query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why does adding random noise in Stochastic Resonance make signal-to-noise ratio better instead of worse? | [
"This question might be a little too much for ELI5, you might have more luck in r/askscience."
] | [
"Sound can be converted between \"time domain\" and \"frequency domain\" using Fourier transform (sort of a spectrum analyzer). So you can convert the sound to frequencies, do modifications there (for example shift frequencies) and convert back to time domain, and you get pitch shift without speed change. In practi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what causes the paranoia from smoking weed? | [
"As a former heavy smoker, i'm gonna say the THC as a hallucinogenic makes you feel 'unsure' of thoughts you experience, (how much, of what you think, is you or just the weed) and when you constantly subject yourself to that tedious way of thinking, you get used to questioning reality while being unsure of what is ... | [
"Adding to the question. Why do people do this while on ecstasy, cocaine, adderall, etc.?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What is the science behind an “acquired taste”? Is it as simple as your tastebuds getting used to that specific taste? | [
"Nope, it's all about your brain learning to perceive it differently. Have you ever been eating something, and then somebody compared the food to something really nasty, and then it started to taste less appetizing? Or noticed how your favorite food doesn't taste that good if you're completely full? Our taste bud... | [
"This is the same with most bitter foods like coffee and beer. People have an inherent disgust for things bitter and you have to learn that something bitter is good. After you have related the bitter taste of licorice with the sweet taste, or the bitter taste of beer with alcohol you start ignoring the bitter taste... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are we able to freeze cells like sperm , eggs and embryos and they stay alive - but we cannot freeze an entire animal without it dying? | [
"For single cells, we can flash freeze them so quickly that the water molecules simply don't have time to rearrange into large ice crystals. Everything effectively freezes in place exactly as it was, and it can be thawed out without damage. In larger pieces of tissue, there's a significant lag in the freezing as th... | [
"Unlikely. All of our cells contain water. When water freezes, it expands. Freezing a person would cause most or all cells in the body to rupture. When the person is unfrozen, they would be very much dead. Cryopreservation of specific human cells such as sperm or eggs can work, though. They use a synthetic glycol... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why do babies cry immediately after exiting the womb? | [
"You know how you dread the feeling of stepping out the shower into the cold bathroom? & #x200B; Now imagine you've been in that shower for 40 weeks. And you've actually never been outside of that comfy shower. You might want to cry too."
] | [
"They practice the motions for breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. That practice makes sure the body is strong enough to breathe air after birth. Hiccups are also a workout for the diaphragm and happen frequently in utero. All oxygen recieved before birth comes through the umbilical cord, just in cas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:"
} |
How do you use a semi-colon (;) properly? | [
"Typically, any place you'd use \", and\" is a place where you could use a semicolon. \"I enjoyed that movie, and I liked the popcorn as well!\" \"I enjoyed that movie; I liked the popcorn as well!\""
] | [
"The first one uses a conjunction to combine two otherwise independent sentences. When using a 'little' conjunction like and, but, yet, etc., it is correct to use a comma. The second one is the same, but doesn't use a conjunction. As it's written, it's a run-on sentence. I would correct it by using a semicolon inst... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Grammar:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Grammar:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
what determines the shape and texture of human feces? | [
"Mostly the amount of water content, along with fiber and other materials (mucus and fat content can have an impact, but their presence is usually an indicator of an issue)."
] | [
"Your teacher is an idiot. Talk to a doctor about the best way to beat a type of cancer. That being said, a diet high in vegetables and low in red meat would lower your chances of getting cancer in the first place."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why sugary liquids are sticky when "dry"? | [
"Sugar is really good at holding onto water (both are polar & together they form a matrix), so the stickiness is because it’s not totally “dry”"
] | [
"Soda is stickier than water. Foam is the fluid sticking to escaping gas. Water slips off bubbles really easily but the soda doesn’t."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What are the effects of zero gravity on the internal organs? Why isn’t your heart pumping the blood “too hard”? | [
"It is pumping too hard, astronauts have issues with blood collecting in the head since the circulatory system is heavily biased upwards to fight gravity. They have to follow a fairly extensive exercise routine to combat this if they plan to stay up there very long, as it will eventually cause health problems if le... | [
"Your body is designed to circulate blood using muscles and gravity. Your head isn’t designed to circulate all that blood on it’s own. You’ll pass out if you’re upside down too long. Eventually, blood vessels can rupture. You’ll also run into problems with your lungs.. there’s too much weight on them when you’re up... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How did denim become so popular? | [
"In 1849 when gold was discovered in California, the miners who flocked there to see their fortune just wore normal pants, and they wore out too quickly. An enterprising tent maker saw there was a need and started making very heavy duty pants out of the excess denim he didn't need for his tent making business. Th... | [
"What's so bad about having something made in Israel?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What exactly happens in our body that gives us that “fake falling” feeling when we’re in bed sometimes? Why does it often only happen in bed? | [
"It's called a [hypnic jerk](_URL_0_). > One hypothesis posits that the hypnic jerk is a form of [reflex](_URL_2_), initiated in response to normal bodily events during the lead-up to the first stages of sleep, including a decrease in blood pressure and the relaxation of muscle tissue.[[6]](_URL_1_) A researcher a... | [
"If you have been awake for a long time, your eyes dry out. Closing your eyes lubricates your eyes, which feels good. Muscle fatigue is another factor, especially if you've been staring at a screen all day. Another perspective: when you're tired, you want to sleep. Closing your eyes starts to satisfy the desire for... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Biology:"
} |
Why do people sometimes feel like their joints hurt when it rains? | [
"A change in Barometic Pressure. Essentially when there is a storm coming, the atmospheric pressure drops and more weight is put on to us. Those of us who have arthritis and other joint conditions can be affected by the additional pressure causing us to feel pain."
