query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
People today are able to produce paintings that are indistinguishable from photographs. Why couldn’t artists in past eras achieve this level of realism? | [
"Quality of materials, (paints, brushes, canvas) time, painting detailed pictures requires a lot of time and you have to be able to afford to spend that much time on a single painting, lack of photographs as reference, until Vermeer, who may have used a kind of pinhole camera to create their pictures still images o... | [
"Art is about what you feel when you experience it. It is worth whatever you decide it is worth to you. There is no standard for good art versus bad art. Also, even tiny works can take years to master the skills necessary to plan and create it, which could make it worth more."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Art and History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Art and History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do people get the urge to destroy things, even their own belongings, when they get angry? | [
"There was a similar discussion on this subreddit a few years ago. Check this out. _URL_0_ This was the top answer. By MrPaleontologist • 4y \"Here's an explanation I learned in an animal behavior course - it's called a redirected attack. Animals do it, just like us. Basically, when we get angry at another person, ... | [
"Because people are angry, hurt and frightened so they get mean and selfish about it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If our brain paralyzes our body when we go to sleep, how do we roll over? | [
"The muscle paralysis only occur during REM sleep when the brain is very active, to stop you from moving in response to your dreams. In other stages of sleep the muscles aren’t paralysed because the brain isn’t dreaming and sending out all kinds of random signals that need to be blocked. Now you can respond to pres... | [
"I don't know much about neuroscience so I can't go into great detail but I learned that when you're sleeping your brain essentially loses the capability to make your muscles move. This is an evolutionary instinct because, once you find a safe spot to sleep, you don't want to sleep-run into the nearest bear cave or... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Do your emotions affect your memory of certain events? | [
"First thing I have to say is as with most things neurologically, we don't really *know* what's going on, at a fundamental level. What we do know, though, is that memory and emotions are closely connected, neurologically. In order to make new memories, we run information through what's called the [papez circuit](_U... | [
"Smell is processed by the same part of your brain that deals with memory and emotions. So the three are linked from birth."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is entropy, how do we know how it works and does it have many real life applications? | [
"Wikipedia defines it pretty well: [_URL_2_](_URL_2_) . There is even a Intro to Entropy page: [_URL_1_](_URL_0_) **.** Read that one to wrap your head around the concept; I will admit that it is not easy. (Entropy as a concept is interesting to me because it seems less real than 'energy' or temperature, but real... | [
"The Uncertainty principle is a principle which states that the velocity and position of a subatomic particle cannot be known at the same time. This is due to properties of wave functions and fourier transformations that is out of scope for ELI5. It has nothing to do with the development of teleportation because th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
What's the difference between having ADD/ADHD and just being lazy and forgetful? | [
"Here's a really short answer, which is true for many people with ADD, myself included: It's not that you can't concentrate, it's that you have less control over what you concentrate on. Say you're in class or a meeting and start a little doodle in a dull moment. Next thing you know, you're absorbed in it -- and yo... | [
"Some people would call your lack of concentration Attention Deficit Disorder. There are differences in the brains of people with ADD and without. If you are really stubborn or have a lot of willpower, maybe you can change it when you notice you're getting distracted. However, if you actually have ADD, then the eas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When a computer program says to restart the computer to complete installation, does simply shutting down the pc and opening it next time have the same effect? | [
"Yes. The restart is pretty much just a shutdown immediately followed by a startup. The important part for the installation is that the computer went though the usual startup steps again and this time with all the steps and values and the installation program just changed."
] | [
"Well to explain the first of your questions, you're right. The difference between the two states is, \"Shut down\" and \"Restart\". They each have a seperate process, one turns the computer off for good, and one inputs some more command(s) for a reboot. When you 'shut down' your computer, it cuts the power. This i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Technology:"
} |
When people do calorie diets, why is it based daily instead of per meal or per week. If I ate an extra 800 today, could I make up for it by having 800 less tomorrow. Or 400 less the next two days or 100 less the next 8 days? | [
"Because it’s better to keep yourself accountable in smaller timeframes. It’s much more difficult to have a single day 800 cal deficit compared to 2x400s."
] | [
"Because they don't eat like that all the time. They binge, and eat a lot all at once, but then eat less afterwards and it balances out. It's not particularly healthy, but as long as your average calories consumed is at the right level, you won't gain weight in the long term. Let's say the average person needs to e... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How do ants manage to locate sweet stuff inside a house if they're outside? | [
"They are able to smell it using their antennas. Once a scout finds food, they bring a small bit back to their colony, which leaves a chemical trail leading back to the food"
] | [
"That depends on the bug. Some bees have been shown to be able to re-locate their hive after being separated by a reasonable distance. Over time they learn the area while foraging and can find their way back if they're not moved too far. Ants trace their location carefully with scent and would be lost if moved. Mos... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does a fabric appear darker when wet ? | [
"A perception of 'darkness' means that not much light is reflected from the surface to your eye. A film of water makes some of the light refract/scatter, preventing it from reaching your eyes, thus creating a 'darker' image. ...at least that is the explanation for bodies of water. I am not 100% sure whether that i... | [
"Paper is bleached during the manufacturing process because colors stand out better against a white background."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How do phones avoid a feedback loop or echo in speaker mode | [
"/u/Uumus guessed it correctly. First of all, the phone is designed to try to minimize how much of the speaker output gets to the microphone. But it can't always do this well enough. In that case, a cancelling circuit is added. It \"subtracts\" the speaker output signal from the input of the microphone, so the fe... | [
"It is hard to say without examining it. There are some electronics that have hardware design faults that can lead to it being sensitive to certain radiation. You can see behavior like this in those cases. For example different versions of the Raspberry PI can be sensitive to powerful flash light which will trigger... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did Popcorn become the go-to food for movie theaters? | [
"It is a cheap snack that became popular at theatres during the depression, but the main reason it got so big is that it doesn't crunch like chips or other foods so the sound of people eating didn't ruin the moviegoing experience."
] | [
"Critics get to see review showings of movies before they're released to general audiences in the theaters."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do bubbles originate at single isolated points in a glass of beer? | [
"Imperfections in the glass. The bubbles need an anchor point which is usually an imperfection or dirt in the glass. Many branded beer glasses have logos etched into the bottom of the glass to try and get all the bubbles focussed in the centre."
