query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why don’t saltwater fish absorb the salinity of the oceans and taste salty? | [
"Water concentration inside a fish is higher than in the ocean itself because the ocean is so salty. As a result, most saltwater fish constantly lose water through their gills and skin. To get rid of excess salt, the fish's kidneys pump lots of salt into its urine. tldr; they piss it out"
] | [
"They intake the food, and then blow outwards, spitting the water out of their mouth while keeping the food trapped inside (Humans can do this too. Put something in your mouth, for instance a small bit of carrot, then pour in some water. You can spit the water out through your teeth) The food is then swallowed whol... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What is the sensation that we experience when we sleep that feels like falling and causes us to wake up suddenly? | [
"It’s called a hypnic jerk and it’s a muscle spasm that we can’t control. Think of it like sleep hiccups. Some people think it’s caused when your brain is trying to take over at the same time youre about to go to sleep. Other people feel like it’s evolutionary. Our monkey minds are telling us we’re falling from a t... | [
"There are different levels of consciousness, it's not like you are 'either conscious or unconscious' and when you are asleep and dreaming you are quite close to the level where you can wake up and be aware of your surroundings - you know how sometimes a real physical sensation when you are asleep, such as being co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is that some some bugs lay on their back when they die? | [
"Bug legs are similar to how hydraulics work, moving fluid around inside to make them extend and contract. When the bug dies, there’s no pressure extending the legs outwards so they all curl in."
] | [
"Moths live short periods, don't have mouths and do not eat. It is likely he's dead. Moths will appear to sit in one place for days. They are dead and their corpses are stuck to the wall because they have sticky feet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why can't nuclear waste be neutralized? | [
"Its not like acidic or caustic liquid that can be \"neutralized\". Nuclear waste has products that are radioactive by nature and the only way to fix that is to allow them to decay until they are stable. Which usually involves several steps and each one releases some form of radiation. The only way to bypass this w... | [
"We do not have any process to cause radioactive materials to decay faster. That means the best we can do is try to either seal it up, or move it somewhere else then seal it up. One way is to use certain types of plants which like to absorb radioactive materials. It makes the plants radioactive, but it sucks the r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does a transformer work? | [
"When you move a wire though an electromagnetic field you can induce a current in the wire... The same works the other way where if you \"move\" the electric or magnetic field relative to the wire it can induce a current in the wire. As well, a current going through a wire will create its own electric and magnetic ... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Are the emissions of the hydrogen vehicles neutral to the environment? | [
"The amount of water vapor they produce is trivial compared to natural evaporation. It's basically neutral, yes."
] | [
"Aside from the economies of scale for power generation. Many countries are moving towards renewable power generation as well which compounds the environmental impact reduction. But if you really want to have an honest conversation about it, ask about the heavy metals and rare earth mineral mining that it takes to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How does cutting steak against the grain affect the texture? | [
"Long grain makes the meat chewy. Cutting it with the grain will leave long grains, but against it will make them smaller."
] | [
"Meat is mostly water, with some protein and fat. When it is cooked, the muscle fibers contract, both in diameter and length, squeezing out water. The more water squeezed out, the tougher it gets. The temperature you cook at also affects how tender a piece of meat will be, slow cooking at a low temperature will yie... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How does making the '8' sign in Google Maps improves the compass accuracy? | [
"The compass in the phone does not work the same way as the old whiskey compass. Both are trying to locate the direction of the magnetic field but where a whiskey compass will have a needle that spins around until it points in the right way the phone compass is stuck in place and can only measure the magnetic field... | [
"Because large hit targets are much more pleasant to use on a mobile device than zooming in and panning to find the right button. What do you think is not intuitive about the mobile site?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How does rain make sand dunes fall down when just a bit of water makes sand harder? | [
"The sand on the outside of the dune gets heavy with water, then the dry crumbly sand in the middle can't support the weight so it falls down"
] | [
"Dirt gets blown by wind, and washed by rain water to cover things. Stone will also sink when the ground gets wet if it is not sitting on bedrock. These three things will slowly bury things over hundreds and thousands of years."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why is it easy to cross eyes inward (towards nose) but not outward? | [
"Because when you cross your eyes inward you can focus both of them on your nose. Which is what they're designed to do. You can't focus your eyes on two separate objects at once, as you would need tot to cross them outwards"
] | [
"You may find this cool - it can creep people out too Try crossing your eyes and without readjusting your sight by focusing straight ahead first, immediately try to look to either your left or your right (don't turn your head, just use your eyes) Essentially one of your eyes is already looking that direction, so it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Biology:"
} |
Why is it impossible to change from first gear to reverse while driving, but not the other way around? | [
"Forward gears have synchros, where reverse gear usually doesn't. Synchros help to synchronise the speed of the output shaft of the gearbox(connected to wheels) to the speed of the input shaft(connected to clutch plate). This helps the gears mesh without grinding when shifting between gears. The reason they are oft... | [