] | [
"EIL5: Why can't I stop sitting with my legs crossed, even though it hurts my knees, and why does it hurt my knees?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Health and Weather:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Health and Weather:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
When I’m at home and playing video games an hour feels like 5 minutes, but when I’m at work an hour feels like 5 hours. Why is that? | [
"That's relativity. Either Einstein or people explaining Einstein's theory said, \"A girl sits on your lap for an hour and it feels like a minuter and if you put your hand on a stove for a minute and it feels like an hour. That's relativity.\""
] | [
"When you're having fun, your mind is focused on the moment. You're not worried about the time, you're having a blast When you're bored, you keep glancing at the clock, getting all dismayed that only 2 minutes have passed when you thought it was an hour."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Sleep and boredom:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Sleep and boredom:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why, when we accidentally bite our lip or cheek, do we repeatedly bite the same spot after? | [
"Your tissue becomes irritated and swells. This in turn makes it easier to re-bite the spot again. Basically, it's the \"circle of bite\" ."
] | [
"You use a lot of force when you chew, so if you bite it unintentionally, you bite your tongue with that huge force. If you try to bite your own tongue, you have sensory nerves that send information to your brain and prevent you from biting with that same amount of force."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why is it still not possible to send files bigger than 5 or 6 mb through email? | [
"Unlike most internet services, email requires both the sender and the receiver to have a server, and the servers must cooperate. This means hundreds of kinds of email server must all work with each other, including some very old ones. So the standard is very slow to move forward, to avoid leaving the oldest 1% of ... | [
"Well, first of all, your speed will be limited by either your download speed or the uploaders upload speed, whatever is slowest. If the Xbox network only allows you to download at 30 Mbps, that's what you'll get. Secondly, there's a difference between MBps and Mbps. One MBps is 8 Mbps. So if your download speed is... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Internet speed and service:"
} |
why does cold water quench our thirst better? | [
"Temperature doesn’t matter when it comes to actually quenching thirst, but cold water makes your body work harder because it has to heat up the water to body temperature"
] | [
"You know how eating salt on it's own makes you thirsty? Well when you put salt on the slug it gets so thirsty it dies because it gets too dry on the inside to live. Getting dry on the inside is called dehydration and we drink water, juice and other drinks so the same thing doen't happen to us."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does Two Separate Switches control a single light bulb work? | [
"There are basically two wires between the switches. Lets call it a top wire and a bottom wire. The switches each connect the rest of the circuit either to the top or the bottom wire. When both switches connect to the top wire, the light is on. Both connect to the bottom wire, light is on. If they connect to differ... | [
"A normal light switch is either open or close A three way light switch connects hot to either wire A or wire B. If both switches are set to A then the light turns on, if they're both set to B then the light turns on. If they're in different positions then the circuit is open and the light is off. See the rough wir... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Science:"
} |
Why is it bad to wake up someone who is sleepwalking? | [
"While not dangerous in itself the person who is sleepwalking will be very confused, not knowing where he/she is and might panic. The person might also loose balance and trip, which is quite bad if they are on a stair or similar. Just calmly tell them to go back to bed."
] | [
"Your body is mostly paralyzed while you sleep, which does most of the work, but that doesn't always work, I used to roll of the bed quite often when I was young."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How do images get printed on cakes or beer foam? | [
"Same with home inkjet printer. Just that the ink that's used is edible ink. Tiny nozzles spray high pressurized ink onto a print media, in this case a cake or coffee foam"
] | [
"Most of those additives are to preserve the cake so it can sit out for several days without tasting too stale, or to keep it from drying out. Artificial colors have obvious uses. Vats? No, just bottles/cans like you would expect other ingredients to come in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does Solar Energy production work? Exactly what are we harnessing from the sun? | [
"It's something called the *photovoltaic effect,* where the energy from a photon of light gets absorbed by the atoms that make up the solar panel. This absorption energizes the electrons in the outer shell of the atom, making them jump up into a higher energy state, ejecting them from the atom and causing them to f... | [
"1. Solar panels are expensive 2. Solar panels are very inefficient 3. It is not sunny 100% of the time"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do animals see different stars than those we see? | [
"There are two reasons why they see the same stars. 1. Pretty much every star gives off light in the visible spectrum. 2. Pretty much every animal can see the visible spectrum. So effectively, we all see the same stars. The only reason some animals might see more or less is their sensitivity to a star's brightness... | [
"Because deer notice things differently than people do."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How do devices show higher than the maximum technical resolution of the screen? | [
"Video compression is lossy. It degrades image quality. Generally if you play high resolution video scaled down you will get better quality than if you play video at the low resolution you want. This doesn't have to be always true, because the bitrate video gets encoded at determines quality. But generally, one wou... | [
"One is required space to hold all files once they are installed. Second is the actual size of the downloaded files."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why seatbelts sometimes look up while driving and sometimes they’re loose | [
"Seatbelts are designed to lock up when they are suddenly and quickly moved, like in a car crash, to keep the driver/passenger in place."
] | [
"There's a little catch in there to stop the zipper from opening of its own accord. If you look closely you might be able to see it"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why are roses so popular? | [
"It's cultural, many countries associate it with something, for examples the in ancient Greece, the rose was closely associated with the goddess Aphrodite's."
