query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What's to stop from getting the license, buying a gun, selling it to a criminal, and then just reporting it stolen? | [
"That's a specific federal crime already, a straw purchase. It happens, but it's almost never prosecuted. Its what most gun owners mean when they say \"Why not actually prosecute the laws already on the books instead of drafting new ones.\""
] | [
"Expense. People who want to sell or give a gun to another person would have to go to a gun store and have them run the check. Gun stores in some areas, even now, charge as much as $75 for telling you how to fill out the form and making a 5 minute phone call. After a law like this, they would have us by the balls, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does ice taste bad with milk, even though it is great with every other cold beverage? | [
"Personally I enjoy ice in my milk, I like it to be ice cold and don't mind if it'd a tad watered down at the end"
] | [
"Milk and water just makes watered down milk. Milk and tea tastes better because tea is bitter (more so than it is any other specific taste) and milk dilutes the bitterness. The milk also cools down the tea, allowing it to be drank sooner. Same reason people put milk in their coffee."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If you can create a smoke ring, could you make a regular air ring? | [
"Yeah of course. Like you said though, it'd be invisible to us. There are underwater bubble rings with air though! It's all about fluid dynamics"
] | [
"I heard people tried that, but it didn't work so well when they found out people were using it as a drinking game seeing who could blow the highest"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How are old videos that were filmed in black & white converted to color? | [
"There literally was a person/team of people who colored it in. As you can guess, it is very tedious work. It is also very difficult of beginners, I'm a semi-pro at most everything Photoshop, but I can't for the life of me realistically colorize a B & W photo, let alone an entire film."
] | [
"If it was recorded on film, then you can make it HD. Analog recording has a very high resolution (about the equivalent of 4K). This is why old movies can be HD. If it was filmed digitally, especially in the early days of digital, it's going to be limited to the resolution it was filmed in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
'Scandal' in UK Newspapers over funding Hate Speech, and why many companies are stopping adverts being shown in these papers | [
"Companies like LEGO don't want to have their name associated with a brand that happily promotes hate speech. It makes them look worse even though they aren't doing anything wrong. It's like in Peep Show when Mark makes friends with Daryl but then finds out that Daryl is a massive racist. Mark doesn't want to be fr... | [
"It's not news its propaganda as RT is owned by the Russian government. I'm sure that if you posted Donald Trump press releases they would be removed for the same reason."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What exactly happens chemically that causes your body temperature to rise when you're sick? | [
"Your body releases signalling chemicals that cause your blood vessels to shrink and move deeper into your body, making your body less effective at getting rid of metabolic heat. It's kinda like a car turning off its radiator."
] | [
"The blood vessels swell to allow heat to escape because you're too warm during and after your hot bath."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If the Senate doesn't have a germaneness rule and can combine two completely unrelated topics on a bill, but the House does have a germaneness rule, how can the House vote on those bills if they make it to the House? | [
"Generally, House members can't invoke the germaneness requirement on nongermane Senate amendments until the House has reached a stage of disagreement with the Senate over the amendments. So basically, the House has to consider nongermane Senate amendments, but when debating those amendments that they disagree with... | [
"It technically did. The procedural order: * The House originally passed their version of the PPACA to the Senate; * The Senate didn't like the House's version, and passed their own; * But the Constitution requires both houses to pass the SAME bill before it becomes law, so the Senate and House formed a committee; ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's the difference between Body Wash & Shampoo? Why can't we use one for the other and visa versa..? | [
"Not an expert, but I've read (a loooong time ago) that the scalp prefers a different pH than the body. But this may not be significant enough to matter. OTOH, women tend to have longer hair than men and a shampoo may be better for longer hair. Lady Brienne of Tarth may ignore this."
] | [
"You do know that there's no rule that says only children can use a product just because it's labeled \"baby shampoo.\" If you like the shampoo, then use it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Can someone explain to me money markets to me like im 5? | [
"It's no different than a regular savings account, just higher minimum balances which usually yield higher interest than a simply savings account. It is not linked to any external risks, most Money Market account's are FDIC insured. Rates are generally 25-50% better than the average savings. It differs from a Cetif... | [
"Explain my rights to me... like I'm five?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about finance:",
"pos": "Represent the text about finance:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why is it advisable to block your license plate when sharing a photo of your vehicle? | [
"License plates can be used to find where the owner of the car lives. Unless you're completely comfortable with random strangers knowing that, it might be a good idea to block the plates."
] | [
"It's difficult to rent a car or hotel without a credit card"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do lower frequencies in speakers require more power? Shouldn't it use less power since the speaker vibrates less? | [
"Another way to think about this is the question: Why do treble sounds travel farther than bass frequencies? To answer this, take a look at the waveform of the frequency in question. The treble wavelength will be much shorter, meaning that for the same power, an audio source can achieve a higher total sound output ... | [
"The two things that the amplifier supplies the speaker is voltage level and frequency. When you play too loud, it's not the frequency that is too high for the speaker but the voltage level. Frequency determines how quickly the speaker cone moves back and forth creating low pitch (slow oscillation) or high pitch (f... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does one get ROMs from video game cartridges? | [
"There's hardware you plug the cartridge into and then into your computer that can read the contents of the cartridge and send it to a ROM file. [Here's an example.](_URL_0_) Emulation development is a very broad topic and I don't think I could do it justice here, but video game emulator developers will typically o... | [
"Creating and running an emulator is fine. However, downloading game ROMs is pirating."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
In terms of genetics, what is a 'library' | [
"Basically it's a collection of genes that have been identified, that we know their purpose and we know the DNA sequence that codes them."
