mainly by the 1936 London Naval Treaty. The 'Town's were built under the regime of the 1930 London Treaty, which placed a maximum cruiser tonnage of 10,000 tons. The 1936 treaty lowe...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
3emyvl
what is the difference between economic espionage and corporate espionage?
This is the article I found that confused me. _URL_0_
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3emyvl/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_economic/
{ "a_id": [ "ctggocn", "ctggv9g" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "In most contexts they mean the same thing. Specifically referring to China they may be avoiding the term corporate espionage because in a lot of instances the government of China is the one doing the spying and then handing ...
[]
[ "http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/25/fbi-china-most-predominant-economic-espionage-threat-to-us/" ]
[ [], [ "http://www.cracked.com/blog/we-found-pirates-at-consumer-electronics-show/" ] ]
2p4viz
In what ways does gender appear in archaeology?
Other than (perhaps) skeletons, are there ways men and women leave different archaeological records? Say, if you excavated a set of quarters, could you tell if men and women lived mixed, or in separate housing, if it was an entirely homosocial environment (like maybe a monastery or something)? In what ways might eunuch...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2p4viz/in_what_ways_does_gender_appear_in_archaeology/
{ "a_id": [ "cmtft55", "cmtnoz5" ], "score": [ 10, 7 ], "text": [ "Gender archaeology can be a tough nut to crack. Working with various sites within the Virginia City Landmark District in Nevada, we initially thought we were seeing evidence of women with some small, delicate buttons, but t...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Virginia-City,674932.aspx" ], [ "http://www.historiska.se/historia/livsoden/backaskogskvinnan/", "http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A4ckaskogskvinnan" ] ]
bbwc8o
Was there a scientific reason behind the decision to take a picture of this particular black hole instead of another one ?
I wondered why did they "elected" this one instead of a closer one for instance? Thank you
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/bbwc8o/was_there_a_scientific_reason_behind_the_decision/
{ "a_id": [ "ekm6083", "ekmjir1", "ekmmaho", "ekmpy5p", "ekmsw3u", "ekmw392", "ekmzx1w", "ekn0dd7", "ekn24ui", "eknkzia", "eknso0w", "ekoacuw", "ekobbgb", "ekoebit" ], "score": [ 7320, 26, 87, 10, 2, 66, 2, 11, 3, 3, ...
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[ [], [], [ "https://www.sciencenews.org/article/black-hole-first-picture-event-horizon-telescope" ], [], [], [ "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/680941f7a551ce5715e9e53fd55651b89be87daa" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
6nsqhf
why is lifting weights with long arms heavier than with short arms?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6nsqhf/eli5_why_is_lifting_weights_with_long_arms/
{ "a_id": [ "dkbxh2r", "dkcqv6j" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "It deoends on how you're lifting the weights, but usually the shoulder or the elbow will act as a pivot when lifting dumbbells.\n\nThis is because when a force is applied along a rod (arm/forearm) that is fixed to a pivot (s...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
2enbqh
why is it bad to defrost/heat up meat twice?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2enbqh/eli5_why_is_it_bad_to_defrostheat_up_meat_twice/
{ "a_id": [ "ck138lu", "ck1h813" ], "score": [ 14, 2 ], "text": [ "Commercially frozen meat is often flash frozen, this means that the ice crystals formed are small and don't damage the meat cells very much. If you freeze meat at home it's a much slower process, Large ice crystals form an ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1aiu11
Is James Frazer's The Golden Bough 'true?' In other words, are its representations of ancient magic and religion accurate?
If you have any books or articles on the topic for further reading I would very much appreciate it.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1aiu11/is_james_frazers_the_golden_bough_true_in_other/
{ "a_id": [ "c8xwhqe", "c8xwsce" ], "score": [ 7, 2 ], "text": [ "[I cross posted this answer on AskSocialScience, but if you want to reply, reply here]\n\nNo, it's not. Well, it depends on what part you're talking about, and which edition; it faithful quote ethnographic material in parts,...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Z._Smith", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Leach", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Beard_%28classicist%29" ], [] ]
206gmp
Who in Poland was most responsible for letting the partitions of the 18th Century be successful?
Was it the greed of the nobles? Or was Russian influence over the king more important in keeping the Poles from having an effective resistance?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/206gmp/who_in_poland_was_most_responsible_for_letting/
{ "a_id": [ "cg0f24q" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "A combination of both. The Polish Sejm in the 18th Century was an extremly inefficient system as any member could veto any bill with just 1 vote. Essentially all it took was the Russians paying off a single member to create a destructive deadlock...
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[ [] ]
b2icys
Brits in the IRA
Were there any Englishmen, Scotsmen or Welshmen sympathetic to the Irish Republican cause who served in the IRA during the Easter Rising, War of Independence or the Troubles?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/b2icys/brits_in_the_ira/
{ "a_id": [ "eixbagy" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It depends what you mean by \"Brits\", technically during 1916 and the War of Independence we were all Brits! James Connolly was born in Scotland to Irish parents and was one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, Sir Roger Casement was, as hit title...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/8wsmi1/the_swede_who_fought_in_the_1916_rising/", "http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/detail.aspx" ] ]
34uft1
Why do small children seem to like the color red so much?