] | [
"The bubbles are produced from what are called Nucleation Points. They are tiny scratches in the glass or surface where tiny seed bubbles are produced. Eventually they escape and produce a gas bubble. In soda the gas is CO2. This also why, if you are going to boil water in a microwave, stick a wooden skewer in the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
I'm a Tenor. Why on some Music is the Tenor Line is on a Treble Clef While On Others, it is on a Bass Clef? | [
"Short answer is because it lies in between the two. Interestingly there is/was a \"tenor clef\" to remedy this but that's fallen out of style for some reason."
] | [
"Its not that you have to unlearn everything, its that there are different tricks to the bass clef to help you get situated. For example, you learned about FACE to determine the space notes in the treble clef. Well in the bass clef you can use All Cows Eat Grass (ACEG). There is also ones for lines: Treble - Every ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do mobile chipset manufacturers achieve incremental performance improvement year after year? | [
"big upgrades include transistor size where you go from 14nm to 10nm etc. Right now on mobile phones, flagship androids that came out this year and the iPhone from last year use 7nm transistor size. The smaller the transistor, the more transistors you can fit and better performance. Sometimes it's the way these tra... | [
"Usually both - Designers are constantly trying to make the processors more efficient, improving the rate at which calculations and operations are done, while Manufacturers are constantly trying to fit more transistors on the same sized chips so more of the operations can be done per second."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does the electrical grid sync up all the various 60 Hz inputs across the continent so that it pulsates uniformly and nothing is out of phase? | [
"Once a generator is very close to being in sync (correct frequency and phase), it can be connected to the grid. There are special meters and automatic systems which control the connection. The generator will then stay in sync as long as the free running frequency is within parameters. The grid will actually speed ... | [
"There is no such thing as unused electricity (unless you're talking about a capacitor, which is like a very temporary storage device, or a battery, which converts chemical energy into electrical energy, but I won't get into that here). By definition, electricity is only \"being used\" when there is a complete circ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How exactly do washing machines work? What is the purpose of high speed circular motion | [
"Put dirty clothes and soap into machine. Machine fills up with water. Machine swishes everything around for a bit to remove dirt from clothes. Machine drains dirty soap water. Machine fills up again with clean water. Machine swishes clothes around to remote left over soap. Machine drains again. At this point, the ... | [
"To my knowledge the length of time actually allows the machines to run more efficiently. Our machine has a “1 hour quick wash” setting but the manual specifically says that this option uses significantly more water."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why does closing credit card accounts ding your credit? | [
"Your credit score is not based on how good you are at paying on time. It is based on how much money they can bilk out of you with you always having on time payments. Basically its how good a consumer you are to them. People that pay off their balances before accruing interest are not good customers as they are no... | [
"It doesn't. You've been misinformed. Hard credit inquiries, like when you apply for credit, will lower your score. Soft inquiries, like when you check your own credit, do not affect the credit score at all."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How are cast iron skillets sanitary? | [
"> **ELI5: How are cast iron skillets sanitary?** Because, like any other utensil you cook and/or eat with: you are supposed to clean it after use."
] | [
"Plastic won't hold heat the way metal utensils and glass do, so less evaporation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What are memories and how are we able to conjure up older ones at random? | [
"Apparently every time we remember something the original memory gets overlaid by the memory of it, if that makes any sense, so if you’re remembering something from years ago you aren’t recalling it exactly, you are remembering a memory of a memory... x however many times you’ve gone back to it.. that was what I pi... | [
"Because you are remembering the last time you filled out that paperwork and how it reminded you of that particular event. Memories are always being rewritten and reshaped. Most of the time when you think of a memory, you aren't really remembering the original memory, but instead remembering the last time you remem... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does your mobile phone upload / send data to a cellphonetower or WiFi router? | [
"Big antennae allow for greater range of both sending and receiving radio signals. That's why you could, back in the day, get a big ol' antenna for your car that would boost the range that you could hear a radio station by for a bit. The antenna in your phone is large enough to receive and transmit back to the cel... | [
"The same way you can create a wifi hotspot on your phone. Phone/Bus/Train connects to either a the mobile network or a satellite system. Then uses that link to serve WiFi."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does the International Space Station(The ISS) gets their Oxygen supply? Does it gets refilled on a regular basis? How does it gets refilled and what is the capacity of their Oxygen tank? | [
"Primarily via water electrolysis (running an electric current through water to break it down into Hydrogen and Oxygen), though they also get supply shipments from Earth every couple months. They also have a backup system that can generate oxygen by burning lithium perchlorate. Not quite sure what their storage cap... | [
"The space station is currently used for conducting experiments in micro gravity. But it can also be used as a checkpoint for longer missions that require heavy payloads. For example: if we want to send a ship to the moon we can send the ship without fuel to the ISS (International Space Station) and then send the f... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How oleophobic coating prevent my oily fingers from smudging my screen? | [
"Oleophobic coatings repel oil, so the oil on you fingers sticks to your fingers instead of the screen."
] | [
"Theyre a film of tough plastic so that when your screen would get scratched up, maybe rubbing on your keys in your pocket, or whatever else, the plastic gets scratched instead. It's literally just a barrier between your phone's screen and things that would hurt it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the difference between strategy and tactics? | [
"Tactics is choosing what you do on a battlefield. Strategy is choosing the battles. Tough that's a fairly simplified view that's the general split. Tactic refers to the art of maneuvering and planning during contact with the enemy, and planning the smaller steps of a larger plan. Strategy is the ability to make ... | [
"It's a big system. It also carries a bit from state to state. Are you interested in the application process? Policy? Logistics?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When dams are being built, how do they build it with all the water still there? | [
"They dont. They divert the water then build the dam. Then they divert the water back to where the dam is!"