] | [
"'Dominant' and 'recessive' are the highschool version. In reality, one of your two sets of traits would be more dominant than the other."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are some car radios capable of spelling out song titles and artist names when tuning into some FM stations? | [
"Radio stations do a lot of clever work to fit more information in the audio stream then just the audio. Originally an FM station were just a simple mono audio signal. However they found out that the signal quality were good enough to deliver audio signals at much higher frequency then the humans can hear. So they ... | [
"RDS - Radio Data System. It is a signal that is carried by station's transmission in what's called a \"subcarrier\". That subcarrier is outside the frequency range that the music is carried on. On the RDS signal, stations will often broadcast the title/artist for the current song and sometimes they'll transmit we... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How is the ozone hole "healing"? | [
"Ozone is constantly being created in our upper atmosphere because of UV radiation from the sun. It's a good thing too, because otherwise that same UV radiation would cause all kinds of trouble for humans here on the ground. But in the previous century we had a number of machines, chemical processes (and even fridg... | [
"The \"hole\" is created by compounds that destroy ozone gas. The most common of which are known as CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons). They essentially \"eat\" the ozone, thus creating the hole. Ozone cannot fill in this gap, as it's occupied by these compounds."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In Music why is B- > C a "half-step" and C- > D a "full-step?" | [
"It's not logical, but it sounds better. If you want to try to play the scale of C but using only full stops, you'd have to play the following: C-D-E-F#-G#-B♭-C. [Try it](_URL_0_): I can guarantee it will sound very peculiar. The jump from B♭ to C is especially jarring. It's not that somebody arbitrarily decided: \... | [
"There is an \"e-sharp\". It's called F. There's also an \"f-flat\". it's called E. E > F and B > C are natural half steps so they don't have anything between them. Hence why a keyboard doesn't have black keys between every key. This is because the C major scale is generally used as a base, and it goes \"W-W-H-W-... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How does my tv, which has no internet connection tell me what the next program will be? | [
"Assuming you have cable, your cable provider subscribes to a service called an 'epg' which stands for electronic program guide. This is the electronic equivalent of the TV guide magazine. This is sent to the tv on a special channel along with all the regular shows."
] | [
"Is one HD and another SD. This is they only time this happens in my house. The HD channels are a second or two behind SD so that when you switch to HD, you can easily compare the quality with the same past few seconds from the SD channel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What caused humans to outsmart other primates? | [
"The true answer is that we don't know. There are many theories but in my opinion the best one is that it's our migratory nature. We were able to move around which changed our circumstances. So like moving into the north we moved far more into fishing and agriculture. The more northern living conditions resulting ... | [
"All dinosaurs didn't die. They just lost their position of dominance due to rapidly changing climates. The species which survived evolved into contemporary avians."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why aren't there any dinosaur-sized creatures around today? | [
"It's not a stupid question, and the answer is: we killed them all. There used to be humongous animals all over the place. But, humongous animals make for *real* good hunting for those early humans. Wherever we went, we killed all the big animals, until there weren't any left. The most recent Magafauna species to g... | [
"> there is nothing that can compare to the size of some of the dinosaurs Actually, the blue whale is bigger than any dinosaur was."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about biology:"
} |
With #Calexit gaining traction the best argument for succession is that it has the worlds 6th largest economy. I find this oversimplified. How much of the CA economy actually benefits from being a state (e.g. importing/exporting American made goods)? | [
"Right, unless the US immediately signed unrestricted free trade deals with California, it would *absolutely obliterate* the California economy. California is a net contributor of federal tax dollars, so it wouldn't suffer from that perspective though. Btw, the only people really pushing for California secession a... | [
"From what I've seen - as reported in the British press - the reasoning is economic. Primary evidence of this is the \"Silicon Valley\" area, which is an economic term. It also seems to describe the people behind the initiative, who want a tax regime that is more responsive to the economic situation to their area t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Are nuclear missiles "easy" to launch? If Russia were to go into civil war how easy would it be for terrorists to find, target, and launch a weapon? | [
"No, they are not easy to launch at all. They require secret codes which are not available at the launch site; you don't want a commando team to take a nuclear silo and be able to launch and detonate a missile."
] | [
"First problem is that NK having nuclear weapons combined with the fact that one dictator with no one to put him in check is in control of them means that he could lose it one day and hit SK or China with a nuke. Probably unlikely unless some nation tries to take him out and he gets pissed. The more likely bad scen... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do names work in sign language? | [
"Just as all other communication occurs in this language, names are expressed visually. Sure they can be spelled out using signed alphabet letters, but that's so phonetic and not really how sign language works. If my hearing name is Roxanne and my right eye is a lazy eye, I can almost guarantee you my signed name ... | [
"It has a few different meanings in different contexts. What setting are we talking about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about finance:"
} |
Why is marijuana officially classified as a hallucinogen if you dont actually “hallucinate?” | [
"There are tons of psychoactive chemicals in cannabis. They vary greatly from strain to strain. Some strains are bread specifically for their high or low levels of this chemicals. Some of these chemicals are in fact hallucinogens. Most of them subside after regular smoking due to building a tolerance. It's much mor... | [
"When people say pot isn't addictive, they mean that it is not chemically addictive (like nicotine in cigarettes). However, people can still become dependent on it psychologically."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Heterosexuality - Why, exactly, are men attracted to women, and vice versa? | [
"Men and women can breed with each other. That's why. It's a primal instinct every living thing has."