What is it about red that inspires so much devotion with small children. My son is at that age (3) where he will sometimes have an outrageous tantrum if he can't wear one of his pairs of red pants.
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/34uft1/why_do_small_children_seem_to_like_the_color_red/
{ "a_id": [ "cqyow44" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "This is actually a very interesting question. Newborns show a preference for red over other colors (as measured by preferential looking time) ([Adams, 1987](_URL_0_); [Bornstein, 1976](_URL_1_); although see [Zemach et al. (2007)](_URL_2_) < - s...
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[ [ "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0163638387900294", "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022096575900703", "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042698906004524", "http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00884.x/abstract?deniedAccess...
14qiix
what if all people with the HIV virus died ?
im sorry if i will offend anyone in this post but please bear with me and explain this to me. the HIV virus has no cure yet, by cure i mean a medicine that will remove the virus from your system and stop you from transmitting it to other people. how long would for the virus to go extinct among humans if we simply st...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/14qiix/what_if_all_people_with_the_hiv_virus_died/
{ "a_id": [ "c7fi3s0" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "I knew it had been asked before (the reddit search is worthless), here you go:\n\n_URL_0_" ] }
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/iiqkb/if_every_person_with_hivaids_were_to_disappear_or/" ] ]
1r2o1k
water damage is horrible for houses. so what about when constructing a house, and it's completely exposed for weeks, and it rains?
I life in San Francisco and a new house is going up on my block. It's been raining the last few days and I see these guys just going about their business putting up walls and such. The house is just wood framing and a foundation at this point. Isn't this horrible for houses? It must happen all the time.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1r2o1k/eli5_water_damage_is_horrible_for_houses_so_what/
{ "a_id": [ "cdiz2gx", "cdj0ppm", "cdj1slw", "cdj49dc", "cdj8m0k" ], "score": [ 25, 6, 4, 2, 4 ], "text": [ "Water damage is bad because the house traps moisture in, allowing mold to grow and wood to rot.\n\nWhen a house is incomplete and exposed to air, it is able ...
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[ [], [], [], [], [] ]
3i978w
Did the Nazi's ever destroy ancient and/or culturally significant buildings and sites in the same way ISIS are currently going about destroying important buildings in Syria, such as Palmyra?
If they did, what were their reasons for doing so?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3i978w/did_the_nazis_ever_destroy_ancient_andor/
{ "a_id": [ "cuehzb1", "cuej4fv", "cuex77n" ], "score": [ 61, 51, 3 ], "text": [ "Yes, they did. The destruction of monuments, artwork,etc. by the Nazis took two different forms. Either they were doing it to humiliate/culturally destroy an occupied people, or they were destroying G...
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[ [ "http://c8.alamy.com/comp/E3E75R/ww1-alsace-lorraine-monument-at-the-rethondes-clearing-glade-of-the-E3E75R.jpg", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/The_Ponte_Vecchio_bridge_in_Florence%2C_damaged_by_the_retreating_Germans_who_blew_up_buildings_at_each%2C_14_August_1944._TR2293.jpg", ...
c4u0wg
physical mimicry in nature
How did it even come to exist? Do the animals just so happen to develop traits over time, that just so happen to share traits of its surroundings? Or do they actively start developing traits with the purpose of looking like its surroundings? Also, how do these animals learn to mimic behaviour of certain things, like ...
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c4u0wg/eli5_physical_mimicry_in_nature/
{ "a_id": [ "eryfvzq" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Evolution occurs by natural selection.\n\nWhat this means is that, in every generation, some individuals will reproduce and some will not. In this case the key point is whether or not each individual was caught by a predator before it had a chanc...
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[ [] ]
6mycyt
how do you distinguish when to use one hyphen and when to use two? (- vs --)
I understand you use one to connect two words like "self-destructed" or "ex boyfriend", but what about in a sentence? Are there different ways to use hyphens in a sentence, or is it a common misconception on how to properly use them?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6mycyt/eli5_how_do_you_distinguish_when_to_use_one/
{ "a_id": [ "dk5bac5", "dk5brks", "dk5n7rw" ], "score": [ 3, 7, 2 ], "text": [ "The \"two hyphens\" you're referring to is called an em dash, which is actually the length of three hyphens. It's used to structure or interject a sentence in a similar way a comma or parenthesis would....
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[ [], [], [] ]
1p38w3
how does someone determine if a company is a shell company or not?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1p38w3/how_does_someone_determine_if_a_company_is_a/
{ "a_id": [ "ccye9xt" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "If the company has no registered assets and doesn't do any business, its a shell." ] }
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[ [] ]
8braah
Is development of muscle memory partially performed outside the brain?
I'm aware that many changes occur in the brain when developing muscle memory, but I do not know to what degree the part of the somatic nervous system outside the brain changes and whether or not those changes are largely significant to performing a particular motor function. If you were to learn to play the guitar but,...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8braah/is_development_of_muscle_memory_partially/
{ "a_id": [ "dx92axd", "dx9qlbs" ], "score": [ 7, 7 ], "text": [ "I think the answer is no. \n\nAs far as I’m aware there is no evidence of neuroplasticity in the neuromuscular junction or within the muscle. \n\nThere might be something to say about muscle development (in size/strength and...
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[ [], [] ]
a5qtg8
How does an electric arc choose it’s path in air (ex: a lightning bolt or Tesla coil)?