] | [
"Dams have to destroy large areas to create a reservoir. Fish species are impacted. Lots of damage happens to the local ecology. Plus building a dam can't be done just anywhere, and in order to build up water you have to not be using it or divert other water sources into your new reservoir, causing further damage.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What is the riemann zeta function and is ζ(3) so important? | [
"some values of the zeta function are cleanly defined. zeta of two is pi^2 /6. zeta of 1 diverges towards positive infinity. zeta of negative 2 is 0. zeta of every even positive integer (n) can be written as a fraction of pi^n. zeta of three is a positive number that you can calculate using a spreadsheet or some w... | [
"It's not. In fact that sum diverges. So where does this \"fact\" come from? There's this famous mathematical function called the zeta function. It can be expressed in certain parts of the (complex) plane as the sum of the natural numbers to the negative z power. This expression holds for instance when the the real... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How or why did the QWERTY keyboard become the primary/standard layout across most of the world? | [
"QWERTY became the standard back in the days of old fashioned typewriters. The way it was originally designed, people were jamming the ink ribbons due to typing too fast. To avoid this, the QWERTY style was introduced which forced people to type slower and reduce jamming issues."
] | [
"Keyboards originated with typewriters and at first where alphabetical. The issue is when you lay them out like that many frequently used keys are close together, and this means that the arms that hit the paper to make the actual letter where next to eachother. Thus typewriters where very prone to jam. So some smar... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How can a bank determine fraudulent activity from a single transaction? | [
"In current day banking it's just machine learning. They fed an AI with a bunch of labeled data, and now it's able to say which transaction is likely fraudulent and which is not; just like the YouTube algorithm showing you stuff you probably want to click on. Noone knows what exactly the algorithm is thinking, just... | [
"The services need a way to pull funds from you in the event additional charges need to be made (say, if you never return a borrowed item). Credit cards offer a stronger promise of the ability to obtain funds than a debit card."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How can anesthetic cause death? | [
"Anesthesiologist here. The article doesn't say what his specific cause of death was. It certainly doesn't say that the anesthetic was somehow involved in his death, and this is extremely unlikely. Most adult bone marrow biopsies are done under local anesthetic, with or without sedation, and usually without an ane... | [
"Nobody really knows how anaesthetic agents work, including anaesthesiologists. There are a few theories though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why do most wounds leave scars instead of healing “fully” (i.e. without scarring) | [
"Our skin is like layers of sand. If only a little is scraped off the body heals it and you can’t tell there was injury. Like when a wave comes over a sand drawing. But if a deep crater is dug it goes through the entire top layer. Once that happens the skin simply can’t repair as well and you get a scar."
] | [
"Your gums do. Have you never had a cut on your gums? It heals eventually. It may take longer for your gums because when you chew you keep injuring it again, but it will heal. Edit: Seems like saliva actually speeds the healing of gums so that gums ultimately heal faster than skin."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Health and Medicine:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Health and Medicine:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Health and Medicine:"
} |
Why do most animals have many babies at once but humans usually only have one at a time? | [
"R vs k selection. Humans put tons of energy into one offspring at a time so it has a higher chance of survival. Some other animals put their energy into having tons of offspring but don't spend much energy on them each individually after birth, so even if some or most (in some cases) die, it's a net win"
] | [
"They are more like fraternal twins, so they have as much in common genetically as normal siblings. Dogs release multiple eggs during ovulation, whereas humans usually release only one, which is why multiple births are the norm in dogs and not humans. It's also possible for there to be two or more fathers to a litt... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do hard-boiled eggs give off a strong aroma and fried eggs don't? | [
"If your hard boiled eggs smell, you overcooked them. Overcooked eggs smell sulfur. So cook them less."
] | [
"Certain flavors are enhanced or dulled by temperature. Cold makes it hard to taste sweet. This is why melted ice cream or warm soda taste too sweet. Heat makes bitter less noticeable. This is why cold coffee tastes bad. And why cold vegetables can taste bad. Also changes in temperatures can cause fats to solidify.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can we walk for several hours but the fastest we can run isn't longer than 10-20s? | [
"Humans are built for stamina, most specifically something called the endurance hunt _URL_0_ When we go into a flat out run we start to use anaerobic respiration rather than aerobic respiration (basically exercise without using oxygen) this can give a large boost in the available energy, however it can only be used... | [
"The more you weigh, the more work you have to do to move yourself over a long distance. Sprinters need to be muscular since short distance events are more about accelerating to your top speed quickly and maintaining that speed for a few seconds while distance events are about maintaining a moderate (but still very... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do you have to refrigerate condiments after opening? | [
"They are sterilized as part of the packaging process, so they don't have anything living in them when you buy them. But as soon as you open them you expose them to the atmosphere, and it is full of organisms that get into your food and start growing. So you have to put the condiments in the refrigerator to slow do... | [
"Why can't you reheat things in the microwave twice?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What would happen if the United States of America paid off all its debts? | [
"Lots of bad financial stuff. Believe it or not, national debt is an asset that's used to tie the world together. When other countries hold some of our debt, they'll work to ensure that we're a prosperous nation because if we get into financial trouble, we might not be able to make our interest payments. So, place... | [
"If we stop paying the fee, the terrorists win."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
- What is the value of human life? | [
"I don't know if you mean this in a philosophical sense or a practical one. But for philosophical, only you can determine the value of a human life. A good starting point is to value your own, do you think anyone else should have claim over it? What would you charge to relinquish that claim? I imagine the price wo... | [
"Just a follow-up question to the original question - what about the reverse. What was Napoleon's view of the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
I have a fairly new computer but am able to do a recovery of thousands of images | [
"When you go to a web page, and there is a picture, the picture is downloaded to your browser cache. The browser deletes them when it's used how every much space you allocated for it, not usually a whole lot."