] | [
"They know they are gay because they feel attracted to members of the same gender as themselves."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do the signs on the backs of trucks that say, "warning stay back 200ft, not responsible for broken windshields" carry legal weight? | [
"They carry zero legal weight in cases where something falls from the truck. You can't unilaterally disclaim liability for negligence. Loads are required to be secured in every state. The driver would be negligent by either not securing the load or improperly doing so, and a single stone falling from a truck is an ... | [
"Well first off your comment is a bit of an over generalization considering the tens or hundreds of thousands of trucks and MILLIONS of cars on the roadways every day. Some trucks have limiters controlling their maximum speed, others don't, and not all limiters are set to the same speed, so some trucks go faster th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How do traffic lights 'know' when to change, etc.? | [
"Some traffic lights are on a timer. Those are the lights that seem to take forever to change. Other signals are triggered by a pressure plate under the asphalt, you can usually spot these by a square \"patch\" looking piece of asphalt at the stop line. The mechanism used usually depends on the amount of traffic at... | [
"Traffic happens because: * Accidents happen; * People drive poorly or aggressively (changing lanes, cutting people off, etc.) * Some roads cannot handle the amount of cars that drive on it. * Lights signals and other traffic patterns are sometimes designed to prioritized certain flows of traffic over others."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
In the USA, what is life (in practical terms) actually like for illegal immigrants? Can they get jobs, legally drive, get healthcare, etc? | [
"They cannot legally get jobs, they cannot legally drive as they cannot legally get a driver's license, they can get treatment at an ER but they cannot get health insurance, they cannot legally get an apartment because they lack the proper documents, etc. What this means is that everything they do is under the tab... | [
"Many countries have immigration laws that forbid this. If you violate those laws, the police can deport you. Also, being an illegal alien makes it difficult to get a job or do any other sort of business in that country. In order to enter some countries, you also have to prove you have plans to leave, like a return... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What are E-cigs, and what is the controversy about them? | [
"As others have said, E-cigs are devices that vaporize a liquid containing nicotine and other substances for you to inhale. There has been some testing done on these, but most of that is just understanding what chemicals are present in the vapor, as compared to the smoke of traditional cigarettes. There have been n... | [
"Context? What is a \"smart meter\", and where is this controversy based out of? Who is involved? Thanks!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How are they making technology so damn small? | [
"Its kinda like shrinking a plastic chip packet in the oven. The laser the circuits onto wafers of silicon at a larger size to design then once it works they can user tiny manufacturing methods (smaller lasers etc) to make smaller versions in such a way that individual transistors only take up 32 nano-meters or so.... | [
"What's so bad about having something made in Israel?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If no country is on the gold standard, why does paper money have any value at all? | [
"Because we say it does. Gold does not hold any value either, if no one wanted gold it would be worthless. So long as people want paper money they will ascribe value to it."
] | [
"Under a gold standard, there are two prices of gold: the market price and the standard price The standard price is set by the government, and is usually the floor price of gold The market price is whatever buyers can get on the open gold market When the financial system is stable, the standard price and the market... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What an 'Epipen' is and how it works? | [
"An epipen is an easy to use syringe filled with epinephrine, an artificial form of adrenaline, and a few other drugs. It is one of the most efficient ways to delay an acute allergic reaction until you can seek medical treatment. If someone gets an allergic reaction and have problems breathing so you are not able t... | [
"Aspirin is not a placebo, it's a medicine."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In evolution how did sexual differentiation come about, like males and females? | [
"[Ah, wikipedia :)](_URL_0_). The reason is genetic diversity. If you have two genders, that's twice the genes to one specimen (baby), which allows helpful gene selection to occur. The species then evolves quicker."
] | [
"Well it helps to look at species that have various forms of reproduction between asexual and our form of sexual reproduction. For instance prokaryotes can't go through meiosis but can incorporate new DNA from other prokaryotes. Then there are some yeast cells that can reproduce asexually or sexually when under g... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why does wind or moving air feel cool to animals and humans? | [
"When it is hot you sweat. Moving air makes sweat evaporate faster and evaporation absorbs heat making it cooler. Also, when the air is still your body creates a sort of \"heat bubble\" around you (the air closest to your body absorbs the heat of your body). When it is windy, a steady supply of cooler air is able t... | [
"Heat flows from hot to cold bodies. The air outside is cold and the heat from your body goes out to heat the air. That is why you feel cold. When you put on a blanket, the air inside the blanket is heated and becomes the same temperature as your body. So, are you no longer feel cold. At least that is what they tau... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Science:"
} |
Why do I feel like smoking about 13 cigarettes a minute when I'm drinking alcohol? | [
"Alcohol gives you very poor impulse control. Nicotine is highly addictive, which means it gives you a strong impulse to smoke."
] | [
"Some people are predisposed to get lung cancer, some people are more resilient. Also, some people smoke way more. waay more. a pack is 20 cigarettes, and there are people that smoke MORE than a pack a day. I'm an ex smoker and at most i only smoked five cigarettes a day. there are people that can't kick the habit ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Health and lifestyle:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Health and lifestyle:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
If there is no matter in space, what do the rockets push on to accelerate a ship? | [
"That's not how rockets work. Rockets don't \"push on\" anything. They're not sneakers. By igniting a chemical reaction, they cause an action, i.e., projecting a stream of expanding gas in a particular direction. The reaction is moving the rocket in the opposite direction. Whether the surrounding environment is a v... | [
"Nothing happens gravity wise. Gravity is the force that pulls 2 objects to each other. A space shuttle is pulled towards the earth, the closer it get's the harder the pull. But nothing significant happens gravity wise when it enters the atmosphere."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do we start to salivate when thinking or about to eat spicy or sour foods? | [
"It's a Pavlov's dog effect. We're conditioned to associate the smell of spicy and sour and even the thought of it with eating food, and so our body physically reacts. It's not specific to spicy foods at all. If you walked into a bakery every day and ordered a loaf of bread and then ate it, the smell of bread would... | [
"You can only taste 5 flavors: sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami. Everything else is actually your sense of smell. Your brain takes the info from what you are smelling, combines it with what you taste and process that as the flavor of whatever you are eating. So when your sick and your nose is stuffed up and you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What happens when you get that little knot in your throat when you're about to cry? | [
"It's an inflammation in the throat because you're about to cry. It's called globus."
] | [
"Because it helps to take your mind off of the embarrassing thought. I do that a lot when I'm hung over."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do postage stamps have curvy edges? | [
"In the old days, stamps were printed on a big sheet of paper, and they'd use a machine to poke rows of tiny holes in the paper so that it would be easy to tear off individual stamps. Those \"perforations\" would make the edges of the torn off stamp look wavy. Modern stamps are printed on strips of sticky paper wit... | [
"Why do you have so many lips and chins?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:"
} |
How can healthy individuals with no symptoms initially develop allergies later in life? | [
"Also want to know this. Used to be allergic to cats and fine around dogs. Now it's the opposite."