"The button is a safety feature I believe to prevent you from bumping the shifter into another selection when it would be either dangerous or damaging to the vehicle to do so. You need to push it to go in or out of P for example because you don’t want to accidentally go into P while moving or out of P when parked.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between a Geiger Counters and Dosimeters. Where would you and not use them. | [
"A Geiger counter measures the amount of ion pairs created every 60 seconds, so you can see how much radiation exists (although, a Geiger counter won't tell you *what* radiation is created, which you may want to know). A dosimeter simply tallies all the radiation it's been exposed to. So if the Geiger counter is yo... | [
"Can someone explain the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer's, please?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what causes the pain in a headache? | [
"OP we **do not know** the answer to this and I regret to inform you some will speak as if they do. There are *many* causes of headache, some more obvious than the other. For instance, some have told you already how it has something to do with the nerves. You do not have sensation in your brain. Local anesthetic is... | [
"It puts pressure on nerves in your face and scalp. This causes pain and pain in the head is a headache."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can’t people walk after certain injuries (not obvious paralyzing injuries)? Do you just forget how to walk and have to remember? | [
"Sometimes the injury is to the leg, hip, or back and it prevents walking for a time. Sometimes it is to the head, ears, or toes and changes balance and so that has to be relearned or recovered from. With the elderly you also see a lot of people barely being strong enough to walk getting an ailment that puts them... | [
"It's hard to answer questions about specific injuries. Perhaps the nerves were damaged? If the body can't communicate damage to the brain, then you won't feel pain until/if those nerves heal."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How can a solid material be transparent? | [
"Different molecules will absorb different wavelengths of light, based on the possible energy of the electrons in the molecules. If the light isn't absorbed, it goes through (is transmitted). Glass is transparent because there are no possible energy level for its electrons that match visible light. There are some ... | [
"Is it possible to get a better picture with a little more light?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If the sun is in space, why is there light on earth, but not in space? | [
"because what humans perceive as light, is just light reflecting off objects in space there is nothing for the light to reflect off of, therefore space looks eternally dark"
] | [
"Sometimes the sun is in the sky alone, sometimes the moon is in the sky alone, sometimes they are both in the sky. If the sun is in the sky, we call it day so sometimes we will see the moon during the day. If, on the other hand, we called it night when the moon is in the sky, then we would sometimes see the sun at... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do both eyes blink at the same time? | [
"When you use two eyes, your brain is stitching together information from two sources, pretty flawlessly, to give you a sense of depth perception. There is a lot of overlap in what each eye sees, and your brain needs to sort out how it all makes sense. Blinking with one eye at a time (winking), would mean disrupti... | [
"A lot of nerves in your ear canal link to most of your body. Tickling them makes your blood pressure drop and thus leads to pleasure. At least that's what I read. Correct me if I'm wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Health and wellness:"
} |
How does an “Acquired taste” work? | [
"The brain is very adaptive. Certain tastes the brain interprets that they should be avoided because they are new and potentially hazardous to the body. However the brain is predisposed to want to be \"happy\". So if you regularly expose yourself to these types of tastes and learn nothing bad is happening then the ... | [
"What does the Pope handle on a day to day basis?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did large congregations of people hear speeches (i.e. Lincoln's address, and countless other older speeches) without the use of microphones? | [
"If people are quiet, and there is no traffic or other sources of noise nearby, the voice of a single shouting man can be clearly heard for quite a long way away. In addition the large congregations were usually held at big amphitheaters which are specifically designed to help the sound from the stage carry outward... | [
"Politicians to this day have a certain way of speaking, taking it clause-by-clause with lots of pauses. This is partly to lend importance to their speech; and partly because in public speaking, especially in large open spaces, you often have to pause a lot because of echoes from the PA system. Announcers and perfo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Where does the idea/synonym of being "hot" as being beautiful/handsome come from? | [
"it comes from feeling flushed, when blood rises to the surface. your face and maybe neck will turn red, you will feel warm, maybe a little lightheaded."
] | [
"Terrific used to mean about the same as terrible: something that causes terror. In the 1800's it started meaning good things. The process by which a negative word takes on positive meanings is \"amelioration\". *Why* it happens is unclear, like a lot of language evolution. But there are more modern examples of \"b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
They say cigarettes contain stuff like benzene, acetone, and chloroform which are all volatile solvents. How can they exist in a cigarette if they evaporate at room temperature? | [
"They’re created as a byproduct of burning the cigarette, not “in it” as individual molecules to begin with. It’s the same reason that burning hydrogen produces water as a byproduct (because the hydrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air and produces H2O)."
] | [
"Forget the nicotine, that is not what is bad about smoking. smoking is bad for you because of the chemistry that happens when you burn stuff. It's why people die from smoke inhalation during house fires. Smoking causes you to ingest all sorts of toxic chemicals. Not because they are put into cigarettes, but becaus... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is sweating good for your health? | [
"It keeps you from overheating and flushes out your sweat glands, keeping them from clogging and getting infected."