] | [
"What's so bad about having something made in Israel?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What is imperialism? | [
"Imperialism is a policy where a country/state/population extend the territory they have. Let’s say you get tired of the size of your house. You believe you need more space so you invade your neighbors house and kick him out. Now you have additional space. This is imperialism"
] | [
"Would you like to share the criticism from Kant?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do billionaire stays a billionaire when they file bankruptcy and then closed their own company? | [
"Companies are entirely separate legal entities from the individual who founded them, run them, etc. If the company goes bankrupt and shuts down, the owners' stake would be wiped out. So if their whole net worth was in company stock, they wouldn't remain a billionaire. But if they cashed out shares and had that mon... | [
"If they can fire a bunch of people and still run their business why don't they fire them now then keep all the money they could be saving? Why wait? If they are running it like a charity, why won't some other business run the exact same company but without all the optional employees they could be firing and corner... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If the the tail of a Prince Rupert's drop is the main weak point on the drop, how would a tailless Prince Rupert's drop work? | [
"What you're talking about is [tempered glass](_URL_0_). A sphere of it would be even more resilient than a Prince Rupert's Drop, but by no means indestructible. The Drops are notable because they have an obvious weak point, so they are useful for demonstrating what's neat about tempered glass - it's much stronger ... | [
"Pressure inside puts the surface under tension, which makes it easier to break in certain ways. The tension helps it from breaking in other ways. Light bulbs actually have a slightly lower pressure inside so that when the inert gas around the filament heats up, the pressure doesn't crack the glass. > could you re... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do pheromones work, what is their role, and how do they affect how we think? | [
"Humans don't really have pheromones. But many other animals do, and they usually have a role in sexual reproduction. One of my biology professors worked with a moth pheromone while he was doing research. They used tiny little discs of super concentrated pheromone for the research (they kind of looked like little... | [
"Humans are very social animals (i.e. social interactions are crucial to our survival), so we have lots of traits that exist only to act as signals in communication. As far as I know, we cry for the same reason we smile or raise our eyebrows - to signal our emotions to others. I have also heard about there being ph... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some restaurants have different names depending on what part of the country they're in? | [
"Depends. For some, it's that the name they use was already used by a restaurant in the state that they wanted to move to. You can't have two restaurants with the same name in the same state. For others, it's that they purchased the other restaurant chain and want to keep the name recognition, while introducing th... | [
"McDonald’s tastes different depending on where you are. When I was in Germany the Big Mac was a bit different from the ones in the U.K."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How do college credits work? | [
"Where I went to college you get credits for passing classes. You need a certain number to graduate. After you pick a major or minor you need to complete certain required courses for the major and then a certain number of credits in whatever classes you want within the discipline. So for example for my CS degree I ... | [
"College and universities are both post-secondary education in the US. However, Universities tend to be larger institutions and more research-oriented than college with more advanced degrees offered, but the words are mostly interchangeable in everyday language. EDIT: In the US, it generally goes (and this is flexi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why was cursive taught before the prevalence of typing in most workplaces? It's it supposed to be faster printed characters? | [
"Its much faster to write in cursive, and if you are using a fountain pen it helps the ink flow better."
] | [
"Cursive is still taught, though it's slowly being phased out. The simple answer is that they just write their name. Signatures being in cursive is just a convention. There is no law that says they have to be in cursive."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
If adderall calms you down if you have ADHD, why does it make you go crazy if you don’t have ADHD? | [
"It's a stimulant; The last I checked, the jury was out on what exactly causes the ADHD brain to process stimulants differently, but they have an almost calming effect to a lot of us. Speaking not as a doctor, but just as another ADHD guy, the best way I could describe the sensation of taking Adderall for the first... | [
"It's a stimulant and makes the heart work harder. If you already have problems with the heart, blood pressure, blood circulation it could exasperate these problems. It depends on the person and their individual body's response. I read somewhere that stimulants are stimulating because your body is actually trying t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is ionizing radiation and why is it dangerous? | [
"Radiation is basically all forms of light and a lot of forms of energy. & #x200B; The light bulb in your room and the screen you are looking at produce radiation in the form of visible light. Your microwave produces microwave radiation. Your toaster produces IR radiation. Your phone produces radiowave radiation. ... | [
"No. Radio transmissions are not ionizing radiation and do not have any measured effect on the human body. Standing in the shade exposes your body to more radiation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If you put your ear close to one of those foil balloons (birthday, etc., not the regular latex/rubber ones), the sound gets noticeably quieter. If you put your ear next to a wall at the same distance, the effect is not nearly the same. Why? | [
"I could be mistaken, but the way I understand it is, sound travels as a mechanical wave. In other word it is made of vibrations that are transferred as one particle pushes on the next and so on, forming a sort of domino affect. In a solid wall, the particles are closer together, allowing sound waves to travel from... | [
"Everyone keeps saying that it is the sound of blood, but while it might be that in part it isn't really the bulk of the sound. You could just as well hear that if your ear was completely blocked by an earplug. What you are hearing is ambient sound resonating within the chamber of the seashell. You can try this wit... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
how does a viral infection turn into a bacterial infection? | [
"Your immune system is not on high alert, your immune system is under a lot of stress and weakened by the effort to fight the virus. That is a good time for secondary infections by bacterias which usually are easily picked off by your immune system."
] | [
"That can be a symptom of dehydration, fungal infection, strep throat, and a few other illnesses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
In American English, when do we use “crisp” vs “crispy” | [
"I would compare *crispy* to a hypothetical *crisped*. Chicken isn't inherently crisp, we hope, but it is edged partially toward that term by a breading fry process. Lettuce is crisp until rendered uncrisp by age."
] | [
"Are you talking about derivative nouns like \"height(h)\" for \"high,\" \"warmth\" for \"warm,\" \"mirth\" for \"merry,\" \"width\" for \"wide,\" etc.?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Is it okay to eat the parmesan cheese that sits out for hours at pizza restaurants? Why or why not? | [
"Yes. It's dehydrated and the shelf life can be more than a year. You're can also buy it for home use."