] | [
"The common cold is caused by any of up to 200 viruses (not bacteria). If you could not get rid of it because you lack a functioning immune system, complications that exist even for those with a functional immune system, such as pneumonia, would be more likely to occur."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why don't you see rain in sports tv broadcasts? | [
"My guess is that it's the focal length. When they show the field they have to use a rather large focal length since the players are rather far away. When they show the bench they would use a smaller focal length which would include the rain. Depth of field is probably also in play (no pun intended) here. Wider ape... | [
"Because there are FCC regulations against using many words on most TV channels but not any against showing planes crashing into buildings."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Can the POTUS issue Executive Order on withdrawing from NATO? | [
"No. NATO is part of a treaty (the North Atlantic Treaty), and only the Senate can make or break treaties. Withdrawing from any organization that we are members of by treaty, like NATO or the UN, isn't something that the president can do unilaterally."
] | [
"The same way that if a President uses his Presidential Powers to issue an Executive Order, a different President can use his Presidential Powers to reverse that order."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do electronics which have gotten wet, stop working even when they completely dry? | [
"In addition to the damage being done on contact (i.e. creating short circuits leading to immediate or near-immediate failure); tap water, rain/flood water, etc contain a lot of impurities. The evaporated water leaves these behind which may create a delayed onset of corrosion, which can cause poor contact between c... | [
"Water by itself doesn't ruin electronics. The problem is that if you turn it on, and it's wet, the water causes electrical connections from parts to other parts that were never meant to connect (i.e. an electrical short). These shorts can fry things by giving them more electricity than they were ever meant to hand... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why do humans still have to do their own taxes? Why isn't this process automated? | [
"It is automated. ...In other countries. Lots of countries don't force their citizen to do their own taxes, although they're still allowed to if they really want to (for example if they don't trust the government instances to get it right). It's fully possible to do, if your nation just wants to develop the tools t... | [
"Because the IRS doesn't know and has no way to see all the things we spend money on that could be tax-deductible. Maybe I had a child, or spent a lot of money on machinery for my business. There's just no way for the IRS to see these things unless we tell them and provide documentation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What happens when you have a 'pinched nerve'? | [
"When pressure is applied on a nerve it gets activated, that's how nerves work, you will feel the pressure, pain, etc. However, when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage, tumors, muscles, overgrowth of bone or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve's function, ... | [
"It happens when you put pressure on a nerve and disrupt it's signalling. There's a myth that it's caused by cutting off blood flow."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it that when a couple gets divorced the guy is usualy the one who gets screwed over the most? | [
"Everyone gets screwed over in a divorce. The same number of people are paying two mortgages [or a mortgage and rent], spending twice as much time on housework, etc. Let's say you have a couple making $120,000 a year, and one moves out and is paying $12,000 a year in rent. There's not enough to go around. Do you h... | [
"I'll be perfectly honest with you, it's largely tradition. There's no law, that I'm aware of anyway, that says women automatically get to stay in the house. The laws are still generally skewed in favor of women upon divorce, but that's slowly changing. Not terribly long ago there was a redditor asking what to do... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How are crimes solved years after the fact using DNA evidence? | [
"DNA, kept in reasonable decent conditions (which boils down to not exposing it to lots of ionizing radiation ) lasts of several years. While it does degrade over time, it's half life (the point at which half of the DNA in a sample will no longer be useable) is somewhere north of 500 years."
] | [
"Not very accurate. In real life, the science work is done by scientists and the enforcement work is done by other people. So you don't usually see a guy wearing a gun at the crime scene and then a lab coat back at the office. The guys with guns will catch the criminals and do the questioning. Also, the scientific... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does it take so long for major reform to happen if most of the general public agrees that change needs to be made? e.g. Marijuana and Gay Marriage | [
"The government is designed to be slow to save us from ourselves. Having to go through the process theoretically vets new ideas and changes so they're not implemented hastily with no thought to the consequences. It may be inconvenient when the changes are positive, but it's there to prevent bad ideas from being ena... | [
"It is probably because our laws are often determined by the prevailing culture and social norms, and not based on logical or scientific reasons. For example, in the early 1900s it would have been illegal in some states for inter-racial couples to marry. And slowly through abolition and expanded human rights those ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What happens when people die? | [
"She is in you, and in your siblings (if you have any). You carry her genes, she told you her memories, she taught you how to live your life."
] | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do we get songs stuck in our heads? | [
"Short term memory has an audio component. When you rehearse something in your head it gets recycled into short term memory and reinforced. So you hear the song, your STM registers it, you rehearse it in your head a few times, it gets stuck! If you want a more in depth answer I would suggest googling “short term m... | [
"Someone told them what the answer is supposed to be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
Why can drinking too much alcohol cause you to go blind and what is the biology/chemistry behind it? Is it specifically because you absorb too much too quickly (like with moonshine/liquor/spirits), or is there something else that causes it? | [
"Drinkable alcohol is ethanol; it's what in the beer and spirits you buy at your liquor store. Moonshine that isn't distilled correctly builds methanol which the body metabolizes into formaldehyte (which is toxic) and then further into formic acid which will harm your nervous system, beginning with the eyes (causin... | [
"Ethanol is ethanol but the majority of what you ingest with a drink is not ethanol. Alcohol will absorb some in your stomach, prior to the filtering process so something like a shot can have a different effect than a beer. Some drinks have more sugar, or other things in them that can change how you react and how ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about alcohol and behavior:"
} |
A Calabi–Yau manifold and other higher dimensional shapes. | [
"You're not alone. Our brains evolved in a world with only three extended spatial dimensions and that means we simply don't have the mental wiring to be able to \"visualise\" more dimensions than that. Some scientists and mathematicians who've spent years working on concepts of multidimensional objects claim to be ... | [
"Yes. That really depends on how you define dimension. Most fractal are non-integer dimension _URL_1_ Even with this new dimension. Normal things still have normal dimension, so it is a clean extension from our normal undersatnding of dimension"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is the age of consent in some countries such as Japan and Mexico so low compared to countries like the US? | [
"In Japan, the national government leaves it up to municipalities, who enforce higher ages such as 17. To some degree this also happens at a state level in Mexico. However, to answer your question more broadly: historically many societies have felt that sexual activity is permissible after puberty. It's only in the... | [
"Why does Thailand make such a big deal about drugs compared to America? Edit: research the drug laws in some APAC countries like Indonesia, Thailand, etc and you will find that America's drug laws are actually very relaxed in comparison."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how does the money I spend for a CD get to an artist? | [
"Depends on the term of their record contract. If they're on a label that puts their music up on iTunes for example, the label gets a cut and so does Apple. My band was on a small independent label that was a subsidiary of a larger label and each of them got a percentage, so I think after all was said and done the ... | [
"How much do they cost vs how much will they generate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why is it better to start with cold water and boil it when making pasta or coffee, rather than starting with hot water? | [
"It is a myth that cold water boils faster than hot water, but hot water can freeze more quickly than cool water due the [Mpemba effect.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Some stoves/kettles boil much faster than others. If you leave the tea in the water while you're boiling it, you have no control over how long the leave & water are in contact. If you take boiling water off the heat & then add it to the leaves, the results will be the same every time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does the space shuttle or the soyuz need special tiles to reenter the atmosphere but spacex falcon does not? | [
"Are you talking about the Falcon 9 first stage, or the actual Dragon capsule? If you're talking about the Falcon 9 first stage, that's because it separates from the rest of the rocket at a relatively low altitude and speed, and thus there's less heat during reentry. It also burns it's engines to slow down to furth... | [
"There are no shuttles any more, so I assume you are going to talk about the upcoming russian soyuz launch to the ISS They sit there for three hours because thats how long it takes to fuel the rocket. Once has started fueling you want the astronauts strapped in and everyone else several miles away, in case the rock... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Aerospace Engineering:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Aerospace Engineering:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How does a hospital medically induce someone into a coma? | [
"giving someone barbiturates will put them into a controlled coma where the body can heal itself until it is ready. For more information on coma - _URL_0_"
] | [
"Do they use this in an emergency room when someone is suffering from some form of toxicity? Nope."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
why did the universe "start"? | [
"We do not know. We cannot even say with complete confidence that it *has* a start, although the leading theories of the day suggest it. Current science is not capable of getting all the way back to \"time zero,\" nor whatever occurred before that, if such a concept is even meaningful."
] | [
"Watch the first 2 minutes of the feynman lecture on fire. The universe is the wood, the death bubble is the fire (it expands at the speed of light btw), and the post-death bubble universe is very different (like how becoming two gasses (C02 and H20) is very different than being a piece of wood. There was some conc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How and why do men ejaculate with more velocity when they are more excited? | [
"Welp, I just spent a good ten minutes reading about ejaculation on wikipedia, so now I'm an expert. Here's what I think, based on this sentence: > A prolonged stimulation either through foreplay (kissing, petting and direct stimulation of erogenous zones before penetration during intercourse) or stroking (during ... | [
"Why can some men eat 3 eggs for breakfast and some can eat 10? Because their bodies are different. Similarly, some react to the stimulation of sex more strongly than others. Young men are often 'faster' because their bodies are relatively inexperienced. Some medications can also inhibit the body's response so that... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How binary 1's and 0's translate into complex output? | [
"01000010 01100101 01100011 01100001 01110101 01110011 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01101011 01100101 01100101 01110000 00100000 01100001 01100100 01100100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01101110 01100101 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 ... | [
"Physically: think of light switches, 1 being on, 0 being off this is binary. Electricity is used to flip the switches. A clock is consistently running that with every tick turns the switch on or off. Now think of tons of these switches, this is where the memory or current application state is held. Applications in... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Computer Science:"
} |
Why are doors much easier to close when my window is open? | [
"Because by slamming your door you push a lot of air into the car. This causes additional air pressure to build up in the car, which pushes the door open. Usually it takes at most a few seconds for the additional air to escape via various holes in the car, but that second is enough to hinder the door from closing. ... | [
"Putting the fan on you causes a breeze which cools you down. Pointing the fan out is blowing the hot air out, thereby causing negative air pressure inside the house and forcing fresh air to flow in. So, if it is hotter outside than in, point your fan at you. If it is hotter inside than out, point your fan out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How muscle relaxers only affect skeletal muscles. (Not organs/muscles like the heart). | [
"They don't? What causes death on many of them (if you overdose) is that it shuts down your heart or lungs."
] | [
"You're causing a hypoxic (low oxygen) state in your diaphragm and other accessory respiratory muscles. Source: I'm a paramedic student."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are black people in USA called "Afro-American" if most of them are actually not from Africa ? | [
"Well, pretty obviously the answer is because they were descended from people from Africa. And on the contrary, you do (or did) hear people describe themselves as Irish-American or Italian-American. Most black people in the US have no issue with being called black though."
] | [
"Because Hispanic isn't a race. There are Asian Hispanics, there are South American Hispanics, there are black Hispanics, and there are Spanish Hispanics. If you/your ancestors spoke Spanish, you put down Hispanic. For race, you put down what your race is. This could be white, black, southeast Asian, or any other t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Social Sciences:"
} |
Where does the skin on the body stop being skin and become something else? Openings in particular. In the case of the face does it end at: lips? tongue? throat? | [
"Skin is a specific type of tissue- epithelial tissue. The other tissue types are connective tissue, nervous tissue, and muscle tissue. Epithelial tissue covers body surfaces and lines most of our internal cavities. Connective tissues function for support and protection, such as bone, fat, cartilage, blood, and ly... | [
"There's a nerve closer to the surface of the skin at that spot."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What does a cat hear if I meow perfectly? | [
"Your body language is probably wrong but if the meow itself is fine, your cat could find it amusing that you would meow and wonder what other secret talents you might have."