] | [
"What source says that alcohol is bad for your teeth?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why is today Tuesday? By that I mean why isn't the week shifted over x days? What decided when the first week ever started? | [
"Our current calendar, the Gregorian calendar, was based off a previous, very similair calendar, the Julian Calendar, which was in use since the early Roman Empire. The current calendar started in the late 1500s, but adoption in different areas varied over the next about 400 years, but was in widespread use in Euro... | [
"There's an argument about actually having 13 months all with 28 days. Which would be 364 days. The last day of the year would be a single day under no month. Then when there is leap year there will be a additional single day at the end of the year that is not part of any month either. What this would do is it woul... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Whats the purpose of a table read? | [
"* It's the first time the cast and crew have assembled, so it can serve as a general meeting to discuss what the film/episode/play is going to be about and the goal of the production overall * It allows everyone involved to see what the project is going to be and what their role in it is * It allows the actors a c... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do some diseases require agonist drugs to be stopped? | [
"Involuntary actions in your body (things you can't control, such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) are essentially controlled by receptors and enzymes, which act as gateways and messengers. A lot of common diseases involve systems we can't directly control (diabetes, high blood pressure), so we use d... | [
"Overuse of antifungals, antibacterials and the like can lead to resistant strains. Various medications have notable side effects, or are dangerous when taken in conjunction with other types of medication."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Are humans/apes the only animal species with belly buttons? | [
"All mammals (excluding marsupials and monotremes) have an umbilical cord. A lot of them just have a scar though, from where the mother would chew off the umbilical cord, rather than a pronounced belly button like us. The smaller scars are often hard to find."
] | [
"I think you have a misconception of how niches work. But humans have been apex predators as long as we've been humans."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do schools force students to specifically use a No. 2 Pencil as a writing utensil when taking exams? | [
"There used to be a Scantron machine that would check the bubbles automatically. Needed to be dark enough for it to work. Not as important anymore, but I'm sure popular in some schools"
] | [
"The number on the pencil is the hardness of the graphite. #2 pencils are detected most easily by scoring machines. Yes, there are #1 pencils, and #3 and up, and they are used primarily by artists."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do hackers use brute force attacks like dictionary attacks if I get locked out of my account after 3 failed attempts? | [
"Usually they do this either on systems that don't have such lockouts (to prevent just those kinds of attacks) or they steal an encrypted database and can try those attacks on them at their own leasure."
] | [
"Systems that process logins and billing are typically built with logging that tracks logon attempts and IP addresses. Most likely someone phoned in to say that their account got hacked. Sony reviewed the logs, found that an unusual IP address was accessing the account, and they did a look up to find out what other... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do planets have circular rings, why not a debris cloud covering the planets instead? | [
"Because of the way orbits work. And object in orbit around a planet can only orbit around the planets centre. So if you had a debris cloud, then objects in that cloud will have orbits that cross. That means that, given enough time, then they will collide, or at least get close enough to each other for their gravit... | [
"We believe it had suffered a massive impact with a Mars sized object which was so devastating, at the right angle, and with enough energy, that it reversed it's rotation. During the formation of the solar system, we were a cloud of dust and gas. Over time, gravity caused that dust to clump together. This doesn't h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
how does trading in a car work | [
"Cars don’t hold value long. As time goes by and you put miles on it it’s not worth what you originally paid for."
] | [
"they do. it can also donate the coins directly to a charity of your choice. it may just be that your particular branch doesnt have the machine."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why do our eyelids seem so hard to lift when we’re tired? | [
"When you get tired, your muscles are also tired/you don't want to use them too much. Your eyelids aren't just skin, they have muscle as well (and when muscles get tired, they can get weaker/feel heavier). Eyelids especially are quite prone to this sort of heavy feeling because you use them frequently during the da... | [
"There are a lot of nerves in our faces. Stimulating these nerves helps to keep you awake. This is why you see babies doing this a lot when they are tired and don't want to go to sleep yet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What determines if a molecular compound is polar or not? | [
"The characteristic that determines polarity is called *[electronegativity](_URL_0_)*, the tendency of an atom, when bonded, to pull electrons to itself. A sufficiently high difference in electronegativity leads to the formation of an ionic bond; a sufficiently low difference in electronegativity leads to a nonpola... | [
"Water is liquid because of polarity within the molecules, and hydrogen bonding between the molecules. These two factors promote attraction between molecules. HCl and H2S don't have as much attraction between molecules, so they become gases more easily."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How can double jeopardy be enforced if you can have a “first” trial multiple times as in the case of Curtis Flowers? | [
"~~The double jeopardy rule only applies when the accused is actually aquitted in trial.~~ > Jeopardy attaches after a conviction, and acquittal, or a dismissal after the trial jury has been sworn (or after the first witness has been sworn in a bench trial). OJ was found not guilty by the jury hence the rule appli... | [
"Because he wasn't tried in a state court, he was tried in federal court -- and federal law allows for the death penalty."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do U.S. Citizens have to file their Income Taxes? | [
"The IRS takes money out of our paychecks, but it's a guess based on what they think we'll owe. Come tax season, it's possible we may have overpaid or underpaid. People also have sources of income other than paychecks (real estate, investments, inheritance, capital gains..etc) and taxes have to be paid on those thi... | [
"Well there are plenty of benefits of becoming a us citizen, just to name a few: _URL_0_ able to sponsor family members so they can obtain green cards and legally immigrate to the United States. 2.Children of U.S. citizens are automatically U.S. citizens by birth (in most cases, even if born outside the United Stat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do US grocery stores refrigerate eggs while UK stores do not? | [
"In the US, eggs have to be washed. This reduces the chance of salmonella contamination, but it also washes off a protective layer that keeps bacteria from entering the shell. As as result, we have to refrigerate them to keep bacteria from growing. In Europe and many other places, the eggs aren't washed. This means... | [
"You don't have to refrigerate eggs, but like a lot of other foods it makes them stay fresh longer. When eggs are washed (as they are before put in cartons to be sold at grocery stores) they spoil pretty quickly. And you're right, eggs that you're going to cook (for most preparations at least) actually should be at... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why does everyone say press ( F ) to pay respect? | [
"There was a interactive cutscene in call of duty advanced warfare where after a mission where a comrade died you go to the funeral and then the game comes to a halt as the prompt “press F to pay respects” pops up. It’s been done since."