They all seem so very random, but is there an actual scientific or mathematical equation for the path/arc they create? Or is it just randomly jumping from one molecule to the next?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/a5qtg8/how_does_an_electric_arc_choose_its_path_in_air/
{ "a_id": [ "ebp2spt", "ebpabre" ], "score": [ 8, 16 ], "text": [ "If you watch a [slow-motion video](_URL_0_) of a lightning strike, you'll see that before it hits the ground it sends out small \"feelers\" that go out somewhat randomly, but mostly downwards. Once one touches the ground, t...
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[ [ "https://youtu.be/dukkO7c2eUE" ], [ "https://www.cwi.nl/news/2013/streamers-in-lightning-better-understood-new-mathematical-model/@@images/b8ca6984-b6be-48b2-b381-bc90a38f7835.jpeg" ] ]
4qd8d8
What are the physics behind different baseball pitches?
What makes a sinker sink? a curveball curve? a fastball straight?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/4qd8d8/what_are_the_physics_behind_different_baseball/
{ "a_id": [ "d4s3x7j", "d4scqr3" ], "score": [ 18, 33 ], "text": [ "The spin in which the pitcher imparts on the ball as they release it. So the way they hold their fingers causes the ball to rotate. The friction of the air on the ball spinning causes draft and thus ball moves oppositely",...
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[ [], [] ]
4iqvjb
Why does silica gel absorb water so effectively, and why only water?
I've been trying to persuade it to absorb ethyl and methyl alcohol with metal salts dissolved in it, to create potentially long-burning coloured fire fuels, but it won't have any of it, nor a few other solvents I have rattling about. So I'm wondering what is so unique about water that enables it to absorb monumental a...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/4iqvjb/why_does_silica_gel_absorb_water_so_effectively/
{ "a_id": [ "d3138n4" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "I usually work with proteins dissolved in water, but I imagine it is approximately the same mechanism at play.\n\nSo first, silica gel absorb tons of water because it has a huge specific surface area. We're talking about 800 m^2 /g of silica gel....
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[ [ "http://www.materialharvest.com/welcome/silica_products/Silica-bound%20reagents/Figure1.jpg", "http://www.univie.ac.at/qccd/hpsc/2003/Tunega/fig1.jpg" ] ]
b2vo43
How long does it take sedimentary rock to form?
For example, let say a depression was flooded with silt, clay, sand and the like. After this flood it remained arid and dry. How long would it take to turn into rock?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b2vo43/how_long_does_it_take_sedimentary_rock_to_form/
{ "a_id": [ "eivkm4d" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Hello, so this is a great question but the answer is hard to pin down.\n\nIn general, there are a two processes that go into forming a sedimentary rock:\n\n1) Lithification (i.e. deposition and compaction, weathering etc)\n\nThe deposition of mat...
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[ [] ]
w828r
the rules of rugby
So, I now live in a country that likes rugby. I looked at the wikipedia article but it makes no sense. Can you explain the rules please?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/w828r/eli5_the_rules_of_rugby/
{ "a_id": [ "c5b2zwf", "c5b30ko", "c5b3aow", "c5b3jx1", "c5b3m47", "c5b45zj", "c5b4iza", "c5bbk2l" ], "score": [ 3, 5, 59, 14, 2, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "There are 3 main rules of Rugby you need to know:\n\n1 the ball must go backwards unless k...
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[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKgV8Go9t3o" ], [ "http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xldymd_lynx-rules-to-rugby-nz_lifestyle" ], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEQyCcageGg" ], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRigOe2IHFM", "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjREZB...
40t4wk
how do dictionaries determine the earliest known use of a word?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/40t4wk/eli5_how_do_dictionaries_determine_the_earliest/
{ "a_id": [ "cywuhym", "cywuj2z", "cywujyf" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "It's the first \"known\" use, so they take the first use that they are aware of and put it in. There's no guarantee it's the actual earliest use of the word. If an earlier use of the word shows up, then...
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[ [], [], [] ]
5jbz6r
Why does a piece of cloth act as such a good filter against odors and aromas and gases? Wouldn't the airborn molecules easily pass through the pores?
Title says it all
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/5jbz6r/why_does_a_piece_of_cloth_act_as_such_a_good/
{ "a_id": [ "dbfe3ed" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "A piece of regular cloth often *isn't* a good filter because a lot of molecules, viruses, even bacteria can get through. If you're in a hospital and dealing with a patient with some airborne diseases you need to wear specially constructed masks t...
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73v7he
in cases of mass shootings with one perpetrator, why do witnesses often report seeing multiple attackers?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/73v7he/eli5_in_cases_of_mass_shootings_with_one/
{ "a_id": [ "dntd1ue", "dntdfg9" ], "score": [ 12, 5 ], "text": [ "Gunshots are very loud. That means that they echo in situations where other sounds wouldn't have audible echos. They hear shots from several directions, and tell that to the police, who decide to play it safe and act as t...
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24de1d
if families like rockefeller and rothschild have are famous for being rich and powerful, how come none of their members appear on rich lists online?