] | [
"Partial answer: I know it doesn't just have to do with volume but also what is heard. For example, if you say someone's name in a normal voice when they are sleeping, they are much more likely to wake up than if you said a random word like \"cookie.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Biology:"
} |
What happens when lightning strikes a plane? | [
"It flows through the most conductive parts (the aluminum outsides) and then down to the ground. Lightning protection is a mandatory part of the design of aircraft, so nothing bad should happen. It might leave a scorch mark, but maintenance can clean that off."
] | [
"One example that comes to mind is if a large object like a hill or mountain got between you and the transmitter."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What is Pedophilia exactly and why does it exist? | [
"Paedophile here. Paedophilia is the long-term romantic or sexual attraction towards prepubescent individuals by a post-pubescent individual. It's unclear at present what contributes to its occurrence but recent neurological study suggests it may be a simple genetic anomaly such as those likely responsible for othe... | [
"Scientology isn't as popular as they want you to think it is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Religion and Crime:"
} |
How does changing your name work in the US? | [
"You can change your name whenever you want. ~~In the article it seems the woman did not have 2 forms of ID with the same name~~. There is no restriction or requirement to change your name when you get married."
] | [
"There is no such thing as guilt by association in the USA."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Law and Entertainment:"
} |
What's the difference between osmolarity and osmolality? | [
"The difference is that volume of the solvent is the denominator for [molarity](_URL_1_) and mass of the solvent is the denominator for [molality](_URL_0_). This shouldn't be deleted as a simple answer, I hope."
] | [
"The sugar content is so high that bacteria cannot survive in it, due to the osmotic pressure."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why lightning doesn't knock planes out of the sky. | [
"Okay, here goes: electricity will always take the shortest path to the ground right? Well, since a airborne plane isn't grounded, lightening strikes generally don't hit planes for this reason. However, they do sometimes hit home and when they do... nothing happens. As ACrusaderA said, the light might flicker but i... | [
"Statistically, you should be scared sh*tless in your car, not on airplanes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How do cemeteries maintain upkeep after all the plots are sold | [
"CPA Here... Mortuaries and Funeral homes essentially are left with a perpetual liability in maintaining the burial grounds after all of the lots are full. Because of this states have enacted laws that require a certain dollar amount for every plot sold to go into an endowment trust. The earnings from that endowmen... | [
"Well, if you put every body in a grave, and you mark every gravesite in perpetuity, sure. But we don't. In places where land is tight, there are a number of strategies, from 'temporary occupancy' to cremations, to grave sharing. Additionally, at least historically, older graveyards have been lost and forgotten. Th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What does the term blockbuster mean and why is it related to movies? | [
"In WWII, militaries started using very large bombs that were capable of destroying an entire city block. They were called blockbusters. Later, the term was applied to extremely popular movies that could convince everyone who lives in an entire city block to go watch it."
] | [
"This is a very broad question about an enormous international event. Can you narrow it down at all? Is there a particular kind of thing that you're hoping to hear about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why do companies like Nikon sell cameras that around 16 megpixels but phone companies like sony and Nokia sell phones that have 20 to 40 megapixel cameras? | [
"Resolution is only one aspect of what makes a picture good. And once you can't see the pixels any more, increasing the resolution doesn't help (for reference, the 4K \"ultra-HD\" TVs they're selling now are only 8 megapixel). The problem with having tons of pixels is that it means very little light hits any portio... | [
"Generally, because a better camera will take up more space in interest for space, manufacturers will only put one high-quality camera, which will usually be in the back, due to most people valuing the back facing camera over the front facing camera. This is not always true because if I remember correctly there was... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
; how does sound work? | [
"Sound is waves, like you said. These waves overlap on each other and add up or subtract. This is called superposition. If you have several instruments, at every point in space, their sounds add up to one waveform. This is an example of two waveforms adding up: _URL_0_. There are two waves that are similar but slig... | [
"[this](_URL_0_) image is my favorite, simple way of explaining the deep web to my friends."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why some nouns for "a person who performs a certain task" end with -er while some end with 'or? e.g. Baker - one who bakes. Traveler - one who travels. Actor - one who acts. Counselor - one who counsels. | [
"The -er ending has one of its origins in the Germanic languages. English is a Germanic language, as is (obviously) German, as well as Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. These languages all evolved from the same language. This explains the -er in \"baker\" (compare with modern German \"Bäcker\"). But a lot of wo... | [
"The real trick to this is saying the sentence without the other person. Which is correct, \"Bob and me went to the store\" or \"Bob and I went to the store\"? Simple, remove \"Bob and\" and say the sentences again. \"Me went to the store\" doesn't sound right, and \"I went to the store\" sounds just fine, so \"Bob... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is police brutality against African Americans becoming so prevalent now? | [
"It was always prevalent, it's just that with the advent of social media and similar things that the stories spread like wildfire instead of being local stories that aren't able to gain any traction. The advent of everyone having a phone with a camera on it as well is leading to the rise of mass awareness, as befor... | [
"I'm an American, so can you provide a little bit more context for me? Like, is antisemitism getting worse? Are there antisemitic laws being put in place? Is this Europe as a whole or is it specific parts of Europe?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are statistics like "children die every 16.3 seconds from hunger" determined? | [
"Count the number of children who died over the last year and divide by the number of seconds in a year."