] | [
"Do you also cough when eating popsicles and frankfurters/hot dogs? If so, it might be your technique."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do people with ADHD feel "normal" on Adderall? | [
"Psychology PhD here. ADHD is not my specialty, but here's the gist of it in as close to ELI5 as I can get it. & #x200B; There are parts of the brain that keep the brain on task (they are near the front part of the brain for the most part). These parts need to be active in order to do their thing. In the brain of ... | [
"It sometimes does, especially in people with atypical responses to caffeine, such as those with ADHD. Some folks with ADHD self medicate with energy drinks rather than taking a prescription stimulant such as adderall. I’ve also encountered parents who use Mountain Dew to chill out their kid during a hyperactivity ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does dungeons and dragons work? | [
"The DM (Dungeon Master) acts as the narrator, they guide he players through the story and they also “roll” for most of the villains/monsters you come upon through the campaign (the story.) Players create the character they will play throughout the story and must roll dice to complete tasks such as sneaking, attac... | [
"Table top role playing game in which the players decide the outcome of the story based on their choices, supervised by a dungeon master You don't have to have it, but the starters edition costs about $20 and e explains the basic game and includes a few starting quests. You need a dungeon master - they guide the s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do onomatopoeias look different/are pronounced different in other languages? | [
"My best guess is something has been lost in translation. The word may not be pronounced the way it appears to an English speaking reader. The character Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh is a decent example. People who speak English in most parts of North America pronounce \"R\" in all forms. British people often drop the... | [
"Some names have normal words in the language that can be translated as can the ordering of the words to fit a language's grammar (like the \"United States\" would be \"Estados Unidos\", States United). Also, some place names don't sound right in a language or don't fit certain conventions, so they are mangled a bi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is discovering parts of the ocean so hard and slow and what can be done or invented to make it easier and faster? | [
"It's big, deep, dark, and hostile. At least with space, you can look remotely, and you don't have to worry about disturbing the wildlife. In the deepest parts of the ocean, there's a lot of pressure, literally, and it's really dark so lights are necessary, but all the animals flee immediately."
] | [
"Other people have covered the practical aspects, but there's also human nature to consider. We have an innate, burning curiosity that leads us to explore new places and invent new things, for no other reason than to find out if we can or to learn something new. Terraforming Mars would be right up there with explor... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why is there different races of humans? | [
"There aren't. \"Race\" is a social construct that has no basis in biology. Humans come in a variety of colors due to evolutionary adaptation. For populations from places with lots of direct sunlight darker skin helps protect them from UV exposure. For populations from places without a lot of sun lighter skin helps... | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do pain relievers such as acetaminophen not work as pain preventers? | [
"I've never actually heard that they can't prevent pain. Depending on the half life of the medication in your blood, it theoretically should prevent pain. It's also important to know Tylenol (acetaminophen) is not an NSAID so it doesn't relieve inflammation. That might make a difference in this question. NSAIDS (ib... | [
"Cold/flu medications do not cure or fight viral infections like the flu or the common cold. They contain a pain reliever/anti-inflammatory which helps with fever and aches. They also usually contain a cough suppressant and the day time versions usually have some sort of decongestant. The nighttime formulations con... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why pillows, blankets, etc have those tags that are "penalized by law" if removed by anyone but the consumer | [
"Because there is a law that says the customer must be provided the information on the tag. The tag might be ugly, and shop staff might be tempted to cut it off to make the pillow look prettier. They were disobedient enough in the past that laws were passed to punish them if they tampered with the tags."
] | [
"Pills/capsules have to be different from other prescriptions so they can be identified if separated from packaging, even if it just means having a slightly different imprint on otherwise identical pills, the multi coloring is just one way different prescriptions can vary. Not a good explanation but I hope it helps... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do we know earth's temperature from thousands of years ago? | [
"To over-simply, we analyze the structure, color, and make-up of rock layers from that time period to determine the atmospheric conditions of the time, which includes temperature."
] | [
"If your car is only two years old, how can you use it to drive to a house that was built ten years ago? Something being 5 billion light years away simply means that the light from that object has been traveling for 5 billion light years before we see it. The age of the Earth is not relevant in that calculation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about astronomy:"
} |
How do movies that release straight to streaming services, like Netflix, gain a profit? | [
"Streaming platforms pay broadcast fees for everything that they have on their services. This includes things that go directly to their services. In addition to this many of the movies and shows that go straight to these services have part or all of their production paid for by the platform."
] | [
"Three reasons: 1) Promotion. 2) Promotion. 3) Promotion. The Oscars are there to make money, just like any other television show. In turn, they give the movies they nominate a boost at the box office and streaming rentals."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What is happening to your skin when it is burned (by hot water)? Why does it continue to feel like it's burning even after applying something cool? | [
"Inflammation is what keeps it hot, it's the body's immediate response to any kind of wound."
] | [
"Not quite. Sunscreen protects against **too much** solar radiation. Depending on how easily you burn, you can decide how strong a protection you want, whilst still allowing yourself to tan. Now, **don't do this at home. Or *anywhere* come to think of it**. But imagine this. If you put your hand in boiling water it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How does aqua-plaining occur and how do you stop it? | [
"Aquaplaning (also hydroplaning) occurs when there's too much water between the tire and the road surface. When the tire loses contact with the road, driver input can no longer cause the vehicle to change direction or speed. The best way to stop a hydroplane once it starts is to let off the accelerator. Steering in... | [
"Because there are so many elements which needs to be executed properly for the water to look realistic."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does our nose has 2 holes while doing the same purpose (to breathe)? | [
"For the same reason you have two eyes and two ears: So you can identify the direction the vision / sound and in your case: smell is coming from. You can't? Don't worry, it's not really a skill homo sapiens have anymore, but other mammals which do use their nose more can."