] | [
"ELI5: You make peepee = press small button You make poopoo = press big button"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
If temperature is related to average kinetic energy or speed of the particles, why is fast flowing water not hot? | [
"It does heat up, very slightly Water in liquid form can hold 3-5 times its capacity, meaning the molecules are somewhat spaced out, And all flowing in the same direction. So while they produce kinetic energy, they don’t produce Heat Energy on their own. Striking your hand does generate a minuscule amount of heat... | [
"There is no hottest temperature. Temperature is a measure of how much energy, on average, is in the molecules of a gas. Zero energy, zero temperature. But there's no limit to the amount of energy a gas *can* have."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Physics:"
} |
How does country debt work if the country prints its own currency (ex USA). Why are people so concerned about it? | [
"Inventing more currency to pay off debt is one way to get rid of it, but doing that can seriously devalue the currency. Because, in very general terms, the more of something there is on the market, the less it is worth. Creating a few trillion extra dollars makes all the dollars in circulation worth less. Mostly p... | [
"> It seems like governments around the world are never even close to repaying their debts. The US government has paid their debt back on time every single time. > Why would a bank choose to lend them money? Because with the US at least its just about the safest investment you can make. Guaranteed interest over X... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What exactly are the rings around planets like Saturn? What are they made of? How were they formed? | [
"As far as we can tell, they are rocks and dust - leftovers from moons or asteroids that collided with each other and exploded."
] | [
"The only thing we know about Kepler-452b is its size and how far it is from its host star. Everything else is speculation and might not turn out to be true. But, those speculations are based on what we know about how planets form and the composition of the planets in our own solar system. So, we're not just guessi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about astronomy:"
} |
Why is it such that our body temperature is 36-37 Degree Celsius but we cannot stand the heat when it’s 32 Degree Celsius? | [
"I'm no biologist, but my understanding is that all warm blooded animals generate heat, and our bodies need to disipate heat in order to maintain a functioning body temperature. This works much better when the air temperature is cooler than our internal body temperature."
] | [
"In most cases \"hot in winter\" in far colder that \"hot in summer\" With the heater on and the fireplace on, the temperature will be between 25 and 30°C. In summer at 2AM, you're fine if it's only 25°C you have a problem when it's 40°C"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What causes the Sun to make our skin brown? | [
"Biologist here! Its a protection method by our body. As the UV radiation reaches the lower levels of our skin, it tickles melanocytes, cells that basically act like photoreceptors They detect the radiation and release Melanin, a pigment that browns our skin, making it harder for UV radiation to penetrate into th... | [
"I would like to know how this sunlight turns into Vitamin D too. Can I just lay an arm outside in the sun and get enough? How about just a finger or my head?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How does voice recognition work? | [
"it Essentially breaks down the sound recording into very tiny pieces and compares each piece with a known sound or phonemes (sounds you make when saying specific letters like p or t). It then tries to match up these sounds into words and sentences that make sense in the context it was used."
] | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do polarized sunglasses work? | [
"Light has a couple of characteristics. As you know, it has a wavelength (and a correlated frequency) and an amplitude. Light also has a *polarization,* which can be thought of as the amount of \"twist\" the wave has. If you picture a wave of light coming straight at you, with the peaks and troughs going straight u... | [
"Transition lens have photochromic dyes that only react the UV radiation. So only the Sun or UV emitting light would trigger the lenses to change color. Hopefully your office lights don't give off UV to the capacity to trigger transition lenses lol"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people see/hear terrifying things during sleep paralysis? | [
"A related question - I've had this experience and was amazed how my brain was able to overlay the nightmare onto what I was actually seeing with my open eyes, or at least that's what it seemed to me. Anyone know how this can happen? It was basically like augmented reality. I was frozen in bed and burglars were com... | [
"Your brain usually does a great job with separating reality from the subconscious (sleep, REM sleep, etc.) Sometimes, the two states of mind mingle and affect each other. This mingling is evident through sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What makes the letter "R" different from all the other letters? | [
"English does indeed have [R-colored vowels](_URL_0_), which are exactly what they sound like; you make the vowel but move your mouth towards the \"r\" shape, which \"colors\" the vowel and makes it sound like an R. This is partially because some types of consonant (in English, the R and L sounds in particular) com... | [
"There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, but it takes many more letters than 26 to make up a book."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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Why mist can contain salt (salt mist) but water vapor does not (desalination via distillation)? | [
"Salt mist as in sea mist is literally tiny drops of sea water splashing into the air, so it contains everything from the sea, including the salts. Water vapour is evaporated, the water boils into a gas and then condenses onto a cooler surface or in the cooler air, so it is chemically pure h2o."
