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7rvcpq
choice theory
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7rvcpq/eli5_choice_theory/
{ "a_id": [ "dt20zd6" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Hi, which choice theory are you referring to? There's a few out there.\n\nPersonally I study criminology, meaning the Rational Choice Theory is by far the most well known, so I'll explain that one:\n\nThe rational choice theory explains us how pe...
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[ [] ]
zekmx
why hasn't there been prosecution for the corruption on wall street?
The only article I can find about bankers being convicted was from last week: _URL_0_ Will anyone be held accountable for the trillions of dollars the US government has shoveled into Wall Street in the past decade? Is there any end in sight to Wall Street receiving bailout money when bubbles burst?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zekmx/eli5_why_hasnt_there_been_prosecution_for_the/
{ "a_id": [ "c63vymo", "c63w1nj", "c63w7m3", "c63wm7o", "c63z5ji" ], "score": [ 4, 2, 4, 3, 3 ], "text": [ "First, because Wall Street has a shitload of money, which buys them political clout.\n\nSecond, because taxpayers got nearly all of the bailout money back.", ...
[]
[ "http://www.businessinsider.com/ubs-bankers-convicted-of-rigging-municipal-bond-markets-2012-8" ]
[ [], [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/xmx4v/eli5_what_exactly_did_wall_street_bankers_and/c5nrvmq" ], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture" ] ]
5khr81
if for all of pre-human history and most of human history we were scavengers that relied on fruits and nuts, how are there so many humans today that have nut allergies?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5khr81/eli5_if_for_all_of_prehuman_history_and_most_of/
{ "a_id": [ "dbo1zow", "dbo2cyh", "dbo2kpl" ], "score": [ 3, 10, 3 ], "text": [ "Back in the day, they would have died off, leaving people without allergies to continue on.\n\nNow, we save those people's lives. Also, we probably know more about allergies and how to deal with them."...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
7zmgqa
what is an apr?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7zmgqa/eli5_what_is_an_apr/
{ "a_id": [ "dup4j3f", "dup7z3i", "dupdmcd", "duppiuo", "dupr2id" ], "score": [ 5, 6, 6, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "It's the price of money. If you want 100 dollars, I'll give it to you for 120$ a year from now. That's a 20% APR, give some not ELI5 assumptions,imo. ", "...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [] ]
bfmoiu
The validity of Hong Xiuquan's visions?- Taiping Rebellion
I'm currently reading Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom by Stephen R. Platt and The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence. One thing I notice is both of the texts read as if Hong's visions were "real" in the literal sense. Were there any documents that he recorded of his visions or were they mainly just conversations...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bfmoiu/the_validity_of_hong_xiuquans_visions_taiping/
{ "a_id": [ "elf5lmq" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "EDIT: For an answer to the main question, please see [my subsequent Saturday Showcase post.](_URL_0_)\n\nThe answer to your main question is something that will require me to do a little digging into source material that I can't access till I get...
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[]
[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bhzdia/saturday_showcase_april_27_2019/elxk8hd/" ] ]
8eweu2
What was the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis ?
I tried reading about it on Wikipedia but even there I found it rather complicated for me. Can someone explain about it a bit ? What was the crisis ? Was there almost a civil war ? Was Yeltsin's victory beneficial for Russia in the long run ?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8eweu2/what_was_the_1993_russian_constitutional_crisis/
{ "a_id": [ "dxyyuc7" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "*\"Post Soviet Russia\"* by Roy Medvedev contains a day-by-day breakdown of the events. The crisis was that the congress ruled to impeach Yeltsin after Yeltsin attempted to introduce rule by decree. Now Yeltsin attempted to dissolve the congress...
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9rk686
In England 1700s(?) How did the trend of caked face paint, absurdly large dresses and wigs come about?
Just wondering how it all started, was there some fashion lord or king that decreed one day "From henceforth today, grey hair is totally in!" Looking back, parachute pants and that 80s poofy frizz hair looks silly, but this, It just all seems so inconvenient, so so so much time and effort. Was there any contemporary...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9rk686/in_england_1700s_how_did_the_trend_of_caked_face/
{ "a_id": [ "e8iidre" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "You may be interested in [a recent answer of mine](_URL_1_) that begins to answer a little part of this question. To crib from the end of it,\n\n > One thing is that hooped petticoats have a long history in western fashion, and the more extreme v...
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[ [ "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Deborah_Hall_-_William_Williams_-_overall.jpg", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9nxnv9/historical_fashion_question/e83e33n/", "http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=44743", "http...
1127su
Trig Expression Confusion
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1127su/trig_expression_confusion/
{ "a_id": [ "c6ina3k" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "You have a right triangle. You know the hypotenuse and one angle. How do you find the lengths of the two legs? Using the rules for cosine and sine:\n\ncos(θ) = (adjacent length) / (hypotenuse length)\n\nsin(θ) = (opposite length) / (hypotenuse le...
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[]
[ [ "http://i.imgur.com/kriHP.png" ] ]
4jr6ty
why was nafta so supported in the beginning but ended up failing as a policy
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4jr6ty/eli5_why_was_nafta_so_supported_in_the_beginning/
{ "a_id": [ "d38u0u9", "d38ulpn" ], "score": [ 4, 3 ], "text": [ "What do you mean by \"failed\"? The goal was to increase trade among Mexico, the US and Canada and it has succeeded in those goals.", "So, let's start out by explaining what NAFTA is. This is the so-called 'North Americ...
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[ [], [] ]
54oui7
if the goal of an experiment is to be unbiased, why even form a hypothesis in certain studies?
For example, correlational studies just look at the data and tell it like it is. I don't see the point in saying what "might be" from a purely scientific standpoint. EDIT: SOLVED
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/54oui7/eli5_if_the_goal_of_an_experiment_is_to_be/
{ "a_id": [ "d83pvhn", "d83pxfb", "d83pxfg", "d83pyq6" ], "score": [ 2, 5, 3, 4 ], "text": [ "One of the points of good experimental design (not to mention good statistical methods) is to filter out those effects. It's one of the reasons why \"Double-blind\" studies are the...
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[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
cwtc6v
why can't we generate electricity by positioning magnets around turbines?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cwtc6v/eli5_why_cant_we_generate_electricity_by/
{ "a_id": [ "eyesimv", "eyet5eg" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "That is how we generate electricity.\n\nUse something to spin a turbine, use the turbine output to spin some magnets.", "Something has to drive the turbines though.\nWhat kind of turbine are you thinking about?\nYou don'...
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[]
[ [], [] ]
61yqd6
how do zipline and cablecar wires get laid out long distances?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/61yqd6/eli5_how_do_zipline_and_cablecar_wires_get_laid/
{ "a_id": [ "dfib5c1" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "If you can get one line across the gap, you can use that to pull across larger and larger lines until you have the final cable in place. \n\nIn the case of cable cars, it's simpler because it has pylons with known distances between them, and ther...
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68v8y4
why can a company ship me a package from sweden to us for free, but if i try to ship it back to their address it costs me $100?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/68v8y4/eli5_why_can_a_company_ship_me_a_package_from/
{ "a_id": [ "dh1jgpf", "dh1jgx2" ], "score": [ 4, 3 ], "text": [ "Nothing is \"free\". The cost is covered by you. You've paid shipping, it's simply buried in the cost of the goods you purchased.", "So two things. The company pays for the shipping, they're just including it as part of ...