] | [
"One gathers the files, one applies it. Depending on what it is, if you started installing before you had all the pieces of the file, and something happened to the download, bad things could potentially happen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Technology:"
} |
Why doctors say in movies certain cases are “inoperable”? What causes issues to not be operable? | [
"It essentially means that the risks of the operation are too high to make it reasonable. Let's use thyroid cancer as an example. The thyroid is in your neck, it is not uncommon for it to get cancerous, and it can usually be surgically removed without too much problem (though killing with it radioactive iodide is ... | [
"In a regular surgery, the idea is to make the procedure as uncomplicated as possible, hence the restrictions. In emergency surgery, the concern is keeping people alive. As such, there may be extra complications in the surgery that may be due to something they have drank/eaten, but it usually pales in comparison to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why aren't all rockets launched from the equator? | [
"Do the best with what you have. Florida and California are US launch sites because they are good enough. There's certainly an advantage to an equator launch, but logistically and practically its far easier to launch from home... and cheaper! Baikonur (Kazakhstan) fits a similar idea... although being the USSR's la... | [
"putting stuff into orbit and beyond is too expensive. Much cheaper to just put it in a hole in the ground."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do blades get dull even if you only cut softer stuff with them? | [
"Cutting requires a sharp edge. A sharp edge doesn't need to be scratched by something harder to be dulled. The edge itself can be bent by constant contact with the cutting board. When bent, you now have a curved hook cutting rather than a sharp point. A honing rod helps unbend the blade edge so that a knife can cu... | [
"The edges of sharp knives are very thin. Any banging on other things in the dishwasher will damage them. Steel, no matter how \"stainless,\" will corrode if exposed to high heat, high humidity, and harsh chemicals, all of which exist inside your dishwasher. Better knives are made of steel which is less resistant t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is the alphabet ordered the way it is? Who’s to say that ‘R’ isn’t the first letter? | [
"It's right there in the word: \"alphabet\". \"Alpha\" is the first letter and \"beta\" is the second. This comes from ancient Greece. Alpha = 'A' and Beta = 'B', etc.."
] | [
"An allograph is a variation of a letter in another context. Uppercase and lowercase letters are allographs. Before the letter U was added to the Latin alphabet, the shape V was an allograph and stood for both the vowel U and the consonant V. It wasn’t until printing standardized letter shapes in the 1600s that the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why does soda from plastic bottles not taste as good as cans or glass? | [
"Plastic is more porous than metal or glass. Over time the air exchange makes the soda flatter in plastic. Also, plastic can leech chemicals into whatever it contains."
] | [
"Soda is created by taking a flavored syrup and carbonating it, which means adding carbon dioxide to create the bubbles. When it's bottled/canned, it's carbonated at the factory and sealed, sent to a store, and then you buy it, open it, and drink it. When you buy it from a fountain at a gas station or fast food pla... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How do free apps with no advertisements make money? I am trying to figure out how the Citizen App makes money? | [
"There are many ways free apps can make money’s Almost all free apps and sites have ad space they sell either it be a banner or a full section on the app. Many of them offer in app purchases or micro transactions which are a direct form of making money. Then some of them are able to sell information gathered from t... | [
"1. You can get your game out to more people, faster 2. You can make money on an ongoing basis, if players continue to play your game, as opposed to only getting paid once per user. Most businesses would rather have a steady stream of income. 3. You can potentially make a lot more money, and various success stories... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When steam forms on a mirror from a hot shower in the bathroom, why do lights above the mirror cause the steam to not form around the lights? | [
"Good question. The fog on mirrors is not steam. It's condensation. Condensation occurs when humid air touches a cold surface. Some of the water in the air loses heat to the cold surface, and this causes it to turn back into a liquid. But if the light keeps the glass warm, then water won't condense on it anymore."... | [
"This one is easy. The fire produced a lot of soot from burning dirty materials, which was carried by the smoke and settled thickly on the walls. When water is put on the fire to extinguish it, it creates lots and lots of steam. The temperature of the wall was a lot cooler than the temperature of the air in the roo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Like dams, how to they build seawalls when there's the ocean water already there? | [
"It depends on the type of seawall. Some are simply mounds of rocks just dropped into the ocean. The type you're probably thinking of are massive concrete structures like the Galveston Seawall. For those, they pour sections of concrete slabs then erect them in place at low tide."
] | [
"Because the water is under the ground under the lake bed as well, thats basically what it was doing until it became fully saturated and started to collect a pool"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why are two ears and eyes and four limbs nearly universal across the entirety of the animal kingdom instead of, e.g., three eyes and six limbs? | [
"It’s not. The vast majority of animals, both in terms of number of species and number of individuals, have 10 limbs. Of these, most are arranged so that there are six legs and four wings (or former wings)- these would be the insects."
] | [
"You are referring to sexes, not genders. There is no *theoretical* reason this could not happen. In fact earthworms are rather like this. However, evolution is not very good at exploring all the possibilities. Once a method works, it tends to just stick around. We have the same basic body architecture -- includin... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does heat make popcorn pop? | [
"A popcorn kernel has two parts: a hard outer shell and an inside made of (mostly) starch and water. As the popcorn kernel heats up the water turns to steam. The steam has nowhere to go because it's trapped by the outer shell. Pressure inside the kernel builds up. As more water turns to steam the pressure and heat ... | [
"Popcorn is harder than other corn kernels. The outside keeps water from escaping, causing kernels to explode. Other grains like sorghum and quinoa will pop though!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do skyscrapers not topple during an earthquake? | [
"They're designed in a way to absorb energy and not have it directly transfer into the weakest point of the structure. This is done with the choice or materials and geometry. The one word answer to this would be 'engineering'"
] | [
"Asphalt softens in high temperatures. Concrete cracks in cold temperatures. That should tell you everything you need to know."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does our metabolism change as we age? | [
"Since the metabolism is the sum of the chemical processes in your body, a **change** to the metabolism would mean any of many different processes changing, and you have different reasons for different processes changing. Some examples: **1) Puberty:** Puberty is a stage of our bodies development that serves the pu... | [
"Everything gets worse as we age. Your bodies ability to rapidly respond to stress deteriorates as you age. Getting drunk isn't any different."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why do gaming laptops with discrete graphics, i7 processors, etc not seem to function as well as desktops with the same specs? | [
"It probably has to do with the fact that laptops dont have a graphics card as big and as powerful as a normal gaming desktop would. Try playing a FPS on your pc without a graphics card... It runs like shit"
] | [
"An APU is basically the result of sticking a CPU and GPU on the same die. In less intialistic speech, they stuck the video card inside the processor. If you don't have extremely demanding video needs, or don't need to upgrade your video card, it tends to be cheaper than getting a CPU and a separate video card with... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why sometimes you cannot double your fists when you wake up? | [
"The body releases chemicals when you sleep that partially paralyze the body. This prevents things like running in your dreams from actually making you go through the motions of running, and generally keeps you from thrashing around. As you wake up your body releases chemicals that reverse the paralysis. They don't... | [
"It is all a myth. You **should** wake up a sleep walking person before they accidently harm themselves."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What exactly happens when milk goes bad/sour? Would adding fresh milk to old milk delay the process? | [
"The microbes that typically inhabit milk excrete acid as a by-product. This acid is what makes the milk begin to taste sour as the microbes multiply and eat more. This acidity is also what causes the proteins in the milk to clump and begin squeezing fat globules together to form curds, which separates the solids f... | [
"Because milk left out has had time for bacteria to grow. Heated up milk may be a better environment to grow bacteria, but you drink it way before they can reproduce enough to cause trouble."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Food Science:"
} |
Lots of data keeps on getting added to the internet every day. Where us all that stored? And who pays for the storage? | [
"It's stored on computers. If you need more storage, what do you do? Buy another hard drive. When Amazon needs more storage, they also buy another hard drive, they just have specialised equipment to have many more hard drives connected than you could in a regular desktop computer."