] | [
"It has reached it's evaporation point. Water evaporates at any temperature above absolute zero - even frozen solid as ice through a process called sublimation. It hasn't reached it's *boiling* point, which is different from it's evaporation point. Water still evaporates below boiling."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Science:"
} |
Why can't astronauts "wash" their clothes by purging the bacteria into space. | [
"A few reasons. First is that not all bacteria will die when exposed to space. Second is that exposing clothes to vacuum doesn't remove any dirt or grime, so clothes aren't actually getting clean. Third is that there's not really any place to do that. Between visiting spacecraft and spacewalks taking place, the sta... | [
"There's not really anything to get clogged because space toilets don't have plumbing like Earth ones do. For solid waste, the astronaut \"sits\" over the opening which has a plastic bag underneath. There's gentle suction so the waste collects at the bottom of the bag. When he or she is finished, they push the bag ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How do platelets divide and multiply without having a nucleus? | [
"Platlettes are fragments of a progenitor cell called a megakaryocyte usually found in the bone marrow. _URL_0_ They are always present in your bloodstream. Once the clotting Cascade is activated by any of several mechanisms, they are activated which causes them to clump together and are then trapped by fibrin str... | [
"Most cells contain all of your DNA but there are cells that do not, the best example being your red blood cells which are basically bags of hemoglobin and lack both a nucleus and the DNA contained within it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do sport fishermen after, say Marlin, avoid catching Dolphins? | [
"Well, because you’re fishing for marlin, not dolphins! How you fish for marlin is that you boat around areas where you expect them to be and look for their fins sticking out of the water. They often skim the surface so this is the only way to find them. Marlin are solitary fish and when you’re lucky enough to see ... | [
"They have an exception for whale research. Did you know that if you harpoon a whale it'll die? We now know that thanks to Japan!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Has a single petition on _URL_0_ done anything at all? | [
"They helps express public opinions, so it's up to their target to decide whether listen to them or not. But many companies pays significant bills to their public relationships departments, so it's usually not in their interest to ignore public opinion. But business is business. If public requires something which c... | [
"See this post: _URL_0_ It has a definition for basically every type of road."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
If they say that all human cells replace themselves every 7 years or so, why can scars remain on your body for the entire life? | [
"because scar tissue is not the same *type* of tissue as surrounding tissue. So even if the scar tissue is replaced, it’s replaced with the tissue making it up, which does not look the same as the other tissue around it. For example if you get a small cut the tissue on either side of the cut divides and meets in th... | [
"Remember that humans are only designed to live about 20-30 years max. Hit puberty, breed a bunch and maybe help your offspring hit puberty. After that evolution doesn't really care what happens to you. If humans had evolved to prosper by attracting mates and breeding with them over and over for a hundred years we ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why isn't solar energy widely used? | [
"Solar cells, while the operating principle is simple, are very expensive and difficult to manufacture because of the ceramic materials required. (source: studying materials science and advanced functional materials at university.)"
] | [
"Solar panels covering the roof of a car would produce a minuscule amount of energy. It's not worth it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why does mobile signal fluctuate like this? | [
"The signal from the antenna isn't just a steady stream. It comes in waves, your signal depends on what those waves hit on the way to your phone and back again. Even moving your phone slighty can cause the signal to need going through a brick wall which will weaken the signal. There's alot of things that can cause ... | [
"My iPhone constantly connects to my Apple Watch and my Bluetooth headphones at the same time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are Formula 1 (F1) cars able to accelerate so quickly? | [
"They have a streamlined body to minimise air resistance as well as specialist engines that have maximised horsepower which combined with the light weight design of the body and also specific tyres types for different road surfaces allows it to get a good grip on the road and use its engine to accelerate faster tha... | [
"I would say that there are a couple of main differences. First, F1 teams build their own car from scratch, every single year. They manufacture the bodywork and many of the components in-house by themselves. Therefore, while they look similar, different teams have radically different cars and approaches. Indy car, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why don’t we see more creativity in modern car design? | [
"Because engeneering came to an understanding of drag, air resistace and space organization so deep that most principles are shared among many different models. So fast cars are always gonna look in a way that reduces all the forces that would stop them (think of all F1 cars). Family cars are designed in a way to a... | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do we represent molecular structures as beautiful alveolus-like schemas and do they actually look like that ? | [
"On that scale, to say that something \"looks\" like anything is incorrect. We're dealing with objects smaller than the wavelengths of visible light, so they don't have color the way we think of it. Furthermore, they don't really have a shape either, as objects behave like fuzzy clouds of here's-where-it-might-be r... | [
"In small enough scales there is no color. If the observed object is small enough the limited wavelength of light becomes an issue. So they use electron microscopes or similar instruments which don't rely on light to detect things, which results in images which don't have color. They are later often colorized to hi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do Glaciers move? | [
"Downhill. Yep, that's it. The glacier grows when more water falls onto it. It's huge weight presses down against the uneven mountain under it. Since the hill is inclined, the glacier slips downhill until it gets low enough to melt or it cracks and falls into the ocean (= icebergs). The forces involved are huge, an... | [
"* Dehydration from low fluid intake * Slow blink rate, causing dry eyes * Poor body posture * Hey. Hey. Hey Listen. Hey. Look. Hey. Hey. Hey. Look. Hey. Listen. Listen. Hey."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What happens in your ears when you "pop" them? | [
"It opens up the eustachian tube which connects the middle ear and the larynx. This allows the pressure behind your eardrums to equalise with the environmental pressure, which makes transmission of sound clearer."