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[ [], [] ]
3snwge
why can't task manager instantly stop a process?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3snwge/eli5why_cant_task_manager_instantly_stop_a_process/
{ "a_id": [ "cwyw0bu", "cwyw26w" ], "score": [ 7, 3 ], "text": [ "It's always best if you can give tasks a chance to quit nicely. A task might be in the middle of writing data to disk, for example. If you can give a task a bit of warning that it's being killed, the task might have the chan...
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[ [], [] ]
4oonx7
how bedsores develop
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4oonx7/eli5_how_bedsores_develop/
{ "a_id": [ "d4ee35r" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "They typically occur on areas where soft tissue lie over bones. When the person is immobile, the prolonged pressure between the chair and the bone causes the blood flow in the soft tissue to be decreased which leads to tissue death (necrosis). Al...
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[ [] ]
spzv9
Is it possible to run out of tunes in music at some point?
I mean theoretically there could be infinite number of tunes, but at some point will we start to notice too much similarity in tunes because we have run out of unique ones?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/spzv9/is_it_possible_to_run_out_of_tunes_in_music_at/
{ "a_id": [ "c4g089x" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "There are really only a limited number of progressions that make any \"sense\" to us musically, like a V-I cadence [you'd know it when you hear it...] or open ones like I-V or I-IV ...\n\nThings like [say] V-ii-I might sound nice [depending on th...
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[ [] ]
4txeuc
elon musk's 'master plans'
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4txeuc/eli5_elon_musks_master_plans/
{ "a_id": [ "d5l24mq" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "As a company that have a goal to eliminate our demands for fossil fuel it opens them up for critique when they are doing things that seams contradictory to their primary goal. For instance Tesla started making race cars and then luxury sedans, ne...
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[ [] ]
5g8sys
if you get a blood transfusion and your blood is found at the scene of a crime and tested, how does it effect the results?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5g8sys/eli5_if_you_get_a_blood_transfusion_and_your/
{ "a_id": [ "daqk8ji" ], "score": [ 36 ], "text": [ "As others have said, red blood cells have no DNA. Rather, it's other cells, such as white blood cells, that are present in blood and are the source of DNA evidence in \"blood\". \n\nWhat you may not know is that when you donate blood (or receive...
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1tuueh
what happens when you raise a number to the power of i (the imaginary number)?
so if i^2 = -1, what happens when you raise a number to that power, and why? for example: euler's identity e^i*pi + 1 = 0. e^pi + 1 makes sense but what does e^i really *do*. any number, n, real or imaginary, raised to the i returns a number on my calculator. **2^i** = 0.7692389014 + 0.638961763i 3^i = 0.4548324228 ...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1tuueh/eli5_what_happens_when_you_raise_a_number_to_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cebsmay" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I thought this was explain it like I'm 5, not explain it like I'm in my fifth year of graduate school... " ] }
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[ "http://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1tuq9y/what_does_it_mean_to_raise_a_number_to_the_power/" ]
[ [] ]
6k0hgb
why is it okay for actors to impersonate police officers when filming in public locations? are there special laws that govern filming?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6k0hgb/eli5_why_is_it_okay_for_actors_to_impersonate/
{ "a_id": [ "djibr3r", "djibrvg", "djibsb8", "djiclol", "djigs1s" ], "score": [ 5, 3, 12, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "It's not like there is just the one actor and a hidden camera. \n\nThere is generally a full crew sound/light/camera crews, the director and all that jazz. T...
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[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/02411.htm" ], [] ]
1jf6fp
the reason for supermarket membership card and coupon
Supermarket such as Pathmark, Albertson, Shoprite, etc, have membership cards that is free to get, unlike Costco, BJ, and Sam’s Club. With these membership cards, you can buy some of the products at a lower price, the sales are for members only. But if the membership card is free, everyone can get one at the cashier...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1jf6fp/eli5_the_reason_for_supermarket_membership_card/
{ "a_id": [ "cbe1fxv", "cbe2fxk" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "1. Loyalty. As in \"I have a card in this store, I might save some money, so lets go back there to get groceries\"\n\n2. Purchase tracking. The store can tell exactly what you bought in the last 6 months. They can deduce mar...
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[ [], [] ]
1mnm8y
why, in the entirety of both the Islamic and Christian world, do we have a 7 day week? is there an astronomical or other historical significance to a 7 day time period? Are any European or Middle Eastern cultures in history known to have had a concept of a week of any other length than 7 days?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1mnm8y/why_in_the_entirety_of_both_the_islamic_and/
{ "a_id": [ "ccavofo", "ccaxq82", "ccay6nw" ], "score": [ 4, 44, 13 ], "text": [ "I would like to clarify that I mean to ask: if there is a significance outside of the biblical context? does the 7 day week predate the Torah, or did the concept originate purely from the Torah and sp...
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[ [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/calendars#wiki_weeks.2C_weekdays.2C_and_weekends" ], [] ]
9ze0ci
how does general anxiety disorder actually work, and why is it thought to occur? is it "all mental" or chemical?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9ze0ci/eli5_how_does_general_anxiety_disorder_actually/
{ "a_id": [ "ea8dbva" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "there is no difference between mental and chemical. there is no difference between physical illness and mental illness, they all take place in this physical world made of chemicals.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nas to how it works: we don't exactly know. we ...
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[ [] ]
3hon0f
Why did football overtake baseball in popularity in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s?
I'm not sure if this is appropriate for this board, but I'm curious about sports history and whether this topic is studied and if so whether there's some consensus about the causes behind it. This article in Vox has a neat graph that tracks the popularity of the two sports over several decades of the 20th century. _UR...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3hon0f/why_did_football_overtake_baseball_in_popularity/
{ "a_id": [ "cu9c6da" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "One thing that should be established is that until the 60' or so College Football was much more popular then the multiple Pro leagues out there, and thus when many schools had to suspend play during WW2 that accounts for the downturn seen in the ...
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[ "http://www.vox.com/2014/10/14/6951261/sports-maps-charts" ]
[ [] ]
1tu2b3
I just mixed some Acetone and Water and the beaker warmed up. Why?
I'm trying to think through it, but its been a while since I took Pchem. Anybody have any idea why the delta H of mixing is positive?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1tu2b3/i_just_mixed_some_acetone_and_water_and_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cebq0hh" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I think the answer to this question is going to be complicated, depend on the ratio of water and acetone, and ultimately have to do with the thermodynamics of how the acetone and water molecules arrange themselves. But to be overly simplified, I ...
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[ [] ]
jaz1x
why do so many people think prostitution is bad?
Bonus: How would you explain prostitution to a five-year-old?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/jaz1x/eli5_why_do_so_many_people_think_prostitution_is/
{ "a_id": [ "c2alsds", "c2alu5v", "c2alx1u", "c2alzy4", "c2amcpt", "c2amrko", "c2an8h8", "c2aumur", "c2alsds", "c2alu5v", "c2alx1u", "c2alzy4", "c2amcpt", "c2amrko", "c2an8h8", "c2aumur" ], "score": [ 18, 2, 4, 7, 3, 6, 13...