] | [
"They have to employ people and create infrastructure to build and maintain the software that runs the site, and also pay for the hardware and services and management to actually host an enormous and enormously popular resource. It's not at all trivial or cheap."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do companies that make free products like web browsers and linux version stay afloat? | [
"Some of them are open source projects meaning the contributors write them as research projects in their free time. They can use them in their CVs later. Surprisingly, these apps are very useable and stable. Ex.: Linux distributions. There are products with the companies would like to chain users to the other produ... | [
"Think about this; Of the OS upgrades become free, how much work/effort do you have to do to make sure your other products still work on older OS versions? How many different codebases do you have to maintain when it comes to security vulnerabilities/etc? Microsoft is trying to move to the market that iOS and Andro... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What are Chromosomes and how exactly do they work? Is there a difference between them and DNA? | [
"Chromosomes are structures composed of DNA. If the chromosome is a book, then DNA is the pages within that book."
] | [
"Living organisms exhibit: 1. Respiration 2. Movement 3. Excretion 4. Reproduction 5. Growth 6. Reaction or response to surrounding environment 7. They are made of cells Bacteria meet all of the above criteria. A virus is unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell. Because of this it doesn't fit traditional de... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Couldn't all animals, with enough time (however long), be domesticated? Why do people seem to insist it would be impossible to domesticate some animals? | [
"Domestication changes the genes of the species, and the changes don't seem to happen in everything we try to domesticate. We domesticated the wolf into dogs twice in different parts of the world in our history. But falconry has been practiced since before the establishment of the written word. It's referred to in ... | [
"They definitely are not. Forget millions of years, just a few thousand years ago dogs were wolves. Ever met a wolf? I assume not because you're alive. All modern animals have evolved a great deal over time, they just went in different directions. Asking why there are no kangaroo pilots is like asking why humans d... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about biology:"
} |
why our memories comes to us as if we are in 3rd person? | [
"Mine don't. Am I in the minority in this?"
] | [
"They'd experience their dreams the same way they experience real life, through their other senses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
When military powers such as the US Navy fire explosives into the water, how does that affect the fish in that area? | [
"Fish in the immediate area have a really bad day. Sort of like you would expect; wild animals on bombing ranges behave how you would expect if you dropped a bomb on them. I'm not really sure what you expected the answer to be."
] | [
"Most were underground tests. This means there wasn't a lot of crap thrown into the atmosphere."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do customers only get a dime for returning empty glass bottles at liquor stores? is glass actually that cheap? | [
"I once worked at a glass plant. Yes, glass is cheap to manufacture by the batch and easier to recycle than plastic (broken bottles or glass bottles that are reused too much are called cullet and are reheated to liquid to form new bottles). Glass is mainly made from silica which is basically sand. Plastics come in ... | [
"Because you (by you, I mean the consumer) don't pay a redemption value on other plastics you buy, even if it's made of the exact same plastic. If your soda bottle was made at the same factory as the ones who makes plastic containers for something else (say like the container for Orange Juice or Apple Juice) and yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does the sun's rays penetrate your skin harder when it is overcast/cloudy? | [
"They don't. When it is overcast you don't get as hot so you stay in the sun for longer. Maybe the sun rays are 20% weaker, but if you don't feel it as much you can stay exposed for twoce as long, for example."
] | [
"Is has something to do with more water vapor in the sky in the evening (prob after the sun warmed the earth all day causing evaporation and stuff). With all the clouds and water vapor in the sky they catch the light as the sun moves and makes the colors. Since it's cooler at night, there are less clouds in the sk... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
how do you get cranes on to the tops of skyscrapers? | [
"You send a small crane up, and use that to lift the big crane. They break down into smaller pieces. & #x200B; Also there is a method by which a crane builds the structure *underneath itself*, lifting itself up with jacks as it builds the structure."