] | [
"Inhaling through your nose actually has a couple of advantages. The air is tested (smelled), heated and moisterized, and polutions are filtered out because of your nose hairs and slimy inside of your nose. Breathing out through your mouth is faster because the hole is bigger. Sorry for my limited English, I hope I... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Why does stock price matter so much to companies after IPO? Assuming being bought out isn't a risk, why should the company care about their stock price? | [
"> But outside that why does a company care about its stock price? The people who own the stock care about the price of what they own. The stock represents ownership of the company, and the stockholders elect the Board of Directors. The Board hires the CEO and sets their goals, such as keeping the stock price high ... | [
"A few reasons. 1. They have a legal duty to do their best to deliver a positive return for investors. 2. Issuing more stock to the market is a good way to raise capital. For that to work, you have to have a high stock price at the point at which you sell your stock. 3. Many companies' executives are paid, in part ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
i really dont get how art commissions work. Like do you pay for the person to make the art or do you pay for the art or for the raw file? I found it confusing how the artist also uploads the art he made for a buyer. So technically the artist makes it available for the public for free? | [
"It depends on the artist. Some post it publicly and send you the file so you can post it if you want to as well. Some post it publicly but don't let you post it. Some don't post it but send you the file and let you post it. Some don't post it and don't let you post it. Typically the artist will tell you in their c... | [
"the answer is yes, they pretty much all come from some altruistic pirate. someone has a legit copy and uploads it or buys the real thing and scans it. with a few exceptions where trial software is full version but limited time or feature crippled and can be hacked into activating without buying it. For books someo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
The difference between 'affect' and 'effect' | [
"Most of the time, you'll want affect as a verb meaning to influence something and effect for the something that was influenced. The difference between affect and effect is so slippery that people have started using \"impact\" as a verb instead."
] | [
"A lot of people have told you that effect is a noun and affect is a verb. Unfortunately it's not that simple. Both words can be used as both nouns and verbs. Affect as a noun is pretty rare nowadays, and it's fine in an ELI5 answer to basically ignore it, but effect as a verb is somewhat common. **Effect as a noun... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How do celebrities spot comments from other celebrities on IG/Twitter when they probably have thousands of mentions to sort through? | [
"I dunno about IG but on Twitter you can see your mentions... And there's a tab specifically to see your mentions from other blue checkmarks."
] | [
"I'm almost certain Instagram, Twitter and the likes don't send individual notifications for each \"like\" or follow, that is, if the rate is incredibly high. If you get 10 likes per photo in a week, sure you'll get a few notifications. But if you get 700 likes in 20 minutes the app should only alert you once."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do animals recognize "voices" like how we do? | [
"Some animals recognise voices as in they can distinguish between people they know. That's why when you're at the vet you should talk to your dog/cat/rabbit/whatever to soothe them. They obviously don't comprehend human language, but they recognise that your voice is \"the noise my friend makes\", kinda like how w... | [
"Because animals (with very few and highly debated exceptions) don't have language in the sense we talk about."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What makes men have deeper voices than women? | [
"Testosterone. Studies show that the lower a man's voice, the more testosterone he has. Studies also show that men with deeper voices tend to have more kids and be considered more attractive, so scientists think it may will be an evolutionary advantage to have a deep voice."
] | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do old people who are sick have 2 or three good normal days where the seem to recover before they die? | [
"In some cases when they are very near death they are taken off meds that were doping them up so they become more lucid as a result."
] | [
"If you think about it, we really have no idea if they actually failed to wake up or not. All we know is they went to bed and we found them there in the morning. Professionally, I've had a lot of patients die, but none that weren't unconscious for a couple of days to begin with. I always put a heart monitor on end ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
why do wounds get so itchy while they're healing? | [
"Histamine, a substance released by the cells involved in wound healing, causes the little blood vessels to dilate. You need this so that there's a good inflow of nutrients and other cells to the wound areas that help in healing and rebuilding. A side effect of histamine is itchiness.. Which has its own uses like p... | [
"When skin is broken, specific cells in the blood rush to the area and create a scab. The scab is protecting your open cut while your body repairs your skin, snd your body absorbs the scab slowly. If you pick the scab, bacteria can get into the cut, or the skin will not heal properly and cause a scar. I am in no wa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does a coldsore reoccur? | [
"It reoccurs when your immune system is weakened. Your immune system keeps the virus from popping us as long as it is strong. Almost always before getting sick I get a cold sore to indicate that my immune system has weakened. It roots in your nervous system if I'm correct."
] | [
"cold sores are cause by a virus and not bacteria. Salt relieves swelling and redness."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Do animals have different languages? | [
"Yes. It has been documented that pods of Orcas and dolphins can’t always communicate with others pods."
] | [
"Babies don't speak English. Or any language for that matter. What they do have some grasp of, is the tone of your voice."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How do overnight and other expedited shippings work? | [
"FEDEX, for example, has their own network of trucks and their own aircraft. They can guarantee something will arrive on time because a FEDEX driver is taking the package to a FEDEX aircraft, and then another FEDEX driver takes it to your door. If they say \"It will be here on X date,\" it is because they are confi... | [
"It looks to me like they are pretty similar. BookDepository seems to offer 14-day shipping in the US. Amazon often has free Super Saver shipping on orders that take about 14 days to arrive."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How was audio/music in pre modern computers edited and had post SFX added? | [
"Video editing was done with an editing machine/desk. Which is a large workstation for using scissors on the reels. where there is a physical film you can cut frames and replace them and glue the film back together. post SFX for film was just regular filmed with all the tricks you can imagine. Overlaying images, cu... | [
"They can go to the source material which has separate audio tracks for each audio. The actor speaking, sound effects, music, ambience. The original production of the film means mixing the sounds to the final product."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Can someone explain me how does a microphone convert an input of sound energy into electrical energy? | [
"the basic explanation: the microphone has a membrane (diaphragm) that is attached to a magnet, that magnet is surrounded by a coil, sound is nothing but pressure waves and as they hit the \"diaphragm\" of the microphone it makes the magnet vibrate accordingly and it induces an electrical current in the coil that i... | [
"Well, if I am not mistaken, any combination of sounds can be represented by a single waveform. That is, going from left to right in a graph to go through time, a single point goes up and down. That information can be copied by a speaker, which moves up and down accordingly, moving the air and thus creates the soun... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Technology:"
} |
Why do inqueries to your credit have a negative impact on your score? It seems it would be a good thing to shop around to find good rates. | [
"Multiple requests from the same type of place (several car dealerships, several mortgage brokers, etc.) within a short time are combined to count as one inquiry, so go ahead and shop around. Part of your credit score is how much debt you have. If you are trying to take out a lot of new debt, then you will probably... | [
"It doesn't! There are 2 types of checking credit -- a hard pull, which happens when you apply for a loan or line of credit, and a soft pull, which is what happens when you check your own credit. If you go to try and buy a car or apply for a new credit card and a hard credit check is done, this impacts your score b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how come when you look at the sun or a star in space, you're looking back in time? | [
"It's how long ago the light you can see was produced. The speed of light is fast, but not instantaneous. The farther away something is, the longer it will take the light it has produced to reach you. That's why light years are a measure of distance, it's how far light can reach in a year."