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[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Sweden" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Sweden" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
3mr3qd
What was the ratio between fighter planes and reconnaissance planes in WW1?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3mr3qd/what_was_the_ratio_between_fighter_planes_and/
{ "a_id": [ "cvhegid" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "My copy of Amber Books' *The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of WWI* gives numbers in August 1918 as being:\n\n* France: 34% fighter, 51% observer, 15% bomber\n* Britain: 55%, 23%, 22%\n* Italy: 46%, 45%, 9%\n* USA: 46.5%, 46.5%...
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rtaf4
Are Ultraviolet rays more powerful on cloudy days?
The question sounds like one of those medicinal folk warnings passed down without any true evidence to support it.
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/rtaf4/are_ultraviolet_rays_more_powerful_on_cloudy_days/
{ "a_id": [ "c48hj9x" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "Absolutely not. There is no physical reason why a cloud would increase the intensity of an incoming flux of ultraviolet photons. Even if [fluorescence](_URL_0_), the process by which material \"processes\" high energy photons into more lower en...
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[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescence" ] ]
9isfne
why is there so many different kinds of pain medication? they all seem to do the same thing (according to their descriptions), but why does tylenol work for some headaches and ibuprofen (naproxen, aspirin, etc.) work for other headaches?
Same with prescription medications, How does a doctor know which pain medication you need?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9isfne/eli5_why_is_there_so_many_different_kinds_of_pain/
{ "a_id": [ "e6m0pmq", "e6m1ati", "e6m1odp", "e6m1z4d", "e6mf2ps" ], "score": [ 5, 4, 2, 4, 2 ], "text": [ "Some reduce inflammation which helps relieve pain, and some block pain receptors in your cells, so you don’t feel the pain. Different drugs perform different ...
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[ [], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/335z5f/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_advil_tylenol/", "https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8u54h1/eli5_what_do_pain_relieving_drugs_exactly_do_and/", "https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ywn01/eli5_what_i...
2iuugl
if the tongue is a muscle, and muscles grow after the fibers are torn, why doesn't your tongue grow after being bitten?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2iuugl/eli5if_the_tongue_is_a_muscle_and_muscles_grow/
{ "a_id": [ "cl5oeo6", "cl5u4sf", "cl5uj7e", "cl5vdja", "cl5wqyz" ], "score": [ 9, 28, 12, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "The tongue is actually controlled by eight different muscles. The part you bite is just the fleshy exterior.", "Not the same type of tear. Otherwise, bo...
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[ [], [], [], [], [] ]
517n3a
kneeling during/sitting in national anthem disrespect to armed forces?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/517n3a/eli5_kneeling_duringsitting_in_national_anthem/
{ "a_id": [ "d79wua5", "d79wuhk" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "It's only disrespecting the armed forces in a super roundabout way. In the US, we stand to pay respect to the flag, which represents the US. If you're in uniform (military) you also salute. Maybe other professions as well, l...
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[ [], [] ]
6zlqcz
How did Tenant Farmers get paid in Medieval England? Did they farm for a season, sell, then run down their savings until next season, or did they have some type of reliable income?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6zlqcz/how_did_tenant_farmers_get_paid_in_medieval/
{ "a_id": [ "dmx0sjt", "dmx6d9s" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "I don't have a substantive answer for you but I would suggest reading David Howarth's 1066: Year of the Invasion because he goes over a lot of the details of the medieval English social and political structure and documents ...
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[ [], [] ]
1733ar
Since modern OS's store the hashes of passwords, not the passwords themselves, is it possible for there to be another password that would also work because it has the same hash?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1733ar/since_modern_oss_store_the_hashes_of_passwords/
{ "a_id": [ "c81qz62", "c81r0ks", "c81rvfb" ], "score": [ 9, 3, 3 ], "text": [ "This is known as a [collision.](_URL_0_) The answer is yes, though in practice this is incredibly rare. They're suitably rare so as to not be a problem unless you're deliberately trying to exploit the v...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision_(computer_science\\)" ], [], [] ]
6ab9nc
what happens in a free falling elevator? will you go to the ceiling or stay on the floor?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6ab9nc/eli5_what_happens_in_a_free_falling_elevator_will/
{ "a_id": [ "dhd6omj" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "If the elevator is free falling then you too are free falling inside the elevator. So you would be neither in the ceiling or on the floor. However there are a few practical concerns. First of all you most likely start off standing on the floor. S...
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8ra295
AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Kathryn Bywaters and I am an astrobiologist at SETI working on developing new ways to look for life! Ask me anything!
To search for life beyond Earth, we first have to decide on several key factors, such as where we should look? An ideal place to look might be the icy moons around Saturn and Jupiter with their liquid oceans. However, once we decide where to look for life we then need to determine what we will look for and how we will ...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8ra295/askscience_ama_series_im_dr_kathryn_bywaters_and/
{ "a_id": [ "e0pl0ot", "e0pluni", "e0pmb1d", "e0pn39z", "e0pni9o", "e0pnwsv", "e0po1sq", "e0po719", "e0po7pf", "e0popss", "e0poxt9", "e0pp8po", "e0ppr0x", "e0ppryt", "e0pq18n", "e0pqh7m", "e0pqn4q", "e0pr85y", "e0prel6", "e0prmbk", "e...
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n6zm1
Is there any reason 2 unflavored vodkas should taste any different?
Aren't they just basically water and ethanol in some proportion? I had two vodkas in the past few weeks and they seem to taste different, or have different aftertaste, but vodka is supposed to be basically ethanol and water.. If the same proof, what is leftover in vodka to effect taste when it's clear? Is it imagina...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/n6zm1/is_there_any_reason_2_unflavored_vodkas_should/
{ "a_id": [ "c36qsln", "c36qtj8", "c36qww6", "c36s70l", "c36qsln", "c36qtj8", "c36qww6", "c36s70l" ], "score": [ 7, 7, 4, 3, 7, 7, 4, 3 ], "text": [ "The perfect \"pure\" vodka is an ethanol grain-neutral-spirit diluted with pure water to a p...
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[]
[ [], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO077nu2m5E" ], [], [], [], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO077nu2m5E" ], [], [] ]
5xhdg5
How did the Europeans manage to pull of the First Crusade?
I don't mean to suggest that the First Crusade was an unmitigated success, but despite inconsistent leadership and constant logistical problems the crusaders seemed to manage to succeed at the critical moments needed to reach their overall objectives. Specifically there were a number of battles and sieges, Dorylaeum,...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5xhdg5/how_did_the_europeans_manage_to_pull_of_the_first/
{ "a_id": [ "deiaegg" ], "score": [ 260 ], "text": [ "A combination of factors.\n\na) Right after leaving byzantine territory, the crusading armies found themselves on the brink of disaster. At Dorylaeum (July, 1097), the vanguard was surrounded by the Turks and only lived another day thanks to th...
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[ [] ]
5hwsor
why the depth matters with water resistant devices?
For example 5ft for 30 minutes. How does the depth affect the water resistance?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5hwsor/eli5_why_the_depth_matters_with_water_resistant/
{ "a_id": [ "db3jfpb", "db3jhxz", "db3jm9t" ], "score": [ 5, 3, 3 ], "text": [ "The deeper you dive in water, the more pressure is applied across the entire exposed surface of an object. Gaskets (rubber components designed to keep water out) in a device can only stand so much press...
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[ [], [], [] ]
3ih13t
What happens if a GPS satellite gets KO'd?