] | [
"The sky is significantly lower in Europe; there's really not enough height to build such huge skyscrapers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
- A driver is pulled over for holding up traffic in a passing lane (with 20 cars behind them) is obviously in the wrong, but couldnt those other cars just go past them in the normal lane? Original post in comments. | [
"No, because a passing lane is specifically for passing. As in accelerating to pass a car and exiting the lane. Using a regular lane for passing creates unsafe driving situations for other vehicles on the road, and messes with flow of traffic across a HUGE distance after a while. Impeding the flow of traffic and im... | [
"Slower reflexes make them few as if people in the \"faster\" lanes are driving \"too fast\". So, rather than be tailgated or passed on either side they drive in the slow lane. I wish slow driving **younger** people would follow this practice."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can't we understand animals? | [
"Well we can. If you look for information you will see that we know a lot about dog's communication. There is two problems that we face. & #x200B; 1) Animals communicate, but don't have a language. A language is precise, but communication is messy. Try communicate with someone without using language, you have far ... | [
"In the real world why would anyone want to be a politician?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does tap water in a glass sometimes create small bubbles at the inside of the glass after some time and tastes not as good anymore as it did, when it got in the glass? (and at other places tap water doesn't do that seemingly) does anyone has an explanation? | [
"Although the other answers are correct, I don't think they speak to the phenomenon you're asking about exactly. What you seem to be describing - that sometimes when you leave water sitting in a glass for a long time it forms bubbles on the inside of the glass and sometimes it doesn't - it has to do with the barome... | [
"Because many states/countries requires all food and beverages to be marked with an expiration date. It is that simple. Even if you live i a state of country that doesn't have that requirement, chances are that the water you buy will still be marked with an expiration date. Just because it's simpler to mark all the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How can we measure blood oxygen saturation noninvasively but not blood glucose? | [
"Blood oxygen saturation is very easy to measure. You're looking at two *very* specific wavelengths of light, which corresponds to the wavelength at which the haemoglobin molecule absorbs light either with or without a bonded oxygen. Compare the two and calculate. Since glucose contains a whole bunch of bonds (C-O,... | [
"You can drink water. Measuring FBS is a good way to assess your body's regulation of blood glucose via the hormone insulin. After eating, blood sugar will be elevated but insulin should be secreted in order to reduce it. People with diabetes have an insulin problem - either via inadequate production or ineffective... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What determines Penis/Breast Size, and why does it differ, generally, around the globe? | [
"It is mostly genetics. Shape and size vary so much because there is no one single Gene that covers it. These are both traits that are affected by a wide variety of genes. Diet and nutrition also plays a part, especially for breasts, because breasts are mostly just fat tissue and a Diet severely lacking a nutrition... | [
"Genetics, some people have the genes for chest hair while some don't, it can also vary between races and ethnic groups."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is inflamed skin shinier and smoother than normal skin? | [
"Inflammation causes blood to leak out of your vessels. This helps white blood cells get to the infection. But fluid also leaks out as well. This swelling produces both of those effects."
] | [
"Number of sweat glands, oil glands, and general sensitivity. Skin on your face is a lot more sensitive than your arms or back for example."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how can citizens of one country sue the government of another country? | [
"They usually sue that other government in their own court system as that is who has jurisdiction in the area. In that case their authority comes from themselves."
] | [
"there are extradition treaties in place that say if a person commits a crime in Country A and flees to Country B, then Country B will send him back to Country A for a trial. but not all countries do this, which is why if you kill someone one the US, you should get yourself to Venezuela as fast as you can."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When underwater tunnels are built, why does a crack in the ceiling of the tunnel cause a powerful vacuum effect or a “blowout”? | [
"Neither. An underwater tunnel has high pressure water on the outside and atmospheric pressure air on the inside. If there is a crack, water squirts in, but in no sense is there a vacuum. Some crack geometries might let water in at the bottom and air out at the top, but only in very shallow water."
] | [
"Your friend is right, it is caused by a clap of gas rushing into the vacuum sending out the sound waves"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
What is cognitive dissonance? | [
"Let's say you smoke cigarettes. You know smoking is bad for your health, but you also enjoy smoking. The discomfort you have in your mind when you smoke or want to smoke is an example of cognitive dissonance. It's when you have two opposing/contradictory beliefs or values in your mind. It's similar to guilt. So in... | [
"How do you define your hints of schizophrenia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why do car keys (the one with buttons) only unlock your car and none others? Not even the same model? | [
"Small computers that are connected to eachother, they’re called immobilizers and they have specific codes to be in sync with a specific computer in a car"
] | [
"You don't need the key in the ignition for all of them, just the older ones. Newer push-button starters only need the key fob in range of the sensor in the car."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How does dust accumulate in a room when there are no open windows and no air conditioning vents or fans present? | [
"Some combination of dead skin and random debris carried in by occupants I would imagine. Even opening the door to the room will create enough draft to carry in pollen and such."
] | [
"I'm going to say it makes more sense to blow air out, since that's the way air is going to flow, anyway. All multi-story buildings have a strong \"chimney effect\": the air in the building warms and rises, drawing air into the basement. Trying to draw air into the top floor isn't going to change that. Instead, you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is Arkansas pronounced “Ar-Can-Saw” and not “Ar-Kansas”? | [
"ok I'm america, I'll explain. Arkansas was named in French, after a specific Native tribe. Kansas was named in English after the same tribe. In French, the S is silent, so in translation it was originally spelled Arkansaw but flipped when america was all \"no French here, France fuck off\" pronunciation stayed t... | [
"It's not technically pronounced \"winds-day,\" it's pronounced \"wends-day\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are there way more upsets in the NCAA men's basketball tournament compared to women's? | [
"There is not as much talent available in women's basketball as men's. Since the WNBA is nowhere the oppertunity the NBA a lot of women that could be high level athletes don't take athletics as seriously as talented men do. So with a limited amount of talent they tend to clump together in programs like UConn who d... | [
"A big part of the reason is that two of the most popular sports leagues in America, the NFL and the NBA, don't have minor leagues. The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) football and basketball conferences are essentially the minor leagues for the NFL and NBA, from which they draft the vast majority... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When bridge spanning across lakes or seas or any other large bodies of water, how do they build the massive concrete posts or pillar under the water? | [
"They drill down into bedrock to place the foundation for the pillars. Then they will usually build some sort of wall connected to the foundation, pump out all of the water, and then build in the open area."
] | [
"In some cases shipyards, which often produce heavy water traffic with quite tall ships, are located near the desired location to build bridge/tunnel. So instead of building a drawbridge, or bridges that are extremely high to let ships pass through, tunnels are just built instead."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what makes a meat "processed" | [
"Processed meat is any meat that is preserved by any of a number of methods, such as smoking, curing, salting, or addition of chemical preservatives. Examples of processed meat are bacon, salami, pepperoni, obviously bologna and hot dogs, most lunch meats, etc."
] | [
"Nuggets, Chicken-based sausage products, stuff like that. The meat is almost always ground up so it has a consistent texture. You can use ground chicken in a product and still call it 100% chicken, cause it is, but in order to say 100% chicken *breast* it better be breast meat."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If we're constantly shedding and making new skin, why do scars last a lifetime? | [
"Because with a scar you have damaged the deeper layers of skin where the new skin is being formed. Your skin has to try and fill in the void created by the injury and does so in a way that effects the new skin that will eventually be there."