] | [
"A lot of nerves in your ear canal link to most of your body. Tickling them makes your blood pressure drop and thus leads to pleasure. At least that's what I read. Correct me if I'm wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Health and wellness:"
} |
Why is the dark side of the Moon not black or shadow like as opposed to the transparent look it gives off during the day? | [
"It is, but the sky is closer to you than the Moon so when the sky is blue there's blue light coming from the direction of the Moon, which is more apparent when there isn't strong light coming off the Moon itself. Here I'm assuming you're using \"dark side of the Moon\" to refer to the part of the Moon visible fro... | [
"The moon cycle is not caused by the Earths shadow. It is caused by the Moons own shadow. If you were standing in the Sun then only half of you would be lit by the Sun and your other half would be in the shadow. It is the exact same thing with the Moon. Half of the Moon is lit by the Sun and the other half is in it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why does the enzyme catalase break down hydrogen peroxide? | [
"It takes hydrogen peroxide and combines together to make oxygen and water! That's why your not supposed to but hydrogen peroxide on your cuts because the bacteria on your cut are already exposed to the air and use it to live and divide. If you put hydrogen peroxide on them, since they are aerobes, they effectively... | [
"When an apple is cut (or bruised), oxygen is introduced into the injured plant tissue. When oxygen is present in cells, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes in the chloroplasts rapidly oxidize phenolic compounds naturally present in the apple tissues to o-quinones, colorless precursors to brown-colored secondary produ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are the Schumann Resonances? | [
"Like the walls of a guitar, the Earth's surface and ionosphere create a resonance chamber for electromagnetic waves. Like any resonator, it has specific frequencies it works best at, and because it is very large, those are very low frequencies. The only real world use I know of is using it to bounce radio signals... | [
"1. Predicting the weather 2. Modelling nuclear explosions"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
if every light emmiting diode is also a solar panel, why dont smartphones have the ability to charge via the sun? | [
"Mainly because they aren’t very efficient being used that way. It’s the same issue with microphones and speakers. They technically can be used interchangeably but a microphone makes a terrible speaker and a speaker makes a terrible microphone. LEDs are just better at emitting light. Also, solar panels are so bad a... | [
"LED is not laser. It's like a small bulb, just glowing and sending light everywhere. You can see LEDs on your devices (tv, router, usuall power on/off on everything), even if they are not directly pointing at you, right?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do diesel engines seem to outlast gasoline engines? Shouldn't they be built with the same stress safety factors built in and fail at around the same rate? | [
"Gasoline engines usually operate at 25-50% higher RPM and have longer piston strokes further increasing piston speed which causes increased wear on pistons and cylinders as well as stress on the connecting rods. Both rods and pistons also have to be lighter to accommodate the higher speed. Diesel engines on the ot... | [
"Service contracts. BMW used to recommend oil changes every 5000 miles or so, but then the marketing department got involved and offered free oil changes for the first X years, and once the dealers had to pay the cost of the service the interval magically tripled so you needed fewer of them. The effect is that with... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the "vibration" type sound that comes out of lower voices and why does it only happen in people with lower voices? | [
"Lower sound waves are larger (peaks and valleys are farther apart) so they vibrate objects more noticeably and travel farther. High voices vibrate things it's just so fast it isn't as noticeable. This is why bass seems to be heard from farther away than treble."