I know it's a bit redundant in case of this kind of thing, but does NASA go replace it? Pretend it gets mashed in the next meteor shower or something.
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3ih13t/what_happens_if_a_gps_satellite_gets_kod/
{ "a_id": [ "cugd3k4", "cugg8bo", "cugx0og" ], "score": [ 37, 3, 6 ], "text": [ "Apparently, the minimum amount for the GPS system to be operational is 24 satellites. However, as at the moment 31 are operational, there is small chance of harm to the GPS system. If one satellite wer...
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[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GPS_satellites", "http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/space/" ], [], [] ]
2yaxgq
Danish / Norwegian resistance during World War II
I was wondering if anyone here might have any insight into why the Norwegian government was so much less cooperative when faced with German invaders compared, with, say, the Danish government. The Germans, from what I've been able to glean, were for the most part willing to allow both the Danish and Norwegian governmen...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2yaxgq/danish_norwegian_resistance_during_world_war_ii/
{ "a_id": [ "cp86645" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I don't know too much about the Danes, but my impression is that they were pretty much overrun before they had time to react.\n\nIn Norway, the government had time to get out of Oslo before the Germans could capture them. One thing I believe was ...
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[ [] ]
q4q9d
Why did the Guild system collapse?
I'm not very well educated on the nature and subject of the old Guild systems of Medieval and Renaissance Europe and I am curious what economic or political factors lead to their collapse. What were the strengths of the system and why did it vanish?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/q4q9d/why_did_the_guild_system_collapse/
{ "a_id": [ "c3uqrxa", "c3uz1bu" ], "score": [ 29, 2 ], "text": [ "Simple answer: emergence of routinized labor in a factory. Call it Taylorization, [division of labor,](_URL_0_) or whatever you like, it was the change from craft control of labor to factory-based production that ended most...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_labour" ], [] ]
d62rxx
if the single use plastic is already made, how is my refusal to buy these items helping the planet? they are already made and someone else will buy them?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/d62rxx/eli5_if_the_single_use_plastic_is_already_made/
{ "a_id": [ "f0phew2", "f0phkhp", "f0phkw7", "f0phque", "f0phrcs", "f0pi50j" ], "score": [ 9, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "If not as many single use plastic items get bought, companies will cut back on how many more they make in the future. That's important t...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
2v2yqb
islands like hawaii seem to very quickly get diverse vegetation even though they pop up in the middle of the ocean, so where do the first seeds come from?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2v2yqb/eli5_islands_like_hawaii_seem_to_very_quickly_get/
{ "a_id": [ "coe0fqz", "coe3d8w", "coe3zio", "coe49pp", "coe4wv0", "coegmg1" ], "score": [ 237, 31, 39, 3, 13, 2 ], "text": [ "Seeds travel in many ways. Some get there by water, traveling on air currents (think dandelion) or by animals (bird eats seed, und...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
6itg5p
In popular culture and meme posts there's a stereotype correlating living in Southern states and incest. Is there any historical reason why this stereotype is a thing? Why aren't Northern American states associated with this stereotype instead?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6itg5p/in_popular_culture_and_meme_posts_theres_a/
{ "a_id": [ "dj9d6s8", "dj9jnnu" ], "score": [ 76, 1422 ], "text": [ "Hello everyone, \n\nIf you are a first time visitor, welcome! This thread is trending high right now and getting a lot of attention, but it's important to remember that those upvotes represent interest in the question it...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/24duzp/remindmebot_info/", "http://twitter.com/askhistorians", "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/search?q=title%3A%22Sunday+Digest%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all", "https://www.facebook.com/askhistorians/", "http://www.reddit.co...
1gy5p0
From 1000 to 1500 CE, how centralized were European countries? Which country was the most centralized? Most decentralized?
I've been playing lots of Crusader Kings 2 lately and it's gotten me thinking about the power structure in different European countries from about 1000 to 1500 CE. How much authority did different countries put in their monarch?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1gy5p0/from_1000_to_1500_ce_how_centralized_were/
{ "a_id": [ "cap516w", "cap9sxu", "capcesu" ], "score": [ 8, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "1000CE to 1500CE was an exceptionally formative period for the rise of the nation-state, especially emerging out of the destablization and fragmentation of the Byzantine (Late Roman) Empire. Byzantium i...
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[]
[ [ "http://crusadinghistory.wikispaces.com/file/view/Byzantine_Empire_1000-1100.jpg/166501839/Byzantine_Empire_1000-1100.jpg", "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Fatimid_Islamic_Caliphate.png" ], [], [] ]
b62kq6
Are there any other purposes of there being so much nitrogen composition in the air, other then to provide an inert atmosphere?
[deleted]
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b62kq6/are_there_any_other_purposes_of_there_being_so/
{ "a_id": [ "ejiemeh" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "_URL_0_\n\n*All* species need the element nitrogen, it's a building block of proteins. It was discovered that some species can use nitrogen gas and \"fix\" it from the air in the 19th Century. Most species however obtain their nitrogen from compo...
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[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_fixation" ] ]
6gexjc
what causes extreme heat on atmosphere re-entry and was this discovered prior to the first mission or a lesson learned later?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6gexjc/eli5_what_causes_extreme_heat_on_atmosphere/
{ "a_id": [ "diprepi" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "Not exactly air friction. Friction would be the air rubbing against the body so much as to raise the temperature to extremes. But what happens is different. \n\nIn the upper atmosphere air is very thin - is not dense at all. As a body falls thro...
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[ [] ]
1ga5j4
Would firing something like a Star Trek phaser create recoil? How about a real life military weapon that uses lasers?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1ga5j4/would_firing_something_like_a_star_trek_phaser/
{ "a_id": [ "cai8joo", "caibcjb", "caibdgt" ], "score": [ 18, 6, 5 ], "text": [ "Realistic answer: No.\n\nActual answer: Yes, a tiny, tiny, stupidly minuscule bit of recoil. The emission of photons (light) will have a bit of recoil but this will be so small, it would be very diffic...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail" ], [ "http://gizmodo.com/5978740/us-military-to-install-laser-turrets-in-combat-airplanes" ], [] ]
1clgz6
Why do some viruses stay in the body forever and others not?
As far as I understand, some viruses (such as the herpes family) stay in the body forever, being kept at bay by the immune system. But most of them are fought off entirely - cold and flu viruses, for example. Why is this the case? What's special about the ones that are able to remain in the body?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1clgz6/why_do_some_viruses_stay_in_the_body_forever_and/
{ "a_id": [ "c9hnf39" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "It usually depends on the life cycle of the virus. Most viruses that you think of as being \"beatable\" reproduce in a highly active life cycle. They invade a cell, hijack its machinery to replicate, and then burst out when the cell can no longer...
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[ [] ]
43yc6b
Was there any benefit to Hitler going to war with the USSR?
I was thinking about WWII, and I decided that if I had to go back in time and give Hitler one piece of advice, it would be not to start a war on the eastern front. But that got me thinking, was there any benefits to him going to war with The USSR that helped his efforts on the western fronts and semi-neglected the loss...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/43yc6b/was_there_any_benefit_to_hitler_going_to_war_with/
{ "a_id": [ "czlylkg" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ " > But that got me thinking, was there any benefits to him going to war with The USSR that helped his efforts on the western fronts and semi-neglected the loss of manpower?\n\nNo, not really. Hitler's arrangement with the Soviet Union provided G...