] | [
"The sun's UV rays damage your DNA. This is how all cancers start, with damaged DNA. So, depending on what part of the DNA is damaged, it takes a long while for things inside the cell to build to a level where it becomes cancerous. A cancerous cell is one that grows and divides over and over and doesn't stop. These... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How do mirror neurons work? How do they know to mirror other people? | [
"I believe a mirror neuron (how we send signals in our body) fires when a person watches someone perform an activity without actually performing the activity themselves. What I believe happens is that the neuron increases myelination (the fatty coating around a neuron) so that when the observer goes to perform the ... | [
"We know tons about the brain. There are literally tens of thousands of papers on the brain. Neurosurgeons exist. We can even tell what parts of the brain do what. However, we don't know the most important stuff. What is consciousness? Where does it come from, and how does it work? How do elements from our consciou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why is scalp skin so different from other skin? | [
"The skin structure of scalp is basically the same as other parts of the body. However, since it has more lipid glands and sweat glands compared with other parts of the body, it becomes dirty very easily from sweat and sebum. Scalp has a lower barrier function and therefore it has a lower ability to maintain and re... | [
"Lips are red/pink ish due to the skin being extremely thin compared to the rest of the body"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why do things turn black when burnt? | [
"Most things - 90% of all known chemicals - contain carbon, and carbon is* black. If the thing is completely oxidized all the carbon ends up as colourless CO2, but completely oxidizing a solid object using only atmospheric air and the heat it can produce on its own is quite hard, so some unburnt carbon is often le... | [
"Because the same air is coming out of your lungs and back out of your nose. Like asking why you taste food when throwing up."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Health:"
} |
why is everyone obsessed over bees and bee rights right now? | [
"Bees are a crucial part of the ecosystem, and are a good indicator species. They pollinate many plants which causes the growth and helps an ecosystem flourish, etc etc. Them dying off is an indicator that something is wrong/bad with the environment and on top of signaling something already wrong, if/when/where the... | [
"i have no clue what's happening, all i'm hearing is a lotta angry people and bad press. Hoping there's 2 sides to every story. Also who's australia in debt to anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In the tv show Shark Tank, some companies accept offers where they give up 51% of their equity, which from my understanding transfers majority ownership to the investor. How does this work, and why don’t the companies try to do a 50/50 deal? | [
"I think it's because there would be in an impasse if the owner (50% share) and the investor (50% share) disagreed on the direction of the company. If the ownership is 51%-49%, both parties still have essentially the same right to the company - but there is someone to break the tie in the case of controversial deci... | [
"The same way any other start up does. You have an amazing idea for a new company, but you don't have money to pay employees, rent office space, buy equipment, etc. You go to an investor like an angel investor, they offer to fund your company in exchange for the money for a percentage of the ownership. After a few... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What would happen if we tried to throw massive amounts of trash into volcanoes to reduce landfill size? | [
"Same thing that would happen if we incinerated the trash, except we’d have to truck it halfway across the continent to the nearest volcano, and we’d miss out on the opportunity to generate power from the heat. The trash would be turned into a lot of ash and greenhouse gases."
] | [
"There is plenty of ground to bury all our trash, and at some point in the future we might actually end up mining the area for useful resources. In the foreseeable future the plan is \"put some dirt on it\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do wheels looks like they are going slowly counter-clockwise when they are rotating clockwise going fast? | [
"This is a phenomenon called the [wagon-wheel effect](_URL_0_). You will likely get comments about how this only happens when light is strobing - you'll notice it with some lighting that doesn't correct AC current. The light blinks on and off, and between blinks the wheel does slightly less than one rotation. Since... | [
"Here is an analogy: Rotate the tires on a bicycle so that the inner tube nozzles are aligned in some way, such as both of them pointing up. As you ride the bike around, you will have no idea where the nozzles are pointing because you can't see them as you ride. As soon as you stop the bike and measure one tire, yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is my Macbook Air able to play videos at 1080p up to 4K, with a screen resolution of 1440x900? | [
"From wikipedia: > 1080p (1920×1080 px; also known as Full HD or FHD and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vertically; Obviously there's not enough pixels for standard 1080p. However, computer... | [
"The laptop screen might be limited to 768P, but that doesn't mean that the video card on your laptop is limited to that. The video card probably supports a very wide variety of resolutions - its ability to drive a 1080p monitor will depend on the quality of the video card. e.g. some entry level graphics cards or t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is scrotal skin so different from other skin? | [
"Because it has a very particular job that other skin doesn't. Your testicles have to be kept at a certain temperature, one that's lower than the rest of your body. So your scrotum needs to be able to adapt to temperature and then respond by raising or lowering the testicles, becoming thicker, or thinner and shrink... | [
"Number of sweat glands, oil glands, and general sensitivity. Skin on your face is a lot more sensitive than your arms or back for example."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How was the global average temperature during the last ice age only 4 degrees colder than during the late twentieth century? | [
"The average temperature at the edge of the ice sheets is near 0C (as it must be at the boundary between water and ice). Currently, the average global temperature is near 15C, and the ice sheets manage to cover a large portion of our planet around the poles. 4C is a large portion of the difference between 15C and 0... | [
"That's just an average. As a comparative, this year's earth's average is 33.56 °F (0.87 °C). Barely above water freezing point. A few decades ago this number was below freezing. A summer day on Mars may get up to 70 °F (20 °C) near the equator. Warm enough for liquid water, with or without salts."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do some phone chargers work better than others? Is it the cord? The adapter? Both? | [
"Short answer, both. The adapters are usually rated 1A or 2.1A (USB is 5v). Most tablets and new phones use the higher 2.1A but some older phones will come with a 1A. Apple sell this as a fast charger when it's now mostly standard for phones. There are also custom adapters that have QI or dash charge capabilities. ... | [
"I have two chargers on my desk, one which says 12W and one which says 10W. The 12W charges my phone faster. The more power they are able to provide, the faster the charging will go. Have a look for the power values of the two chargers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is it easy to read things we're holding up in front of ourselves but not easy to read things other people are holding up in front of us? (Like an article on a phone or something) | [