] | [
"well the sky doesn't have a limit so there's nothing to base the size off of. when you look down you can't even see the people where you would be standing looking up at it so it puts it into perspective. also you can die looking off a building and not looking up at it so that probably is a part"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are sport game statistics recorded? | [
"It's a mix. There'll always be a human element but new technology is always being introduced. Players do wear things that can track things like how far or fast they're running. When I was in college they always made a big deal when ESPN came to talk to the statistics majors and hire a few to work for the company."... | [
"In which region? Or are you looking for global statistics on literacy?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If Earth's inner layers are essentially super hot metal, and some sections are liquid, how does it keep from solidifying through loss of heat? | [
"Heat generated by the decay of radioactive elements in the Earth's make-up helps keeps things warm but, overall, the Earth is losing the residual heat it started with, and will eventually cool off and solidify. So the end answer is \"nothing\" is keeping it from solidifying, the process is just a very long one tha... | [
"The answer to this, as far as I know, is still not really known. One of the purposes of the Juno probe was actually to answer this exact question. Since Jupiter is so huge, that means that the pressure at the core would be enough to solidify certain elements (for example, the core of Jupiter might be a chunk of so... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Earth Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Earth Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
when I’m driving and listening to FM radio, sometimes I randomly hear snippets of someone’s phone call, audiobook or music instead. Why? | [
"For cars without Bluetooth built in, many folks have bluetooth-to-FM transmitters for phone, spotify, etc."
] | [
"It's to keep the flow, and to avoid a thing called [Dead Air] (_URL_0_) It basically makes everything a continuous stream of entertainment, with no breaks. It's much easier to talk over the last few seconds of a track than it is to wait for it to fully stop and then begin speaking again."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Music:"
} |
how ocean waves are formed? | [
"Many different ways, but the most common is wind. As wind blows across the ocean, it pushes the water. Tidal influences from the moon's gravity also cause wave action. Tsunami's are cause by earthquakes when the tectonic plates shift and cause a large volume of water to be displaced. Sometimes calving glaciers dro... | [
"How does a river know if its dammed before flowing? Its a very similar thing to electricity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how much per on average do you pee every pee? Max capacity of the bladder ? | [
"It varies but generally between 250-500 ml, or 0.5-1 standard bottled water. An adult bladder is usually completely full at 600ml but I have seen scans close to a liter and have heard of ruptures."
] | [
"It's psychological, not physical, your brain is clentching your sphincter: _URL_0_ And doesn't affect everyone. Source: can pee anywhere at anytime in front of anyone."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Health:"
} |
Why does water go down the toilet in a different direction depending on what hemisphere your on? | [
"It doesn't. What people are referring to is the [Coriolis force](_URL_1_) which is a rotational effect that is often seen because we are living in a rotating frame of reference. The earth is spinning and we are spinning along with it. But the coriolis force is very small. You need very slow velocities or very long... | [
"Because the water that would normally go into the bowl from the tank/reservoir has nowhere to go. Same thing that would happen if you clogged your kitchen sink and turned on the faucet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The difference between Laws, Statutes, and Ordinances in the USA? | [
"Statutes and ordinances are laws. Statutes are promulgated by the federal and state government. Ordinances are promulgated by counties and cities. Statutes will apply in the whole state or country (if federal). Ordinances will only apply in the particular city or county where they are passed."
] | [
"The President can Veto Legislation Passed by Congress. Congress can Impeach the President. The President Appoints Judges to the Supreme Court who must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court can Overturn Legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President. No one Branch has all the Power. There is a Bal... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What do companies like Bloomberg & Thomson Reuters do? | [
"Like wire services? Reuters and AP go out and report news, then newspapers that subscribe to them can run their pieces / images along with locally produced articles. In a world where papers can no longer afford to have foreign desks or send reporters on assignment, it's really crucial."
] | [
"Their value is largely in their online media properties, like TechCrunch, Huffington Post and Engadget."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
how can non profits get away with paying so little | [
"You don't have a job. You're volunteering, and they're paying your room, board, and giving you a small stipend. They \"get away with it\" because people are willing to do it."
] | [
"It's a tradition among the tech giants in silicon valley to have a $1 a year salary. They own such a big share of the company they are worth billions so putting them on a $200k/year salary is stupid because it's in their best intentions to make the company work."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are long exposure shots? Can I click them using a smartphone camera? | [
"long exposure means your arperture stays open for a long time instead of fractions of a second. smartphones generally don't have that option because it wouldn't make sense - long exposure is useless without tripod, as even slightest shaking will make a picture all blurry"
] | [
"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 Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does devaluing the currency help the country? | [
"When the value of their currency decreases, the external price of their goods also decreases. While the same electronic component still costs 20RMB, the price in USD has dropped from 5USD to 4USD. By devaluing the currency, China can make their exports much cheaper than other nations. This will boost their export ... | [
"No. Making a global currency would not solve poverty, and based on how Greece is doing it would most likely make it worse. To establish a global currency you would have to deny every country the right to print their own currency. That means they are greatly hindered at running their economies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why do digital (especially mirrorless) cameras still need shutters? | [
"The click from an electronic shutter is completely artificial. It's just for the camera user to let them know they took a picture. It's because we all got used to physical shutters for decades, and people got used to the sound and what that sound means, so they added the sound in, even though the camera doesn't ma... | [
"They are lighter, compared to DSLR's because, as /u/yembler points out, they don't have the mirror or pentaprism. Mirrorless cameras, for the most part, have two flaws that is keeping pros from switching to them: the autofocus in a mirrorless camera is slower than in DSLR, and they consume battery power much much ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do people faint when on the slingshot type of rides? Is it a sympathetic/parasympathetic response from the slingshot motion or to fear? | [
"Your brain is a silly thing. Too much pressure and you blackout, too little pressure and the blackout. These types of rides can create both. Also one could go into psychogenic shock and faint from fear."