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[ [] ]
5qhvf5
Primary source from the Rape of Nanking?
I am writing a research paper on the Rape of Nanking for my high school English class and need to have a primary sources. I cant use an article that is written by a journalist doing an interview or things like that. It has to be Written by someone who was there. All I can find though is articles written by journalists ...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5qhvf5/primary_source_from_the_rape_of_nanking/
{ "a_id": [ "dczcl5o" ], "score": [ 63 ], "text": [ "[Try this digital exhibit from Yale, a collection of materials from Christian missionaries who witnessed the Rape of Nanking.](_URL_0_) \n\nFor the future: If you're trying to find primary sources with Google, don't use the term \"primary source...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://web.library.yale.edu/divinity/nanking" ] ]
6dteps
Why is Belarus?
So far as I can discover, the territories that now form Belarus have relatively little history as an independent nation, having passed from Russian principalities, to Polish-Lithuanian dominance, to absorption into the Russian Empire and then the USSR. How did a Belorussian national conscience develop, and why did it ...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6dteps/why_is_belarus/
{ "a_id": [ "di588bp" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Not to discourage other answers, but you might be interested in this post:\n\n[How did Belorussians and Ukrainians evolve as distinct national identities from Russia?](_URL_0_) with the top answer from /u/cheapwowgold4u.\n\nIt's an older post fro...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1bkr46/how_did_belorussians_and_ukrainians_evolve_as/" ] ]
2ze72u
why does my iphone say i have 4.4 gigs of memory used in pictures and yet i have no pictures on my phone
[Picture](_URL_0_) On the last update I had to delete some apps off my phone to make room for the install. I went in the usage area and noticed I had over 4 gigs of pictures on my phone. What I don't understand after backing up all of the pictures to my desktop and removing them off my iPhone it still shows I'm usin...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2ze72u/eli5why_does_my_iphone_say_i_have_44_gigs_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cpi6swl" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "It's photos saved in messages, possibly cached photos. Delete some conversations, or (I highly recommend) jailbreak your phone, install iCleaner and it will clear ALL that crap out." ] }
[]
[ "http://i.imgur.com/FgrRv8A.jpg" ]
[ [] ]
5epajt
Was Emperor Jimmu a real person? Who were his parents?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5epajt/was_emperor_jimmu_a_real_person_who_were_his/
{ "a_id": [ "daegm7p" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "In mythology Jimmu was a descendant of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. Ugayafukiaezu no Mikoto, a Kami (a god) is his father. Considering that both of these people are gods, it is unlikely that he was a real person. But that's the short answer. The ...
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[]
[ [] ]
5d2i7i
how do we know there are more colors than can be seen with the naked eye, if we can't... see them?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5d2i7i/eli5_how_do_we_know_there_are_more_colors_than/
{ "a_id": [ "da17spb", "da1ao0r", "da1c5jf", "da1t638" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "A color is just a particular wavelength of light that happens to trip some of the cells in our eyes to some degree.\n\nWe know for a fact that there are wavelengths of light that d...
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[]
[ [], [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy#Humans" ] ]
10e9ny
apple vs. samsung lawsuits
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/10e9ny/apple_vs_samsung_lawsuits/
{ "a_id": [ "c6cq90v", "c6creig", "c6cs8y4", "c6ctoby", "c6cvkna", "c6d2guc" ], "score": [ 18, 14, 75, 6, 2, 10 ], "text": [ "Samsung created a lot of mobile devices that do things that Apple says they thought of first. Some examples are:\n\n\"Making things ...
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[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent" ], [], [ "http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/8/3227289/samsung-apple-ux-ui-interface-improvement" ], [], [], [] ]
1bzup6
Could the Industrial Revolution have happened earlier in history, or did it happen as soon as the world was "ready" for it?
So many earlier times in history had complex urbanized societies with periods of long stability and prosperity: Mature Harappan, New Kingdom Egypt, Roman Empire, Tang Dynasty China. I'm curious as to whether the conditions in 17th-18th century Europe were completely unique or if they presented themselves earlier in his...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1bzup6/could_the_industrial_revolution_have_happened/
{ "a_id": [ "c9btt34" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "This is basically directly taken from Ian Morris' *Why the West Rules for Now* which I highly recommend. Its a great read. \n\nThere were a few reasons why the Industrial Revolution happened when it did. Technology continued to accumulate over ce...
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[ [] ]
1pzgq4
eili5 how does file encryption work?
How does file encryption work with a key? What does it change in the file structure? Also, when adding a password to a file - how does that little phrase obfuscate the rest of the contents?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1pzgq4/eili5_how_does_file_encryption_work/
{ "a_id": [ "cd7mywn" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Encryption takes a key, and combines it with the message mathematically to scramble it.\n\nA simple encryption scheme might move the letters of the message forward in the alpha. If my key was 1 2 3, and my message was REDDIT, it would encrypt it...
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[ [] ]
bzld7h
why are wall outlets 110v or 220v? those seem like such arbitrary values; why not 100v?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bzld7h/eli5_why_are_wall_outlets_110v_or_220v_those_seem/
{ "a_id": [ "eqt9r8c", "eqtb9yv", "eqtiqf7", "eqtr9qs", "equ7a6w" ], "score": [ 47, 7, 4, 13, 2 ], "text": [ "In many parts of the world, electric companies sprung up, each making their own flavor of power (certain voltage, amperage, cycles per second, etc.). This c...
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[]
[ [], [], [], [], [] ]
1kzsij
What exactly is the reaction happening when I clean tarnished silver with bicarb, Aluminium, and hot water?
Specifically, what causes the mildly awful smell the reaction emits?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1kzsij/what_exactly_is_the_reaction_happening_when_i/
{ "a_id": [ "cbucafg" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Aluminium is naturally very reactive, but is often covered in a thin layer of passivating aluminium oxide that prevents the rest of the aluminium from reacting. Aluminium oxide is amphoteric, and thus easily soluble in alkaline or acidic solution...
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[ [] ]
45e4ue
why are doctors england on strike?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/45e4ue/eli5_why_are_doctors_england_on_strike/
{ "a_id": [ "czx66rg", "czx6jti", "czxbkp1" ], "score": [ 26, 6, 3 ], "text": [ "The UK government wants to introduce a new contract for doctors. The changes would include modification of standard working hours which will result in unsafe working practices and reduced pay, as well ...
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[ [], [], [] ]
25z7sy
tuition is increasing faster than inflation. cable prices are increasing faster than inflation. healthcare costs too. isn't that the definition of inflation?
I see a lot of posts about various industries and the exorbitant price increases they are experiencing - healthcare in the last 10 years, cable prices, cell service, the tuition bubble, etc. Home prices are back to 2007 levels and the Zillow AMA indicated that this is still 15% undervalued. Where I live in Los Angeles,...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/25z7sy/eli5_tuition_is_increasing_faster_than_inflation/
{ "a_id": [ "chm4l9f", "chm4mz8" ], "score": [ 6, 2 ], "text": [ "First, you need to understand how Inflation is measured. Its simply not practical to have the primary inflation number we talk about include every possible product that you could by or spend money on, not to mention the prob...
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[]
[ [], [] ]
9h2gw0
Did they have ads as we know them centuries ago?