"Because the other person is moving it. It doesn't take much movement. Since it's another person moving it becomes unpredictable and your eyes send to be \"chasing\" and don't properly focus. If it's father away (and large enough to read in the first place) it is much easier since movement far away is easier to fol... | [
"Because their eyes are generally pointed away from the screen. They don't necessarily see what's happening on the screen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Cognitive psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Cognitive psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are we able to "hallucinate" so vividly while reading? It's like half of your brain focuses on reading while the other half plays a movie and somehow it all works. | [
"That isn’t experienced by everyone. I certainly don’t have anything remotely like a movie playing in my head when I read, all I see is the words and their meaning. r/aphantasia is populated by people who cannot “see” pictures in their head at all. People think and conceptualise in such a wide variety of ways. Pi... | [
"Very ELI5, because schizophrenia and other diseases like it are poorly understood and complicated: You know when you dream, you're hearing and seeing things that aren't real? Or you're imaging a future conversation, including what the other person's saying? Or you're daydreaming about something else and you've zo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is it emphasised to log out of accounts, even when at home? | [
"Imagine it like this: You check in at a hotel, I verify your identity and give you a keycard to your room. When you're ready to checkout, you give the card back. However, if someone (A hacker) copies your card, they can get into that room while you still haven't checked out. But as soon as you checkout, that card ... | [
"Do not use services such as Google, Facebook, Tinder, Snapchat, Twitter etc. Make use of a VPN and use the TOR network for browsing the internet. Making sure that you have adjusted the settings so you aren't leaving breadcrumbs after you've finished."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How dangerous is uranium mining and what are its positives/negatives? | [
"The risks are not that great mainly because the Uranium isn't purified so radioactivity is fairly limited. However in underground mining there can be significant build up of Radon gas which can very easily become lethal _URL_0_ however if the levels are monitored it would be less risky than many other types of und... | [
"Pros of nuclear power: * No carbon emissions * Reliable, stable source of power * Cheap once the power station is built * Fuel has a lot of energy packed into it and will take a very long time to run out Cons of nuclear power: * Very expensive initial investment * Is ultimately non-renewable * Waste products are h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What is it about apple cider vinegar that makes it useful in so many different applications? | [
"it is a pretty good acid that is strong but not strong enough to be harmful at normal quantities and concentrations"
] | [
"They won't upset your stomach and the simple carbs are decent to give you some energy. Ginger ale, and ginger in general has been used for a couple thousand years to quell nausea."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Health and Wellness:"
} |
how can an earthquake change the Earth's rotation speed if there's no external force on the Earth? | [
"Just like how a spinning ice skater pulling her arms in will spin faster. The moment of inertia changes which causes a change in angular velocity such that angular momentum is conserved."
] | [
"> why dont we feel the earth spinning. We cant feel velocity, because velocity alone doesn't create a force. In order for us to be able to feel something it has to have an acceleration. Its like when your in a car going a constant speed, and you dont feel like your moving until you either speed up or slow down. It... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What exactly causes a silver lining to occur around a cloud? | [
"Sunlight reflecting off of the surface of the cloud. At the edges of the cloud, there is more surface to reflect back at you if angled just right, so it ends up brighter."
] | [
"They have more density due to the water which blocks out the light, causing a shadow on the underside. If you were looking down onto the same cloud it’ll still be white."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I have heard many times that Mozart was a generational genius who significantly changed music. What was it that he did that was so different than what came before? | [
"He added far more style, by means of bouncier melodies with a lot more going on. It would be like only having stringed instruments and then bringing in the brass and woodwinds but on a larger scale. The complexity/intricacy, the mood, and his ability to keep producing rocketed him to the top of the classical chart... | [
"I read a book a couple years ago: The Book of Total Genius and it asked the question \"What is genius?\", and it basically said that having a very high IQ might give you a genius-level IQ but it is obsession, passion and whether your contributions stand the test of time that make you a genius. Mozart, da Vinci and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is learned ambidexterity believed to have negative side effects on the brain? What should you look out for, and are there any significant studies on this? | [
"Could you explain why you think that being ambidextrous might have an issue? Did someone tell you this, did you read it somewhere? Any chance you can link us?"
] | [
"The capacity to absorb and use information would be determined genetically, and different people have different genes. Furthermore, regardless of theoretical capacity, the actual growth of your brain is greatly affected by diet and nutrition (especially early on). Lastly, your capacity for absorbing and using info... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about science:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about science:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How often are new species are being discovered? How are we still constantly discovering new ones? | [
"The answer lies in your assumptions being wrong. Humans have not been around that long and we have not reached a point where we know much about our planet. Something like 95% of our oceans are unexplored. Estimates of about 80% of animals are still undiscovered. Places like rainforests, jungles, caves are focused ... | [
"As far as I gather, there's not much significant about it aside from it being warm blooded. Given that we didn't think warm blooded fish were a thing up until now, that makes it a pretty important discovery. It's like discovering a new bone in the human body - it's not that impressive on its own, but it's amazing ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why and how do moles on the skin appear? | [
"Skin color is determined by a pigment called melanin. Melanin is produced by a type of skin cell called a melanocyte. The concentration of melanin, how much is produced, determines light skin vs dark skin. When a cells DNA becomes damaged it's operating instructions become corrupted. Not all skin cells are always ... | [
"Hormones lead to the darkening of the pubic area in some people."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Health and Wellness:"
} |
How does Electricity (electrons) turn into light (photons)? | [
"There are several ways. The easiest is an incandescent light bulb. The electrons are forced through a thin wire. They bump into the electrons of the atoms in the wire, giving them energy. Add enough energy and the metal gets really hot. When it's hot enough, the electrons have to occupy orbitals that are farther f... | [
"Two kinds of radiation, Electromagnetic(light) and particle. EM radiation comes in the form of radio, micro, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma rays. Particle radiation comes from radioactive decay of unstable atoms. When an atom decays, it releases either an Alpha particle( helium nuclei), a Beta pa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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