I was just curious to find out how much they are worth, but am struggling to find that information
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/24de1d/eli5_if_families_like_rockefeller_and_rothschild/
{ "a_id": [ "ch608bb", "ch60aa0", "ch60bhl", "ch6125i" ], "score": [ 5, 2, 4, 4 ], "text": [ "I think there are a couple reasons. First, old families get very adept at hiding their assets. Second, over time the wealth becomes very diffused so not one person holds that muc...
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[ [], [ "http://www.forbes.com/2002/02/28/0228dynasties.html" ], [ "http://www.vox.com/2014/4/24/5643780/who-is-thomas-piketty#interview" ], [] ]
j9j68
the process of applying to and going to a four year college.
What steps does someone have to take in order to go to college? How is it paid for? Are the SAT's necessary?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j9j68/eli5_the_process_of_applying_to_and_going_to_a/
{ "a_id": [ "c2a9ges", "c2a9k1j", "c2a9ges", "c2a9k1j" ], "score": [ 4, 4, 4, 4 ], "text": [ "Those are some good questions! It's been a few years since I've had to complete the whole process, but I'll do my best.\n\nIn order to go to college, you need to do a few things. Y...
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[ [], [], [], [] ]
9ym0fz
There has been an increase in electric car sales. How do we dispose of their batteries, once their lifespan ends? And would disposing batteries release less pollutants compared to gas engines?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/9ym0fz/there_has_been_an_increase_in_electric_car_sales/
{ "a_id": [ "ea4kklr", "ea5osx8" ], "score": [ 6, 3 ], "text": [ "Lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars get worn out when they can only retain about 80% of their charge. That being said these batteries are still perfectly good for other applications like backing up solar or wind powe...
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[ [ "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095809917308226?via%3Dihub" ], [] ]
ospx4
When you are developing in the womb, how does your body know which way is up?
I'm aware that the Hox gene has something to do with orientation but I would like to know how this process works; what does your body do that allows it to know up from down? Thanks!
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ospx4/when_you_are_developing_in_the_womb_how_does_your/
{ "a_id": [ "c3jsto7" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Hopefully, a developmental biologist will chime in and give you a more detailed response. Until then, I'll give it a go.\n\nThere are a number of different strategies that organisms use to develop developmental axes - for us chordates, the primar...
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[ [ "http://www.biog1105-1106.org/labs/deuts/media/gastrulation.jpg" ] ]
339ex1
Is it possible to turn electricity (energy) into matter? (metal, for example)
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/339ex1/is_it_possible_to_turn_electricity_energy_into/
{ "a_id": [ "cqirtaf", "cqitb3h", "cqj0ebx" ], "score": [ 21, 6, 2 ], "text": [ "Particle colliders such as the LHC are essentially extremely inefficient machines that turn electricity into particles.", "Electricity is a flow of electric charge. The flow *has* energy, but it's ...
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[ [], [], [] ]
1qfn50
If the Hashemites trace their ancestry to Fatimah and Ali, why is the King of Jordan a Sunni Muslim?
Since Shia Islam began with Ali, wouldn't it make sense for their ancestors to also be Shia?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1qfn50/if_the_hashemites_trace_their_ancestry_to_fatimah/
{ "a_id": [ "cdcd0k2" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "I assume you meant 'descendants'. \n\nWhile Shia Islam began with the followers of Ali, Ali was and remains a celebrated figure within Sunni Islam, just like Peter within Protestant Christianity despite Catholics believing him first Pope." ] }
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[ [] ]
1iot22
In the time when maps were still rare enough that most people had ever seen one, how much did the average peasant know about the geography of the surrounding world?(their province, island, nation or continent).
I mean, did people in, say, Britain, still have a geographical sense of the British isles? Such as relative locations and size of places. Could a peasant have traced a crude map in the dirt if you asked them? Or do you think they had only the simple concept that Scotland was "That way, towards the north." Or that Dover...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1iot22/in_the_time_when_maps_were_still_rare_enough_that/
{ "a_id": [ "cb6pckx" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "FYI, here's a similar recent post (I'm sure there have been others, but this is the only one I could find quickly)\n\n[I'm a peasant living in 16th century Britain, what do I know of the world outside my village?](_URL_0_)\n\nedit: finished my se...
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1hdzmo/im_a_peasant_living_in_16th_century_britain_what/" ] ]
4665mv
why does the smell of heated food spread easily?
When I toast some hot cross buns in the toaster, pretty soon the whole house is filled with the scent of fresh hot cross buns. However, room temperature or cold food doesn't have its scent travel at all, you need to be right next to it to smell it. How is this "scent amplification" caused?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4665mv/eli5_why_does_the_smell_of_heated_food_spread/
{ "a_id": [ "d02rl71", "d02vjji", "d031te3", "d032ohr" ], "score": [ 4, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "A scent is actually physical particles that have spread out into the air and get inhaled into your nose.\n\nHotter gases or molecules have more energy, and move around much more qu...
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2i1ser
what's the big deal about the internet of things? why do people think it will change the world, and why do they think it will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2i1ser/eli5_whats_the_big_deal_about_the_internet_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cky1h35" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "It means extending the configurability, extensibility, easy of access, and all the other perks of the Internet to everyday objects. It'll be amazing. Right now it's trivial to integrate your email to your cellphone, or some app to some other serv...