While I was in the bus today I wondered since when are street ads a thing. I can imagine that there might have been some banners in the fachade of the building or even in the street but close to the actual shop. But were they like our kind of ads? Meaning: did they have catchy sentence, were they placed all over the pl...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9h2gw0/did_they_have_ads_as_we_know_them_centuries_ago/
{ "a_id": [ "e693jtw", "e6a37zt" ], "score": [ 5, 21 ], "text": [ "Follow up question/example: When I was at Herculaneum, which in the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD was destroyed and preserved, I remember seeing adverts as you describe. I remember it was an advert in big red script o...
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[]
[ [], [ "https://imgur.com/a/W2arnnq", "http://www.romecabs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Pantheon-front.jpg", "https://imgur.com/a/a7unC8i", "https://imgur.com/gallery/3pAYc90", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senatus_consultum_de_Bacchanalibus", "http://db.edcs.eu/epigr/epi.php?s_spra...
2hyalj
why does radiation in a disaster stay for so long? (like in chernobyl)
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2hyalj/eli5_why_does_radiation_in_a_disaster_stay_for_so/
{ "a_id": [ "ckx3wi4" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "All radioactive materials have a half-life. The half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of the material to decay into something else.\n\nIf the material from Chernobyl has a half-life of 1000 years then after 1000 years only 1/2 of it w...
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[]
[ [] ]
33e6hd
Does leaving a refrigerator door opened for about 20 seconds actually use up a large enough amount of energy/ power to consider not leaving it open for that long?
I'm at my parent's house, and they think that when I open the fridge and leave it open its a huge waste in energy. I'll open it up and grab some iced tea or something, walk over to the table to pour it, and put it back in the fridge. It takes like 20 seconds, tops. Is enough energy or power being wasted here to actual...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/33e6hd/does_leaving_a_refrigerator_door_opened_for_about/
{ "a_id": [ "cqk38qr", "cqk7z4b", "cqkk1y3", "cqknel5" ], "score": [ 57, 38, 2, 19 ], "text": [ "I vaguely recall actually calculating this for a question long ago.\n\nThe answer is basically no, it's not a huge waste. For starters, the air in the refrigerator is essentiall...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/user/TellMeYourButtStory", "https://www.google.no/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=specific%20heat%20capacity%20air", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_performance", "http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_tab...
4uac80
Are there any indications that there are elements beyond the 118 we have currently discovered or synthesized? If so, is there any indication that there is a finite number of elements, other than their increasingly short halflives?
As a layperson, I would assume that one could just continually add more protons and neutrons to continually make new elements, but I'm not sure about the physics or any limitations related to that. If I'm right, then I assume the only difficulty is stabilizing the samples long enough for a confirmation, as I know that ...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/4uac80/are_there_any_indications_that_there_are_elements/
{ "a_id": [ "d5o4rgu", "d5o58hy", "d5olzvz" ], "score": [ 37, 17, 8 ], "text": [ "A neutron star is very similar to an extremely heavy atomic nucleus. Consider that neutron stars contain ~10^57-58 particles. If a neutron star grows much heavier than this it will collapse into a bla...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/forces/funfor.html" ], [ "http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/chart/" ] ]
3gn9t7
Actual health impacts of eugenics programs
Setting aside the (deplorable) ethics and direct psychological impacts, have 20th century eugenics programs ever had an impact on the health of populations as a whole, beneficial or otherwise?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3gn9t7/actual_health_impacts_of_eugenics_programs/
{ "a_id": [ "ctzq9oh" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It's not really possible to know. These programs were not scientifically rigorous or adequately controlled, and the sheer number of factors that may or may not impact how individual people or entire societies develop means that it cannot be said ...
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[ [] ]
uc7ql
How much air in one breath came from the previous one?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/uc7ql/how_much_air_in_one_breath_came_from_the_previous/
{ "a_id": [ "c4u5w9i" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "[Anatomical deadspace](_URL_0_), which is the term for the air that doesn't participate in gas exchange within the body is roughly 1ml/kg. \n\nHowever, it's not this simple to example, at the small airways, there really is no flow-rate to be mea...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_space_physiology" ] ]
10mvfs
What were the main arguments American Anti-Federalists made against the first article of the Constitution?
Also, good sources for Anti-Federalist arguments would be great. Thank you.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/10mvfs/what_were_the_main_arguments_american/
{ "a_id": [ "c6etmvy" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "I assume you have looked at the anti-federalist papers?" ] }
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[ [] ]
suyht
What's the most expensive part of launching a spacecraft?
Disregarding the initial cost of constructing a shuttle/rocket, what are the expenses, or more specifically the greatest expense that comes into play when launching a spacecraft into orbit or beyond? I've always assumed that it's the tremendous amount of rocket fuel they must go through just to break free of Earth's gr...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/suyht/whats_the_most_expensive_part_of_launching_a/
{ "a_id": [ "c4h7duw", "c4h7rm9", "c4ho8v2" ], "score": [ 2, 4, 2 ], "text": [ "I'm no expert, but as far as I am aware, the most difficult part of getting a spacecraft in space is, as you inferred, getting into orbit, and the cost and quantity of the fuels involved, as we lack an ...
[]
[ "http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16214759" ]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SABRE_%28rocket_engine%29" ], [], [] ]
7zcur2
What was the public reaction in Australia after gun control laws were enacted?
Just saw this question elsewhere and realized it meets the time criteria.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7zcur2/what_was_the_public_reaction_in_australia_after/
{ "a_id": [ "dune5z3" ], "score": [ 43 ], "text": [ "A journalist on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's main news and current affairs show *The 7:30 Report*, said on May 9th, 1996, that \"Australian massacres have a dulling familiarity. Public shock and outrage is soothed by assurances of t...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/8938/1/Over-our-dead-bodies_Chapman.pdf" ] ]
1j3lcy
Salt and Ice
Hello all, all day at work I have been thinking about something. Lets say you have a two cold chests that have the exact same thermal properties in the same room. In one I put one kg of crushed ice. In the other one I put one kg of crushed ice but make a cryo bath with NaCl. My question is this, which ice chest re...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1j3lcy/salt_and_ice/
{ "a_id": [ "cbatjmb" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I would say that the ice chest *without* the salt added stays colder for longer. The chest with the salt gets colder as the ice melts and absorbs the latent heat of fusion. However, since heat transfer is proportional to the temperature differenc...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
5c9248
serious question - is there science behind a face that appears more desirable to punch? aka: "punchable face"
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5c9248/eli5serious_question_is_there_science_behind_a/
{ "a_id": [ "d9ulwkt" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "There is no definitive single answer, but there are some answers. It probably shouldn't be a surprise that given how sensitive to facial expressions humans are, that we'd have the capacity for a strong reaction. By the way, there is a German word...
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[]
[ [ "https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-fallible-mind/201601/why-ted-cruz-s-facial-expression-makes-me-uneasy" ] ]
4lp2t2
what is a senator and what is a congressman?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4lp2t2/eli5_what_is_a_senator_and_what_is_a_congressman/
{ "a_id": [ "d3p22sr" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Congress is more or less the US equivalent of the UK's Parliament. Like the UK Parliament, it has two houses.\n\nThe lower house is the House of Representatives. The people who sit in that are called Congressmen/women. It's very much like the UK'...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
2rz0c1
why do people become outraged and upset at other people's sexual preferences?