] | [
"Imagine it as a lottery. Each time you do something harmful for a baby, you get a ticket. Most people won't win the awful lottery, and their children won't die or end up disabled. But I'd sure rather have 7 tickets than 7,000. And we can look at infant mortality rates and see that they've dropped significantly. in... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What happens to sea creatures (primarily larger animals like whales and sharks) when a tsunami hits? | [
"Out in the open ocean, where whales and sharks mostly hang out, a tsunami is no big deal - it's just a momentary pressure wave moving through the water; the water isn't really \"flowing\" anywhere. But close to shore it's different; first the sea level drops which could strand them, and then the sea roars back in ... | [
"Generally, the carcass will gradually float to the seafloor, all the while being eaten at by the various creatures on the way down. When it hits the seafloor, it will be be eaten by all manner of deep sea marine life, from the skin and soft tissue all the way down to the bone and marrow. Whales can create thriving... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Marine biology:"
} |
Why is it you can sue drug companies for bad drugs but not the FDA who approved them to be sold on the market? Why are they not able to be punished if they were the ones that allowed it to be released to begin with? | [
"As far as [I am aware of the process](_URL_0_), FDA just reviews the test results and other data supplied by the manufacturer. Test data can be colored to look better than it actually is, or due to limited sample size simply not exhibit the problem that leads to suing."
] | [
"Probably not. He's acting as the head of state, so the state becomes liable for his decisions. It would require that there be a statute on the books that makes him directly liable. Just like if a product that is put on the market is found to be dangerous, the people at the corporation that put out the product aren... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why it is easier to see something in the dark with my peripherals than it is while staring directly at it. | [
"The peripheral vision is more sensitive to movement and contrast. This trait was formed as a way to catch predators trying to sneak up on you. This might have something to do with it."
] | [
"If you take your arm and stick it straight to your right, you can probably see it way out to the side. Directly in front of them they still have peripheral vision, but their vision is more suited to seeing as many predators around them as possible."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why does massaging a sore muscle bring pain relief, but touching an acute injury hurts? | [
"A muscle's natural state is to be relaxed. Contraction causes movement. A \"sore\" muscle is in a contracted state even when it shouldn't be. Massaging it causes the muscle fibers to relax (heat will do the same thing) which can relieve the soreness. An acute injury usually involves injury to nerves. Any pressure... | [
"Rubbing stimulates the area to increase bloodflow, which helps the area heal more quickly. It's also your brain double-checking the severity of your injury. Rubbing will reveal how bad the pain is and whether there's bleeding or swelling."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do the have peanuts or some sort of nuts at bars? Do they taste good with beer, or maybe sobers people up? Or even the opposite? | [
"It is to make you buy more drinks. They are salty, which makes you thirsty, which makes you more likely to order more drinks. That is why bars will have nuts, pretzels, and other salty things."
] | [
"To get rickety wrecked! No, there are various reasons why someone might drink alcohol despite it's taste. Addiction is one that I can think of. Peer pressure to look cool might be another reason. Maybe a person just hasn't found the one that they enjoy yet (I'm very particular about what bier I will drink, and tha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How do red light cameras know not to snap a picture when you can make a right turn on a red light? | [
"They give you \"clearance\" to make that turn without a ticket once they detect your speed has dropped to zero within an assigned zone. If you just rolled through without stopping you'd get a ticket."
] | [
"_URL_0_ There may be a few odd places that don't allow it for some reason, but for the most part entering the intersection on a green light is just how it's always been done. In fact before the proliferation of green turn arrows that was pretty much the only way to do it. It should only be one vehicle at a time, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If the common cold is so common, why haven't we developed something to make us immune? | [
"My science teacher explained it so well when I was in 6th grade. Pathologists can feel free to correct me. Basically, every cold you get is unique. Every single time you have a cold, it is caused by different germs and every time you get that cold, you are immune to it. However, there are so many types of cold ... | [
"We actually don't have a \"cure\" for most viruses, including ebola. We have drugs that can slow down select viruses, but they aren't nearly as effective as antibiotics vs bacteria. Edit: That is why vaccination is so important, the only way to really stop the virus is to stop you from getting it in the first pla... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Medical:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Medical:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why can one slightly dripping tap keep me up all night but a thunderstorm allows me to sleep better? | [
"Thunderstorms produce rain, producing white noise, that and other sounds that we find soothing lull some people to sleep. Noises are just annoying."
] | [
"First, sometimes we do wake ourselves up. I have. Second, you'd be surprised what people are capable of sleeping through. I slept through a thunderstorm the other day. I had no idea."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What is the logic behind thinking that getting rid of Assad, something good will happen? | [
"It turns out the guy who's been bombing his own people for 6 years may actually be the reason there's a civil war. There will not be an end to the civil war with Assad and his government in charge. That doesn't mean the only two options are \"Give him a high five and say 'keep it up, buddy.'\" and \"Invade Syria, ... | [
"We are not in the middle ages, having a larger population does not make you more powerful. What reason would they have to think that it would?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do tortilla chips not come in individual-sized bags? | [
"Because regular tortilla chips are a bit too bland and dry to eat by themselves and are mostly consumed at parties or a home environment, where they can be dipped in salsa."
] | [
"Chips tend to rub off grease onto their packaging. Pretzels are grease-free. So chips are usually sold in opaque packages, because any window would look smeared and gross."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What makes antibacterial soap different from regular soap? | [
"Antibacterial soaps have chemical additives, like triclosan, that kill bacteria. Regular soap simply washes them away, which is typically just as effective. A quick google search says that the antibacterial agents in soap need to be left on for 2 minutes to be effective, so they are likely not doing anything benef... | [
"Soap is not really antibacterial. But bacteria survives in the oils and dirt on your skin, which soap and water removes, along with most bacteria. This mechanism is not something that a strain of bacteria can develop resistance to, as much as it cannot become resistant to alcohol or high temperatures. There are so... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
How can we be confident that the leaked emails from the DNC are authentic? Couldn't anyone type up a bunch of incriminating emails, sign them "Debbie Schultz" and send them to Wikileaks? | [
"This is the function of Wikileaks and journalists. It is possible to confirm a selection of the leakage by asking the organization direct questions concerning that content. Or they can find other sources that are not willing to be full whistle blowers but might take the lesser risk of confirming documents. Since t... | [
"A guy called Wheeler claiming to be a PI hired by Rich's family told a Fox affiliate in DC that Rich had contacts with Wikileaks before he died. Then later it comes out that he doesn't really have evidence and he wasn't really hired by Rich's family. Last I heard Wheeler is claiming the Fox reporter he talked to p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When do we observe red shift? | [
"RobusEtCaleritas is right. You can imagine it this way: Imagine you're standing in the ocean at the beach, a short distance from the shore. Waves move toward you at a constant pace. Let's say you are hit by one swell every 10 seconds. If you start running towards the shore, you will be hit by less and less waves,... | [
"How are you going to change the filter?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How come my contact lenses are thin as paper, yet my glasses with same prescription have thick lenses | [
"The contacts are closer to your eyes, so less refraction is necessary. There's a point when you can no longer where contacts because they'd be too big. There's also glass contacts. They're very painful though and you have to put them in with a special tool. They are a lot thicker."