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299kd3
if you were an English peasant in 1100 (after the Norman conquest) would you life likely be in anyway substantially worse or different than it would have been if lived in the same place 100 years before (before the Norman conquest)?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/299kd3/if_you_were_an_english_peasant_in_1100_after_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cijbhg8" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Ooh! I always like it when something comes up I can answer. I'm going to leave judgement value behind and mainly answer a long the lines of what changed after the Norman Conquest.\n\nNow the historiography has been a real long one but around the ...
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[ [ "http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/1087.htm" ] ]
3pi0mm
How did King Stephen de Blois of England die?
I have done a lot of searching, and all I can find is that he died, not how. He seems to be one of the only kings of England that doesn't have any documents specifically on his death.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3pi0mm/how_did_king_stephen_de_blois_of_england_die/
{ "a_id": [ "cw6gf7b" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Stephen fell ill with a stomach disorder and died on October 25, 1154, at Dover Priory while traveling. He was buried at Faversham Abbey with his wife Matilda and son Eustace. \n\nKing, Edmund, *King Stephen (The English Monarchs Series)* Edit to...
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[ [] ]
5y6y56
why do we often feel more sad when viewing or hearing about animal suffering/death, than we do about the equivalent in humans?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5y6y56/eli5_why_do_we_often_feel_more_sad_when_viewing/
{ "a_id": [ "denn9jr", "denpuk6" ], "score": [ 11, 2 ], "text": [ "There's a thing called the [Just-World Hypothesis](_URL_0_). Humans want to think that the world is a fair place; so when we hear about something bad happening to someone, there's a tendency to think of a reason they *dese...
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[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis" ], [] ]
3b7ns8
why are words like "queue" and "tea" have so many unnecessary letters behind them?
And others like "Jeopordy" and "colonel".
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3b7ns8/eli5_why_are_words_like_queue_and_tea_have_so/
{ "a_id": [ "csjlto1" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Some of them indicate a specific pronunciation. For example, the *ea* in \"tea\" indicates that it should be pronounced with the long e sound (\"eeee\"). Removing the a from the end would give you *te*, which could be pronounced \"teh\", \"tay\...
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pstrb
the mindset of very rich people that are trying to get even richer
Why people like Rupert Murdoch want to get even richer and many times are (accused of) doing it by immoral ways? There are many conspiracy theories about how super rich are screwing millions of lifes to get even richer. Why they would do that?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/pstrb/eli5_the_mindset_of_very_rich_people_that_are/
{ "a_id": [ "c3rydes", "c3rz6jo", "c3rzbvc", "c3rzxns", "c3s0ml3", "c3s1u6d", "c3s4saz", "c3sa591" ], "score": [ 8, 10, 3, 5, 5, 4, 4, 2 ], "text": [ "You ever seen the show \"Hoarders\"? Some people do that with money.", "Some people de...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
1j0vtg
why do a lot of mentally disabled people look alike?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1j0vtg/why_do_a_lot_of_mentally_disabled_people_look/
{ "a_id": [ "cb9ye4v", "cb9yini", "cb9ymwf", "cb9z8nf", "cb9zg1f", "cba006l", "cba00zj", "cba05am", "cba0di2", "cba0doh", "cba0f3d", "cba0vof", "cba1d67", "cba1g69", "cba1koq", "cba1kxb", "cba1m7r", "cba1wt1", "cba210a", "cba2xz5", "c...
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[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_syndrome#Signs_and_symptoms" ], [], [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1j0vtg/why_do_a_lot_of_mentally_disabled_people_look/cb9ymwf" ], [], [], [ "http://depts.washington.edu/fasdpn/htmls/fas-face.htm" ], [], [...
2pjwss
why does it make sense to design new paper money that is harder to fake, if the old bank notes are still valid?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2pjwss/eli5_why_does_it_make_sense_to_design_new_paper/
{ "a_id": [ "cmxdcw2", "cmxence" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "I'd imagine it's because the old bank notes would be slowly weeded out of circulation, but the process cannot begin without the new bank notes.", "Unless artificially aged, brand new counterfeit banknotes in the style of...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
gb4pt
I have a question about an orbiting system?
I was playing this gravity simulation game a while back, (link to the game below) and I happened to create an interesting orbit. _URL_0_ But the strange thing was it wasn't a circular or elliptical orbit. So I took a screenshot of its path. _URL_1_ What I am wondering is what type of orbit is this called? Also woul...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/gb4pt/i_have_a_question_about_an_orbiting_system/
{ "a_id": [ "c1m967u" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "There's nothing unusual about that orbit, it just looks odd because it's not relative to the frame of reference of the barycenter of the two bodies. If you were to look at the Earth-Moon system from the perspective of the Sun you would see someth...
[]
[ "http://nowykurier.com/toys/gravity/gravity.html", "http://i.imgur.com/0MrO4.png" ]
[ [] ]
22zfwn
what types of jobs do people in the cia actually do? how many people actually work as secret agents and whatnot?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/22zfwn/eli5_what_types_of_jobs_do_people_in_the_cia/
{ "a_id": [ "cgrwe6t", "cgrwj2a", "cgrwuec" ], "score": [ 3, 7, 2 ], "text": [ "Nice try Putin.", "There are tons of jobs in the CIA, from accountants and doctors to special operations types. The closest thing to James Bond would be guys from the Special Activities Division, th...