If nobody's getting hurt or coerced, why do people get so bent out of shape about what other folks do in the bedroom?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2rz0c1/eli5_why_do_people_become_outraged_and_upset_at/
{ "a_id": [ "cnkknhg", "cnkkxbp", "cnklu6e", "cnkmtrz", "cnkqpp8", "cnktpoe" ], "score": [ 2, 5, 7, 8, 3, 5 ], "text": [ "Bisexual here. I've been called mentally handicapped, told that I should be institutionalized or put on medication, and told that I don'...
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[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
5nw6wr
why constant friction leads to orgasm? what makes the brain think "yeah... i wasn't sure you were having sex, but now that 20 minutes has passed i'm certain... take the reward now"?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5nw6wr/eli5_why_constant_friction_leads_to_orgasm_what/
{ "a_id": [ "dceswyo" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "As far as I know (not a biologist) human males generally last so long because they train to, because they want to get human females off, which i'm guessing have a longer time to orgasm to encourage them to have more sex, to guarantee pregnancy. S...
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[ [] ]
415jqi
What was up with the Anti-Masonic Party? Why was Freemasonry considered such a pressing issue in 17th century America that people created a whole political party over it?
Edit: Yes, the "17th Century" was a typo, I meant the 1800s. I will continue to insist that the xth century format is stupid and should be abolished.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/415jqi/what_was_up_with_the_antimasonic_party_why_was/
{ "a_id": [ "cz06h66", "cz0i3yd" ], "score": [ 27, 16 ], "text": [ "I can give you a brief answer, copied from an earlier question I answered on this sub. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can step in to supplement:\n\nAn incident occurred in the 1820s that sparked a wave of anti-masonry...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/" ] ]
4s354f
what happened to the panama papers story? it was supposed to be this giant scandal, yet it seems to have disappeared.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4s354f/eli5_what_happened_to_the_panama_papers_story_it/
{ "a_id": [ "d564qg1", "d565ds0", "d566v3g" ], "score": [ 23, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "1. It's still a thing, but given that there haven't been any new major revelations (e.g. The Pope) most news organizations have chosen to focus on more topical things (The Euro 16, Brexit, etc.)\n\n2. ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
5h3786
what factors cause people from different countries to protest differently?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5h3786/eli5_what_factors_cause_people_from_different/
{ "a_id": [ "dax2yt3", "dax3hsm" ], "score": [ 9, 4 ], "text": [ "Nothing's to say that can't happen in the US, but a part of it comes out of necessity. Many parts of Asia are heavily populated, and not just heavily, but densely. The need to be clean isn't just a good idea, it has roots ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1sp0tr
At what point did Australians and New Zealanders begin to consider themselves as distinct from the British?
Despite recent migrations from Asia, the bulk of the population in both New Zealand and Australia is of British origin. How recently would people in both those countries have considered themselves British? In other words, when did a distinct national identity (seperate from simply British) begin to emerge? When did...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1sp0tr/at_what_point_did_australians_and_new_zealanders/
{ "a_id": [ "cdzsn03", "cdzw49h", "ce02inm", "ce03g2f" ], "score": [ 46, 25, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "I wrote about this partly in my undergraduate thesis. \n\nSimilar to the colonization of America, settlers in the Antipodes experienced a lifestyle hugely different from what the...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Act_1986", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_v_Hill#Australian_independence_from_the_United_Kingdom" ], [] ]
2yc8mg
how on earth do batteries work?
I've researched it, and I don't understand it.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2yc8mg/eli5_how_on_earth_do_batteries_work/
{ "a_id": [ "cp87lfl", "cp87uyx", "cp8gghn" ], "score": [ 28, 3, 6 ], "text": [ "They have a chemical inside that is capable of holding extra electrons. When you charge them, you use the energy from the power plant ( or solar panels/ wherever the hell it comes from) to pump the che...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
wi1i0
If dark matter is a matter, then what would it look like if you held it in your hands?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/wi1i0/if_dark_matter_is_a_matter_then_what_would_it/
{ "a_id": [ "c5dhkgt" ], "score": [ 38 ], "text": [ "Dark matter, according to the most popular theories at the moment, consists of **w**eakly **i**nteracting **m**assive **p**articles, or WIMPs. Because they interact so weakly, in particular having no electromagnetic interaction, WIMPs stream thr...
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[ [] ]
66zmb2
if things with different mass fall at the same velocity, why do heavier things cause more 'damage' when they land?
For example: a 1kg plastic ball falling on you would slightly hurt as opposed to a 1 ton one falling on you would crush you.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/66zmb2/eli5_if_things_with_different_mass_fall_at_the/
{ "a_id": [ "dgmiq6f" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "Force = mass x acceleration\n\nAs you point out, objects fall at the same rate, i.e. acceleration is constant. So, for falling objects, force is proportional to mass. Using your example, a 1 ton (1,000 kg) ball will hit with exactly 1,000 times...
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[]
[ [] ]
b6cj5m
how does a charger charge your phone for a split second after it was removed from the socket?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b6cj5m/eli5_how_does_a_charger_charge_your_phone_for_a/
{ "a_id": [ "ejjh0ub", "ejjh1i7", "ejjh99k", "ejjv8uk" ], "score": [ 2, 3, 10, 2 ], "text": [ "The charger has electrical storage components inside of it called capacitors, and these components can store electricity for a very short time after being disconnected from the po...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
257dq2
Why do mitochondria need their own DNA?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/257dq2/why_do_mitochondria_need_their_own_dna/
{ "a_id": [ "chego8l", "chegpmr", "chehaov" ], "score": [ 229, 9, 31 ], "text": [ "As has been said, endosymbiotic theory which is pretty widely accepted states that both chloroplasts and mitochondria were once bacteria of their own right. We believe the modern day equivalents are ...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/257dq2/why_do_mitochondria_need_their_own_dna/cheo9kn" ], [], [] ]
1h2l1l
the senate bill 5 being discussed in today's filibuster in the texas senate.
As mentioned in a few of the top threads today in /r/politics. _URL_1_ [Here's the live feed.](_URL_0_)
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1h2l1l/eli5_the_senate_bill_5_being_discussed_in_todays/
{ "a_id": [ "caq8w4s" ], "score": [ 12 ], "text": [ "Might be a little over EIL5, but meh...\n\nThe bill does a few things. From [_URL_1_](_URL_4_):\n\n* The bill would restrict abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy \n* Require all clinics to be certified as ambulatory surgical centers\n* Require ...
[]
[ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2Q8Hr0O20LY", "http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1h1lfy/today_wendy_davis_a_texas_state_senator_from_ft/" ]
[ [ "http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas_lege/bill-requires-surgical-center-at-abortion-clinic", "kut.org", "http://medical-malpractice.lawyers.com/The-Doctor-is-In-How-Doctors-Work-with-Hospitals.html", "http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/safety_of_abortion.html", "http://kutnews.org/po...
3da5rf
Are they any cases of animals using covering or "clothes" to protect themselves from the environment as humans have done?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3da5rf/are_they_any_cases_of_animals_using_covering_or/
{ "a_id": [ "ct3qzkf", "ct3rgz2", "ct49xyo" ], "score": [ 10, 4, 2 ], "text": [ "Hermit crabs are an obvious example.\n\nPigs will slather themselves in mud to cool off. \n\nYou could call a burrow a kind of \"clothing\" that animals \"put on\" to protect themselves from the enviro...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://bugguide.net/node/view/620846/bgpage", "http://bugguide.net/node/view/274600", "http://coralmorphologic.com/b/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/decorator-crab-w-zoas.jpg", "http://bugguide.net/node/view/901535/bgimage", "http://bugguide.net/node/view/941993/bgimage", "https://www.go...