] | [
"Unfortunately there's no solid answer. Shocking as it may be, not much research is done on pee shivers, or \"Post-micturition convulsion syndrome\". Educated guesses include a drop in blood pressure, the loss of warm liquid resulting in a shiver to warm you up to reach equilibrium, or the bladder relaxation affect... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What really happens behind the scenes when a website goes down or crashes ? How do developers get them back up and running ? | [
"Basically, theres a computer somewhere in the world that runs the software someone made to show the website. The internet is just a bunch of computers connected together by wires. A lot of these computers aren't the same as your personal computer. They're basically just boxes that run code and that's all they do. ... | [
"A server is just a computer. Sometimes computers need to be updated, or restarted or just generally other things that are not conducive to them running your games 24/7. If there is something significant that needs to be done that will affect all or most of those computers, sometimes it it just easiest to take them... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What causes the physical pain of heartache? | [
"Physical and emotional pain are perceived in the same parts of the brain. When your “heart is broken” emotionally it triggers body reactions that can also occur with physical threats or injury like fight-or-flight stress responses. This may have evolved as a mechanism to help us fight to maintain strong social con... | [
"Everything you feel is chemical reactions in the brain and across the nervous system. From terror to love."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why dont we have faster commercial airplanes by now? | [
"The important numbers for airlines are no of passengers per gallon of fuel. If plane A travels at 300mph but can take 1 passenger 1 mile for every 1 gallon of fuel. And plane B can travel at 900mph but to take 1 passenger 1 mile uses 5 gallons of fuel. Then plane A is the plane the airline will use."
] | [
"Tell me... how many computers were in the P-51? How many stealth features? How about communications, sensors, and jet engines? Oh... none? (With the exception of a radio) Comparing a P-51 to an F-22 is about as sensible as comparing a Model T to a Tesla... I mean strictly speaking they do the same thing... but one... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
why do drinks like pepsi, wine and other natural/food colored stuff turn to the same color when we pee? | [
"The things you drink are broken down by acid and enzymes in your gut, and the components absorbed in to your blood, which is immediately run through your liver, where further chemical breakdown takes place. There is no \"wine\" or \"pepsi\" at this point - there is water, and sugars, and fats, and proteins, and so... | [
"brown bottles were used for beer. It was dark to prevent UV light from the sun to enter the bottle and break some chemical bonds in the beer and cause it to be harmful to your health and smell bad. However during world war 2 I think, they were running short of brown bottles so they started using green bottles. tra... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's the current going theory for how life started? Was it an amino acid soup until one chain just happened to self-replicate? | [
"First part, yes. The Miller-Urey experiment in the 1950s showed that amino acids could be created from stuff that’s deemed “inorganic.” After the amino acids were formed they were probably chained to form proteins and the proteins eventually made genetic material, which made it easier to reproduce since there was ... | [
"If there's a whole soup of amino acids floating around, a chain of RNA will pick up extra amino acids to make pairs. Then if it separates, you have two strips with the same pattern and *those* can collect more free amino acids in the same pattern, and so on. Whatever pattern was better at making copies would have... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why does our body want to throw up when we experience motion sickness? | [
"Sometimes these confused sense signals can indicate that you've been poisoned. People who tend to vomit when that happens have a somewhat higher chance of surviving and reproducing."
] | [
"Why do the glands in my neck burn like high hell when I'm holding back tears?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When heating water to a boil, how does heat cause the water to bubble, and eventually come to a intense rolling boil? | [
"Little bits of the water turn to steam. Steam is a gas. The bubbles you see in the water are bits of steam (gas) surrounded by water (liquid)."
] | [
"Bubbles burst against the spoon, greatly reducing the volume of bubbles and thus reducing the chance of a boil-over. But your milage will vary. It's obviously dependent on the size of the spoon and the size of the pot and the vigor of the boil. A wooden spoon isn't stopping a large diameter pot, and a spindly spoo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why, when making a phone call and using the loud speaker, the other person doesn't hear himself but only what I say? | [
"The phone's electronics know what sound the speaker is putting out, so they electronically subtract this from what the microphone is receiving. _URL_0_"
] | [
"There are relay services the deaf can use in some cases but they require special equipment. The deaf person calls the service, the service calls whoever the client wants, deaf persons speaks then says something like \"go ahead\", you speak, and the relay operator types what you've said for the deaf person to read.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why the windows of airplane are oval shaped? | [
"The inside of the plane is under pressure and you don't want the windows bursting out. Corners are the weakest part of such a seal, so rounding the windows eliminates the weak points."
] | [
"So the air hostess doesn't have to put every seat upright for take off. Why do your seats have to be upright for take off you ask? It's easier to board a plane when the seats are upright."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why do large mirrors stop reflecting a single image when cracked? | [
"When a mirror cracks each piece is (almost certainly) at a slightly different angle. Mirrors reflect what in front of them and when you angle the mirror *what* is in front of them changes."
] | [
"Very strictly speaking, they don't, but there are a few factors that might make it appear as much. Number one, a reflection of the Sun, if it falls on a spot that is already lit up from non-reflective sun, will mean twice the heat flowing into one spot at once. Don't underestimate this. Number two, a reflection of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do they flavor “naturally flavored” and “essenced” sparkling waters without any listed additives? | [
"“Natural flavors” don't need to be named individually in the US at least. This is probably just as well when you consider that there's a natural raspberry flavoring that comes from the anal glands of beavers."