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[ [], [], [] ]
1abl8z
Remind me - in the early years of World War II, why did so much of the fighting take place in the deserts of north Africa?
With a whole world at war, why was such importance placed on controlling the Sahara?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1abl8z/remind_me_in_the_early_years_of_world_war_ii_why/
{ "a_id": [ "c8vupu2", "c8vuue4", "c8vux03", "c8vuydr" ], "score": [ 6, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Because of the Berlin Conference, many European nations had colonized Africa, including France. France got most of the northern part of Africa, Algeria being a good example. The Fr...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
1vx9ml
Are there any society-wide (epidemiological) consequences to the widespread use of flu vaccines?
I was curious if there was any mechanism with vaccines similar to the "antibiotics - > super-bug" issue. I found [one previous question on the subbreddit that addressed this specific issue](_URL_0_) but I was curious if there were any other issues that epidemiologist-types watch out for. I've read a handful of studi...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1vx9ml/are_there_any_societywide_epidemiological/
{ "a_id": [ "cewom4w", "cex6hrf" ], "score": [ 3, 5 ], "text": [ "Usually, when a vaccine works, the pathogen is eliminated, and doesn't have a chance to survive, therefore it doesn't have a chance to adapt and evolve new mechanisms of survival.\nSo, that's why you don't see things like \"...
[]
[ "http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1mzfno/we_often_hear_how_antibiotics_are_creating/" ]
[ [], [] ]
3dqki6
Can a human gain calories from eating common leaves?
I assume it wouldn't taste good, but if I was in a survival scenario would eating leaves from trees help? Could I get calories from them in any meaningful way? If not, is there something special about spinach and other leaf vegetables that makes them particularly healthy?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3dqki6/can_a_human_gain_calories_from_eating_common/
{ "a_id": [ "ct7scy8", "ct7xz8x" ], "score": [ 27, 2 ], "text": [ "The calories that are available to humans even in the leafy greens we eat like spinach aren't much. It would take like 10-15 pounds of spinach per day for you to get enough calories to survive and at that point the amount o...
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[ [], [] ]
490i91
why are for-profit universities (devry, ashford, phoenix, etc.) under so much scrutiny?
What makes them unpopular choices? How are they bad? And if they're as bad as I hear, why haven't they been shut down?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/490i91/eli5_why_are_forprofit_universities_devry_ashford/
{ "a_id": [ "d0o3l23" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "For-profit universities tend to be HUGELY profitable, but there's no real mechanism for shutting them down when they're bad. The government doesn't license higher education, so they have no power to do so. Traditional universities seek accredit...
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[ [] ]
12cfbz
Any precedence in US History for a natural disaster effecting a nation-wide election date?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/12cfbz/any_precedence_in_us_history_for_a_natural/
{ "a_id": [ "c6txdyx" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I just did a quick google search and found this: _URL_0_\n\nF. Glenn Abney and Larry B. Hill, \"Natural Disasters as a Political Variable: The Effect of a Hurricane on an Urban Election\", *The American Political Science Review*, Vol. 60, No. 4, ...
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[]
[ [ "http://www.jstor.org/stable/1953770" ] ]
5uwsbl
how does a common cold give me a headache?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5uwsbl/eli5_how_does_a_common_cold_give_me_a_headache/
{ "a_id": [ "ddxjn34" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "The cold virus reproduces by hijacking the genetic machinery of host cells and causing host cells to manufacture copies of the virus. The virus then destroys the host cell outer membrane so that copies of the virus can escape the host cell and in...
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[ [] ]
1mj7tx
When will humans reach carrying capacity?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1mj7tx/when_will_humans_reach_carrying_capacity/
{ "a_id": [ "cc9thza" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "depends on how you weight different things, whether or not we implement population control, when/whether we develop various technologies, whether or not we adopt certain cultural/lifestyle changes like heavily cutting down on meat consumption. s...
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[ [] ]
1mwv4p
What Limits Our Running Speed
When running, if we keep pushing ourselves forward via friction between our shoes and the ground, why don't we keep accelerating until the force of air resistance equals the force of friction?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1mwv4p/what_limits_our_running_speed/
{ "a_id": [ "ccdf4ik", "ccdgnbb", "ccdn5nq", "ccdvd96" ], "score": [ 17, 11, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "There are two ways to answer this, physics and biology. Power required for acceleration increases exponentially with speed. Meaning that it takes significantly more power to acc...
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[ [], [], [], [] ]
4b4wkr
erdogan's politics. turkey is a democratic country, why is he still in power?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4b4wkr/eli5_erdogans_politics_turkey_is_a_democratic/
{ "a_id": [ "d163u0b" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "He is in power because more people support him than oppose him. Turkey is, in a way, an extreme form of the US in that it's split between eastern turkey and western turkey. Eastern Turkey is very islamic and the entire country has tilted that way...
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5snncf
Did FDR campaign to Hoover's right during the 1932 election?
I frequently see claims along the lines that FDR attacked Hoover's "dangerous socialist policies." This would be ironic given that the New Deal created a larger government that was more involved in the economic activities of the US. Did FDR call for less federal government interventionism during the 1932 campaign?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5snncf/did_fdr_campaign_to_hoovers_right_during_the_1932/
{ "a_id": [ "ddgjgrq" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "No, FDR did not campaign to the right of Hoover in 1932. He campaigned very much to the left of him. However, the Democrats *did* call Hoover a \"Socialist\" during the 1932 campaign, but not for the reasons you assume. The attack was political p...