9btl7y
What were relations between medieval Muslims and medieval Buddhists like?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9btl7y/what_were_relations_between_medieval_muslims_and/
{ "a_id": [ "e55ldx5" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "As I mention [in this post](_URL_0_) to almost the same question, the initial Buddhist literary response to Islam was highly negative. I'd welcome other perspectives, of course, especially from the Muslim side and on a more subaltern level." ] ...
[]
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/678jny/what_did_buddhists_think_of_early_islam/" ] ]
9njare
why does a magnetic field do no work on a stationary particle but yet electric field does work on it?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9njare/eli5_why_does_a_magnetic_field_do_no_work_on_a/
{ "a_id": [ "e7mo0wn", "e7mrij1" ], "score": [ 4, 6 ], "text": [ "The electric field (ac) is moving so the stationary particle has motion with respect to the electric field creating work. The magnetic field is stationary and thus is stationary with respect to the stationary particle so no ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
70sqhz
why do we sometimes twitch or spaz when we get a random chill?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/70sqhz/eli5why_do_we_sometimes_twitch_or_spaz_when_we/
{ "a_id": [ "dn5vblt" ], "score": [ 17 ], "text": [ "Those are transient myoclonic jerks . These are just short burst of muscle contractions that you see especially when you are falling sleep. These are similarly seen in many physiological and pathological conditions. \nIf excessive they are call...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
b5uxhv
why does your arm shake when you flex really hard?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b5uxhv/eli5_why_does_your_arm_shake_when_you_flex_really/
{ "a_id": [ "ejg6dva" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "When you stretch or flex your muscles, they can affect the body’s nervous system, which in effect controls the body’s muscle movements. When the body becomes overly stressed, it can cause involuntary muscle spasms.\n\n" ] }
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[]
[ [] ]
ruhlr
What would we see if the speed of light was, say, 1ms^-1?
I'll begin with saying I'm currently in Year 12 physics, so my scientific knowledge is incredibly limited to say the least. So I'd be extremely appreciative if some maybe simpler concepts were explained a little (or at least give me a rough idea of what to look up to find out more). But when the topic came up that t...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ruhlr/what_would_we_see_if_the_speed_of_light_was_say/
{ "a_id": [ "c48sdh5" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "This is actually a common thought experiment in special relativity. The answer is, nothing would really change, but massive relativistic effects would be observable in everyday life. Also, everything in the universe would be limited to a speed of...
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[]
[ [] ]
8gs8a9
What are the recommended sources for the history of mercenaries and, to a lesser extent, the development of professional fighting forces in Europe from the collapse of the WRE to the early medieval period?
I've looked though the recommended books in the sidebar, but didn't see anything that fits the bill. If anyone here has studied the topic, this aspiring history buff would greatly appreciate some guidance!
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8gs8a9/what_are_the_recommended_sources_for_the_history/
{ "a_id": [ "dyee46z", "dyf5g7o" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "The best book on the topic (and the only sufficient treatment I'm aware of) is John France's *Mercenaries and Paid Men: The Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages.* I'm afraid it's become dreadfully expensive, but perhaps you...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
7mwr6r
plasma, in the electrical sense. why is it its own state/phase?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7mwr6r/eli5_plasma_in_the_electrical_sense_why_is_it_its/
{ "a_id": [ "drxa8q3", "drxae8v", "drxaejm", "drxjwxr" ], "score": [ 23, 2, 7, 3 ], "text": [ "Plasma forms when you heat up a gas to really high temperatures. The electrons get ripped away from the atoms due to their high energy. This is called ionization. This makes plasm...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
bv4e9k
why are vehicles insured, instead of people/drivers?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bv4e9k/eli5_why_are_vehicles_insured_instead_of/
{ "a_id": [ "epl3kh8", "epl919r", "epljzu4" ], "score": [ 7, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "I some countries it's actually both. The vehicle is insured, but the insurance won't cover driver liability, so the driver needs their own insurance too.", "The biggest variable in insurance is the ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
3qu54d
what's the point of the russians visiting the moon in 2029 when we're planning on visiting mars in the 2030's?
The moon has already been visited and I'm sure that there are still some things to learn from a another visit there, but it seems that if there was anything of extreme importance there, NASA would already have planned another visit. The Mars trip will take place so shortly after Russia's moon trip that I just don't se...
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3qu54d/eli5_whats_the_point_of_the_russians_visiting_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cwibnhp", "cwibsam", "cwiextw", "cwig8y9" ], "score": [ 5, 3, 10, 2 ], "text": [ "There hasn't been a person on the moon since the 70s and we've not sent a person beyond orbit since then either.\n\nNot to mention no other country besides the US has actually sen...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/31/russians_on_moon_by_2025/" ] ]
1gvart
How can meteor fragments found on earth possibly be so frequently described as 'martian'? How can we possibly assert their origin?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1gvart/how_can_meteor_fragments_found_on_earth_possibly/
{ "a_id": [ "cao8st9" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "The quote below is taken directly from the [Martian Meteorite](_URL_0_) page of Wikipedia:\n\n\nBy the early 1980s, it was obvious that the SNC group of meteorites (Shergottites, Nakhlites, Chassignites) were significantly different from most oth...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_meteorite" ] ]
684rxj
after the initial sleepiness feeling, why do we suddenly feel more alert after a few hours pass your normal sleeping time before you suddenly feel lethargic and sleepy again?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/684rxj/eli5after_the_initial_sleepiness_feeling_why_do/
{ "a_id": [ "dgwesyz" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "A certain sleep writer suggests it's because there is a metabolitic release timed to coincide with the early part of sleep intended to for the heavy lifting your lymphatic and endocrine systems will do in the early part of sleep. Apparently this ...
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[]
[ [] ]
8snsj8
why do fermented foods turn into alcohol and cause intoxication?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8snsj8/eli5_why_do_fermented_foods_turn_into_alcohol_and/
{ "a_id": [ "e10wjym", "e10x2qk" ], "score": [ 19, 2 ], "text": [ "Yeast. Yeast is a microscopic fungi that is intentionally added to the process of making alcoholic drinks. It consumes the sugars, and excrete alcohol. As the alcohol content rises, the yeast dies off. They also produce CO2...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
2kkmaa
Were places like New Jersey, New York, New South Wales, etc. so named because of a resemblance in climate/topography to Jersey, York, Wales, etc., or because the original settlers were from those regions of the British Isles?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2kkmaa/were_places_like_new_jersey_new_york_new_south/
{ "a_id": [ "clm9s1v", "clmg3pi", "clmi60o", "clmjafx", "clmm5k9", "cln9pcj" ], "score": [ 59, 3, 5, 17, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "New Jersey was so named because the land it encompasses was an award from the King Charles II to Sir George Cartalet for his loyalty d...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Carteret,_George_%28DNB00%29", "http://books.google.com/books?id=_pwNAAAACAAJ&dq=184158259X&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uNRPVKHCLZOjyAS1o4KABA&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA" ], [ "http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/mapping-australias-coastline" ], [...