] | [
"The lens of your eye focuses an image on the back of your eye where it hits the retina. If it is blurry than it needs to be focused because the point where it's focused is before it hits your eye or it doesn't. That would make you nearsighted or farsighted. Those massive optometrist glasses where they ask this or ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do guys send dick pics? | [
"I work for a porn site. We don't do any production, I'm rarely ever where a camera will shoot me (mostly an odd party). However, guys send me as many dick pics as they do the models themselves. I guess it's just the thought of a girl opening it gets some of them off. Some probably think they might get some action?... | [
"Question 1: Am I a celebrity? * Yes: Move onto question 2 * No: Who gives a shit about you? Question 2: Do I like to look terrific in photographs? * Yes: Move onto question 3 * No: Use your iPhone for nude selfies Question 3: Do I mind being raped? * Yes: Call Annie Leibovitz * No: Terry's your man!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why can aquatic animals grow to be so much larger than land animals | [
"Because they don't have to life all that mass of the ground and trutch around with it. Buoyancy carries most of the weight."
] | [
"In most cases it’s a matter of necessity, smaller creatures are more usually prey and need to escape predators. As well as it is easier for smaller creatures to move fast as they require less energy to move."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does everybody get mad at movies shot at 48 fps, but also a video games shot at below 60 fps? | [
"Motion Blur. As movies are filmed, the movement of the actors is recorded as still images. If they're moving fast enough, they blur slightly on the film. Our eyes interpret the blurring as motion more readily. At 48fps for a movie, the frames do not last long enough (1/48 of a second) to have recorded any signific... | [
"If I'm not mistaken: movies and TV shows are shot at 24 frames per second. Soap operas and home videos are shot faster: 30 to 60 fps."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about videogame development:",
"pos": "Represent the document about videogame development:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If one of the arguments for the moon landing being faked is solar radiation sickness, how are the ISS astronauts alright? | [
"Because the moon landing was real and its all bullshit?"
] | [
"It's quite possible the video is full of shit. There have been plenty of proposals for an 18 month manned trip to Mars, with the astronauts returning home. As you say, people have survived a year in weightlessness and returned to Earth safely, if weakened by the experience."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are fabergé eggs and why are they so expensive? | [
"They are decorative eggs made by Peter Fabergé for the Russian Tsars. They were made out of precious metals and jewels, and were created solely in the Fabergé workshop and he only made 50 before the Russian Revolution. Only 42 are known to have survived (the newly found one should make it 43). The eggs were basica... | [
"Jadeite, red diamond, blue garnets - there are some gemstones so rare that you can count the number that exist on one hand. These are super expensive and definitely not stockpiled. But as a general rule, unless you're super rich, if you or anyone you know has ever owned a thing, that thing is incredibly common."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What happens to a person's debt when they are the last person of a family line and die? | [
"It doesn't matter if you have family or not, debt cannot be inherited. If you do have debt when you die, your creditors can take from your estate to pay it off. If your estate is not large enough to pay the whole debt, the debt just goes away."
] | [
"Are you single? If so, your parents would be next of kin, and vice versa. You are getting payment for emotional damages given by a faulty design. For example, my grandfather was exposed to asbestos. He has been in a class action lawsuit that was recently awarded money. He has been dead for many years, so the mone... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why does heating up food make it taste better? | [
"Part of your sense of taste comes from the smell sensors in your nose. This is why you can't taste much when you have a cold. Heating food causes it to give off more steam and various vapors which can then get to your nose quicker and easier."
] | [
"Because the cold slows down the bacteria that is eating your food. Which is what's making it go bad in the first place."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
If God sent His only son to earth and then people killed him, how did that mend the relationship between humanity and God? Surely it would only make God more pissed at us? | [
"Reminder: jokes as top-level posts will be removed, and people posting hateful or offensive comments will be banned without warning. Do not turn this into a debate about religion. For the sake of this question, **interpret the story as just that, a story.** There is no need to argue about whether it's real or not.... | [
"Because being right in matters of religion and politics usually means everyone who disagrees is not only wrong, but is stupid or evil. If I think the vanilla ice cream is the best, I don't have a problem if you like chocolate best. It is a matter of taste, and we can happily talk about it without offending each ot... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How have denim blue jeans maintained their popularity while pretty much every other type of clothing has gone in and out of fashion? | [
"Cuts and styles of jeans have come and gone over the years. Sure, denim's been a staple of fashion since the 60s (when they became acceptable to wear off the farm) but we've seen... Different cuts: bell bottoms, boot cut, straight leg, skinny jeans, pipe legs (eg - JNCO), low-rider waist, normal waist, high-cut wa... | [
"The suit has also changed, namely in how the sleeves are trimmed, the lapel size and the width of the tie, as well as the pockets and number of buttons and vents. Formal wear is generally changed less often because formal wear is supposed to provide an air of grace and enduring rather than normal fashion, which is... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why are NFL quarterbacks overwhelmingly white while most other positions are held by black men? | [
"The percentage of white quarterbacks in the NFL is 78. The percentage white americans is 72."
] | [
"A lot of football and basketball players are black because these two sports are extremely popular in areas with traditionally higher black population (the South and urban areas respectively). On the flip side, there are very few black hockey players, swimmers, golfers, and lacrosse players, because these sports ar... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
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