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[ [] ]
bo3t39
Why did Davy Crockett oppose the Indian Removal Act?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bo3t39/why_did_davy_crockett_oppose_the_indian_removal/
{ "a_id": [ "enciubk" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "This one is pretty straightforward. Crockett was a Whig, and the Whigs were against it. He doesn't seem like he would have been a Whig. Outwardly he seemed the epitome of a Jacksonian Democrat, being a self-made man of humble origins from the ...
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[]
[ [ "http://www.jstor.org/stable/4636431" ] ]
1caybj
the end of the movie stanley kubrik's "the shining"
[Specifically with this photo] (_URL_0_) And what did Delvard Grady mean when he said that he (Jack's character) "had always been the care taker" there?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1caybj/eli5_the_end_of_the_movie_stanley_kubriks_the/
{ "a_id": [ "c9eqram", "c9esadj" ], "score": [ 7, 3 ], "text": [ "i assumed he was possessed by the spirit of the previous caretaker. basically the hotel is evil and the spirits inside consume him. the photo appears after his death- and now he is one of the ghosts doomed to haunt the hotel...
[]
[ "http://propaholics.wolfchasers.com/uploader/users/public/k44965ShiningPictureq228.jpg" ]
[ [], [] ]
9azwl8
if the universe is infinite, why is there doubt that there are other lifeforms?
& #x200B;
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9azwl8/eli5_if_the_universe_is_infinite_why_is_there/
{ "a_id": [ "e4za8pi", "e4zatb3", "e4zb8az", "e4zdq1e" ], "score": [ 7, 5, 4, 5 ], "text": [ "The universe being infinite doesn't necessitate that everything happen in that universe. A unique event could still exist. Nor do we know the starting conditions of life, and with ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjtOGPJ0URM", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eujwxh_r43E", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation" ] ]
g2qlz
How many years do you reckon it would take good ole earth to repair itself from a nuclear holocaust?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/g2qlz/how_many_years_do_you_reckon_it_would_take_good/
{ "a_id": [ "c1khdtf", "c1khidx" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "What does it mean to be \"repaired?\"", "In most of the models the southern hemisphere would be pretty much fine as the fallout, aerosols, and particulates would just swirl with the jet stream around the northern hemisph...
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[ [], [] ]
3bogqb
if a hospital has to be evacuated, what happens to patients that are in the middle of surgery?
EDIT: Perhaps I should clarify...middle of RECEIVING surgery!
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3bogqb/eli5_if_a_hospital_has_to_be_evacuated_what/
{ "a_id": [ "cso0bn6", "cso4bub" ], "score": [ 15, 8 ], "text": [ "Standard practice would be to get them stable enough for transfer. There would be a lot of variables depending on the type of surgery, and how far along they were in it. Evacuation of a building as large as a hospital is no...
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[ [], [] ]
18lxiv
If we knew the exact positions of all particles in the universe, and simulated the universe on a computer starting at those positions with the time sped up, would we effectively be predicting the future?
I know that you would need a REALLY powerful computer to simulate the universe particle by particle, I'm just wondering if this is possible in theory.
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/18lxiv/if_we_knew_the_exact_positions_of_all_particles/
{ "a_id": [ "c8g1n4l", "c8g3bwy", "c8g4b7o", "c8g4for" ], "score": [ 20, 5, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "No. Since I'm on the phone, this is going to be a bit terse (and linkless) but here we go.\n\n1. Just the position of all the particles doesn't fully quantify the system. You ne...
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[]
[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point#Tipler" ], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace%27s_demon" ] ]
2mafct
What was it like in Post-Revolutionary War America in terms of establishing government, democracy, and popular opinion?
I was listening to NPR last night and they were talking about establishing democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and I wondered if there was any controversy in popular opinion with establishing democracy in the United States post-Revolutionary war? Was government difficult to establish? What was the transition like for "common...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2mafct/what_was_it_like_in_postrevolutionary_war_america/
{ "a_id": [ "cm6ra96" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Sorry it's taken me so long to get to this!\n\nThere were a number of questions facing the United States after the War ended. There was a nominal national government in the form of the Continental Congress, but it had barely survived the war and ...
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[ [] ]
b7kz74
Do fat people have more muscle as they have to move more weight around?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b7kz74/do_fat_people_have_more_muscle_as_they_have_to/
{ "a_id": [ "ejvc0n7" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ " [_URL_0_](_URL_0_) \n\n \"The consensus is that obese individuals, regardless of age, have a greater absolute maximum muscle strength compared to non-obese persons, suggesting that increased adiposity acts as a chronic overload stimulus on the ...
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[]
[ [ "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4889641/" ] ]
2tj7kv
why are people able to get away by not paying child support?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2tj7kv/eli5why_are_people_able_to_get_away_by_not_paying/
{ "a_id": [ "cnzjoli" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "It's very difficult to get someone jailed for not paying what they owe. You have to prove that they *could* pay but choose not to; even when that's possible, we're generally uncomfortable with the idea of jailing people for not paying debts.\n\nT...