] | [
"I mean, there really isnt one answer. Each company uses different means and ways to flavor their products. But generally, artificially flavored products (like mac and cheese chips) are a combination of chemicals such as simple acids, salts and Esters that cause the same chemical response from the tastebuds as the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What makes carbon the building block for all of life? Why can’t another element do the same? | [
"Carbon atoms are really good at connecting to other carbon atoms, and every carbon usually forms a comnection with four other atoms. Not all elements do this. This means that carbon is the element of choice if you want to make big, complex molecules. Carbon also connects up with hydrogen and oxygen and some other ... | [
"It's because life on Earth is dependent upon it. Plus it is one of the only known substances that can be a solid, liquid, and gas within a narrow temperature range, something that is vital to life on Earth. Water is also really great at dissolving stuff."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about science:"
} |
How developed are other animals' sense of taste? Is it just primal notions like bitter=bad and sweet=good or similarly as complex as ours? | [
"Canines have an evolved sense of taste. Put a piece of raw beef liver next to a piece of raw beef steak on a plate, a dog will have a preference."
] | [
"What makes you think we have such detailed taste buds compared to other animals? We in essence can taste five basic tastes: sweet (like sugar), salty (like salt), bitter (like coffee), savory/umami (like soy sauce) and sourness (like lemons). Other \"tastes\" like \"strawberry\" or \"nutty\" or \"vanilla\" are act... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why are farsighted and nearsighted a thing if light travels so fast that 3-5ft changes makes things blurry? | [
"The light isn’t what affects your vision, but the shape of the lens of your eye. It bends the light, and if there is an issue with the shape it can make you near or far-sighted."
] | [
"Glasses work converging light further or closer than it normally converges in your eye, making your eye see better (bad vision is caused because your eye converges light \"too soon\" or \"too late\". If someone with a good vision puts on glasses that make light converge farther, they will see blurry so basically w... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why can't somebody program a script to try every password combination and hack the whole world? | [
"Yes, way too many. Trying a password takes time. The more security oriented the service is, the longer it takes. If you add 2 seconds to the password check time, you make things a lot harder. Using the [XKCD standard password](_URL_0_ ) \"correcthorsebatterystaple\" you've got 26^25 possible combinations of the 26... | [
"My guess is since the password never changes anymore some bot brute forces the password and takes over the account."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What's an amino acid and why is it so important to the beginning of life? | [
"Just about every part of your body (and every part of every cell) that performs a function is reliant upon proteins to perform those functions. So for example, need to copy a DNA strand? Proteins do that. Need to get some sugar into the cell? Protein. Want to hook two cells together? Protein. Proteins are chains o... | [
"Nothing. There is no science indicating its bad for you."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is thousand year old water drinkable? | [
"Water that evaporated is still water. All the water on the earth is millions of years old."
] | [
"Compare a slushy drink to a cup of ice. Same thing."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Science:"
} |
What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? | [
"Patriotism is about how much you like your country. & #x200B; Nationalism is a political ideology that has to do with a country acting only in its own interest. & #x200B; Now a lot of people tend to use Patriotism to argue in favor of Nationalism, as in \"If you loved your country you would want it to do what is... | [
"One man's mythology is another man's religion. One man's cult is another man's religious belief. One man's religion is another man's heresy. It's rather subjective."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is ALS impossible to cure? | [
"It’s not impossible — but there’s yet to be a truly successful treatment found. The disease is complex, and spreads as it progresses. The myelin sheath of nerves degrades, and as that happens, body systems start to have problems and then stop working. Think of myelin like the insulation on wiring, if the wiring ... | [
"Can someone explain the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer's, please?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
If alcohol is a CNS depressant, why does drinking a lot cause your heart rate to rise? | [
"Alcohol is a CNS depressant, but your heart isn't part of your central nervous system. It causes a fast heart rate because of another effect of alcohol: it dehydrates you. As water leaves the body it makes your blood \"thicker\" and causes a drop in blood pressure since blood is mostly water anyway. This drop mean... | [
"Alcohol is a depressent, nicotine is a stimulant, the two go very well together. Alcohol also lowers inhibition and impairs judgement, meaning you are more likely to give into a craving, and less likely to care about the implications of doing so (stinky breath, cancer, ugly looks from non smokers). Mixing things... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and lifestyle:"
} |
Why isn't the burden of proof on the police for traffic violations? | [
"The burden is on the police. You can ask for a trial on the issue. If the issue is speeding, the officer will come in and testifying about how he knew you were speeding. You can introduce your own evidence. The judge will then decide if it was proven beyond a reasonable doubt that you were speeding."
] | [
"> there has been countless, documented instances of police lying in court? Could you clarify this? Lying under oath is a crime, called perjury. Can you list a handful of the countless examples of officers convicted of perjury who still have their job? Understanding your examples would help explain the topic and co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is plastic so cheap and easy to produce but nearly impossible to decompose/get rid of? | [
"Plastic is generally an organic molecule, made up of carbon, hydrogen, sometimes oxygen and sometimes other elements (for example, PVC contains chlorine). It can be produced on huge scales using relatively-cheap materials. But the result is generally a new material which, unlike most other organic molecules, is no... | [
"Trees are renewable and can be harvested sustainably. Plastic comes mostly from oil products and is limited. Paper will degrade pretty rapidly in the environment where plastic does hardly at all. The last point is important, as paper will eventually give us more soil whereas plastic needs to be stuck in a hole for... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are outside temps of 95+ uncomfortably hot even though that’s so close to our internal body temps? | [
"Our body creates heat, so to maintain our internal body temperature we need to vent heat into the air. This is easy to do if the air is cooler than our body temperature, but when it's the same as our body temperature there's nowhere for that excess heat to go."
] | [
"I don't think they are colder than the room, it just feels that way. Unless you keep the room at 96.5degrees F, most room temperatures are much colder than normal body temps"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
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