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[ [] ]
at1m2i
ancient languages deciphered
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/at1m2i/eli5_ancient_languages_deciphered/
{ "a_id": [ "egy2aps" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Your specific example of Sanskrit actually never needed to be “discovered”, because people didn’t stop using it. It became kind of like Latin for India and Asia, and continued to be studied by scholars throughout the centuries.\n\nThat said, lang...
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[ [] ]
a2uuu6
how do football clubs know who in a stadium has committed an offence in order to ban them?
As in [the man being banned from Tottenham games for throwing a banana at a black player on the pitch](_URL_0_), and numerous other incidents of people being banned from football grounds for offences including shouting racist/homophobic abuse and throwing things on the pitch, how are the clubs able to find and identify...
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a2uuu6/eli5_how_do_football_clubs_know_who_in_a_stadium/
{ "a_id": [ "eb1bkqd" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "CCTV surveillance and a security staff.\n\nThere is usually at least one guard per section watching the crowd." ] }
[]
[ "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46422171" ]
[ [] ]
3rh2ny
why does draining a large body of water cause it to form a vortex?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3rh2ny/eli5_why_does_draining_a_large_body_of_water/
{ "a_id": [ "cwnzg4y", "cwo6cmp", "cwobxwz" ], "score": [ 6, 11, 3 ], "text": [ "You know how a dancer or skater spins fast when they pull their arms close to their bodies? Or how you can spin faster or slower on a rotating chair by adjusting your arms and legs? Well, it is the sam...
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[ [], [], [] ]
yoaa5
why is the us national debt/spending preventing businesses from creating jobs?
I live in a swing state and every ad/billboard points out spending is preventing job growth. I don't understand what government spending has to do with private business and job creation.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/yoaa5/eli5_why_is_the_us_national_debtspending/
{ "a_id": [ "c5xd5b3", "c5xgdmr" ], "score": [ 9, 3 ], "text": [ "Yeah, it's kind of convoluted.\n\nThe argument is that if federal spending goes unchecked, then people will have less faith in the government's ability to repay its debts. If that's the case, then people will be less willing...
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tbhxn
austerity
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/tbhxn/eli5_austerity/
{ "a_id": [ "c4l6mpa", "c4l73eo", "c4l78bq", "c4l78ld", "c4l8vei", "c4lea54", "c4lf14i", "c4lf566" ], "score": [ 6, 12, 2, 10, 3, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Kids, when you were small, Daddy took some money from Mr. Jones. Daddy gambled the money a...
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[ [], [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/search?q=austerity&amp;restrict_sr=on" ], [], [], [], [], [] ]
1d5ves
How does the brain decide the "best" way to recite long strings of numbers/alpha-numeric characters?
I might need to clarify. If I gave a group of people the number 89216666506448578580216381741 and asked them to recite it back to me (one person at a time) would they recite it the same way (eg. Three numbers at a time). I was at the post office and noticed a few people saying their tracking # the same way I would, ...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1d5ves/how_does_the_brain_decide_the_best_way_to_recite/
{ "a_id": [ "c9n8tkc" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "There's a psychological principle known as chunking by which people tend to automatically or at will divide large, unmanageable amounts of information into smaller, more useful pieces or chunks for the purpose of memorizing data.\n\nThink of a ph...
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[ [] ]
1w3fht
How can cancer be Sexually Transmitted?
[Dogs have a rare form of transmittable cancer](_URL_0_), something only also found in Tasmanian Devils. How do you sexually transmit Cancer?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1w3fht/how_can_cancer_be_sexually_transmitted/
{ "a_id": [ "ceyjulo" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Think of it as more like a bacterial infection or parasite. These cancers started out at one point as a typical cancer in one animal. Somehow as the cancer developed rather than the usual mutations that just allow it to grow faster and metastasiz...
[]
[ "http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-sexually-transmitted-cancer-hounds-canines-for-11000-years-20140123,0,3327765.story#axzz2rNmzhFYZ" ]
[ [] ]
10q0rj
If flies and bees were biting raw chicken outside, then it were to later be cooked, would that be a health risk?
Basically there was some chicken outside (Why someone would think that is a good idea, is beyond me) and I noticed flies and bees were biting it. Obviously anyone with a brain would realize not to be un-wrapped RAW chicken outside is a BAD idea, but clearly some people don't understand. Anyways, the chicken is being c...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/10q0rj/if_flies_and_bees_were_biting_raw_chicken_outside/
{ "a_id": [ "c6fn1ks" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It would be more dangerous if they landed on cooked food which was then eaten. Flies can carry harmful bacteria, but assuming the food is cooked quickly and thoroughly after contamination, the bacteria will not have had enough time to produce eno...
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[ [] ]
74p2cc
What drove the Ottomans to declare war in the first Balkan war before they could fully mobilize?
Side question, my understanding is that the declaration of war was in a response to an ultimatum, what was being requested of the Ottomans to do in said ultimatum?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/74p2cc/what_drove_the_ottomans_to_declare_war_in_the/
{ "a_id": [ "do0nuev" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "Your understanding of the beginning of the First Balkan War is not correct. There was no ultimatum: the war started when Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire on October 8. 1912 and the rest of the Balkan Coalition (Bulgaria, Serbia, Gree...
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