] | [
"Are you watching it on a TV or computer? You would be able to hear it in real life... It takes training your ear some, can you tell when a song sounds like one guitar but is actually two?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how come botulinum toxin is considered the most acutely lethal toxin but is widely used in the form of Botox? | [
"It’s all about dose and exposure. The doses used in injections are tiny in comparison. Plus the injection works mostly right where it is injected. The dose is small enough that all the toxin is used up in the muscle right where it is injected. If it was injected into a blood vessel (extremely, ultra rare on accide... | [
"Vitamin C helps to keep you from getting rickets, and aspirin is derived from a plant extract to alleviate headaches. Prunes really do help with constipation, and digitalis is heart medication derived from foxglove, if I recall correctly. Botulism toxin, from bacteria, really does paralyze muscles and change the l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
what happens with a donor organ's DNA after a successful transplant? | [
"The host cells keep the host's DNA and the implanted organ's cells keep the donor's DNA, and certainly possible future offspring will have the host's DNA only. They do not mix, the host cannot regenerate cells he does not have anymore only the organ itself can regenerate those cells (if it can regenerate), the hos... | [
"Organs from cancer patients are often automatically set as unusable for transplant. So it is somewhat rare that it would happen, but if it did happen it would spread quickly due to the anti-rejection drugs suppressing the immune system of the person getting a transplant."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is decoherence? | [
"States of a system in quantum mechanics are a probability distribution, having no fixed value but rather a continuum of possible values. They can also \"bind\" their information together in a way, creating a superposition. All of these states are fragile, however. Decoherence is when a quantum state is \"bumped\" ... | [
"While we wait for an answer to your question, could you give me an ELI5 on what Marjorana fermion is?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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How are talking birds able to so precisely enunciated words without lips and a larynx? | [
"Birds use an organ known as the [syrinx](_URL_0_) to produce sounds. While it is roughly analogous to the larynx in function, it is quite different in form. The main relevant differences are that it is lower down (found where the trachea splits as opposed to just below the head) and it's outer membranes vibrate ra... | [
"Because thought's capabilities are pretty much infinite, whereas our bodily abilities are limited. If you have heard an accent, you can generate it in your head through memory alone. But to speak in it your vocal cords and tongue and lips, pretty much your entire upper respiratory system needs to know the way to r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why does coffee creamer sometimes create a film over coffee? | [
"Coffee with creamer is not a solution (in which case all the parts of the fluid are mixed evenly and are very hard to separate, like with salt water or soda) but rather a suspension (in which the parts are not perfectly mixed, and can be physically separated out more easily, like straining the fat out of milk). Po... | [
"Hot water can saturate the mix better than cold water. As a bonus if you mix your powdered ice tea with 10% hot water, you can add the rest of cold water and not have that little bit of powder sitting in the bottom of the glass."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
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} |
How does muscle memory work? | [
"\"Muscle memory\" is a bit of a misnomer, since your muscles don't actually remember anything at all. The memory is still entirely neurological, and isn't really that different from other kinds of memories. You can think about a certain sight or smell, sound, or smell and call it to memory. Likewise, you can do so... | [
"Memory consolidation for your brain and physical rest for skeletal muscle."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
How does the granulation of baking soda affect its use? | [
"Food grade baking soda is a finer powder (~70microns) than refrigerator baking soda. The larger grains of refrigerator baking soda may affect the taste of your food if used for cooking - pockets of higher concentration, more difficult to dissolve, etc..."
] | [
"They have a melting point that is far higher than the point at which the metal is liquid. The composition of the items changes it's chemical properties, including melting points."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why your eyes/head feels weird when you wear glasses without needing them or with the wrong prescription | [
"You're feeling the muscles that control your eyes struggling to adjust them, to bring the image into focus, which isn't working."
] | [
"That is a myth. Wearing another person's glasses will temporarily make you unable to see correctly so you could hurt yourself. It will likely give you a headache as your eyes will really try to compensate for the fuzzy vision. The degree to which you are temporarily confused and how fast you get a headache will de... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do concerts blast music so loudly that you can hear it loud and clear in the back? | [
"Usually they use many different groups of speakers, some located partway back."
] | [
"To get over the ambient noise. People don't shut up, and hundreds to thousands of people all yammering away that's a lot of noise to get over top of. Go to a busy restaurant, and then sit for a few minutes and listen to how loud it actually gets with so many people talking."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it conventional thinking to give two weeks notice to leave your job in the US when the majority of us are employed at-will and can be fired at a moment's notice for any or no reason at all? | [
"The general idea behind it is that you don’t want to burn bridges. If you give a two weeks notice, not only do you look better to the job you’re going to, but the employer you’re leaving will remember that. So if something happens and you’re suddenly out of work, you have a fallback option. That being said, it is ... | [
"> My boss tells my coworkers and I all the time that he can fire us for any reason whenever he wants because we are an at-will state. He is (more or less) correct. There are some restrictions (he cannot fire you for your race as an example) but otherwise he can just fire you because he thinks your shoes are dumb. ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do phones lose battery faster when it is hot/sunny? | [
"I would agree with the first poster and add my own \"yes and\" When phones are using power a byproduct is heat. So when the battery gets hot it speeds up the discharge process."
] | [
"Leave your phone at a 40% charge and turn it off, and it will last almost as well as when it was in stock storage."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why are banana's considered berries? | [
"A berry is a juicy fruit with seeds rather than a stone inside the fruit body, it doesn't have to be round so a banana fits the description of a berry."
] | [
"Cucumbers and Avocados have their seeds on the inside. Strawberries have their seeds on the outside. Bananas are also technically berries, because when we don't breed them to be seedless their seeds are on the inside too."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What are high and low pressure weather systems? What causes them and what makes them move? | [
"The Earth be is not heated evenly. At the bare basics you have the night side, and then the poles compared to the equator. This causes zones of hot air that tends to be lighter, and cold sir that tends to be heavier. Heavy air presses down on the material beneath it more, creating a high pressure done. By this pus... | [
"It has to do with geography. Because of where the area is located, warm air masses and cold air masses often come in contact with one another. Those are the main ingredients for a tornado."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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In animation, what is rendering and why does it take so long? | [
"A lot of animation is done using wireframe and low-detail figures to sort of rough out the picture, to which high-quality details like lighting are applied. The process of applying those high-quality details is called \"rendering,\" and it involves a ridiculous amount of math and calculating all the effects at ev... | [
"Because movies have the luxury of spending hours, or even days, rendering a single frame of the movie, since the end result won't change once it's produced. By contrast, a video game needs to render each frame in about 30 milliseconds so that it can respond immediately to your input. Clearly, you can get much high... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does headbanging hurt my head? | [
"...because you're banging your head? You're making a rapid, repetitive motion, flinging around your head and all the fluids and muscles in and around it."
] | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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How can Scientist view the Atoms of something with an Electron Microscope without seeing the Atoms that make up the lenses of the Microscope? | [
"Electron microscopes do not see things in the same sense as a microscope; it's an incredibly sensitive machine that detects the wavelengths of things with sensors. Think like echolocation or cat\\fish whiskers. Electron microscopes don't have lenses."
] | [
"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 post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When someone has a high pain tolerance, do they simply feel less pain or can they simply stand more pain compared to other people? | [
"It is a very hard thing to explain. I have a high pain tolerance. I can shove a needle into my hand easy. I do feel the pain, but it doesn't phase me and kinda tickles. I also just don't feel any pain with tattoos. It more than likely is different for the next person with high pain tolerance. Some might even just ... | [
"When you're asked how painful something feels on a scale from 1 - 10, you are judging the pain based on your previous experiences of pain. A badly scrapped knee when you're older doesn't feel too bad if you have previously broken a bone. However, for children, a scrapped knee could be the most painful thing that h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
When there are reports of contaminated food, why is it always with E. Coli? Why aren't other organisms more common, and/or why is E.Coli so good at growing on our food? | [
"There are plenty of organisms that are more common. It's just that they don't make us sick, so it goes unnoticed and unreported. It's a case of ignorance is bliss.. you really don't want to know what kind of little creepy crawlies are in your uncooked or undercooked food at the microscopic level."
] | [
"It is not that big of a threat. In fact, it’s pretty rare. You have to have an outbreak of salmonella infect chickens at the egg production facility and then eat those eggs in order to get the illness. It’s sort of like E. Coli - when there is an outbreak, everybody knows about it and is told to avoid certain prod... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do astronomers measure the distance a star is away from the Earth? | [
"Speed is distance over time, and since the speed of light has been measured to a fairly high degree they can take the numbers from (for example) two measurements from a month or so apart and figure out the difference between the two angles relative to Earth. Unless I'm wrong that's [parallax.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"A light year is how far light will travel in one year. If something is 600 light years away from earth, it will take light 600 years to travel from that object back to us."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why are wind turbines shaped like that? Would having wider blades or more than three blades give them more energy conversion for a given wind? | [
"It's about energy per unit cost. More blades extract more energy, but weigh more, so the energy is mostly spent making the big object rotate, not making electricity. It makes more sense where the momentum of the big wheel also helps deal with load changes, like a water pump. The load in a power generator is contro... | [
"There are a lot of factors at play but I'll try to summarize. Firstly is efficiency. The more number of blades means that the system is less efficient. This is because the blade operates in the wake of the blade in front of it. The blade moves air out of the way and therefore the following blade cannot lift as wel... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do birds chirp so early in the morning? | [
"OH! I know this one! Birds can see different light wave than humans, and becaude of this, they cas see the light of day in the early morning hours, even before we see any light. When they get up, they, like humans, want food, and they start chatting over worms and water, like we do for cereal and coffee."
] | [
"Here are a few ways to tell the two apart: 1. When butterflies land on something, their wings will be up vertically; moth wings will be flat horizontally 2. Butterflies are usually active during the day, while moths are more active at night There are some exceptions to this rule, but for the most part it works"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
If we share 98% of our dna with chimps, what do scientists mean when they say we get 2% of our dna from Neanderthals? | [
"Those are using two very different scales and measures. The cells of humans and cells of chimps have to do many of the same things. Things like breathing oxygen for energy, moving water around. Almost all cells do. The cell doesn't just know, all of it is encoded in DNA. [By that same token humans share 60% of... | [
"There cannot be a cat dog because cats and dogs do not have enough similarity in their chromosomes. A lot of interspecies cross breeding has to do with how similar the DNA. For example a gold fish has 96 chromosomes where as we only have 46. Gold fish and humans are not similar enough to produce offspring in gener... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
In a contract between two international parties, how is jurisdiction and enforcement decided? | [
"Normally it is stated specifically in the contract, and thus agreed upon by both parties: \"This agreement shall be interpreted under the laws of ___ and any disagreement shall be heard in the courts of ___.\" Or similar."
] | [
"For a company to be required to issue payments to people living outside the US, the case would have to have been heard in an [International Litigation] court. This case was heard and ruled on in a domestic court so it only applies to domestic residents."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
why does tea get cloudy when you cool it quickly? | [
"Chill Haze! It's part of whatever you used to make the tea. It's actually common in beer brewing too, certain malts create a haze in the beer when it is chilled. The exact chemistry behind it is beyond me, but it's caused by something in the tea leaves / seeds / herbs itself that causes it. In the case of high lev... | [
"-Regular coffee is brewed. -The water in the brewed coffee is evaporated out leaving only coffee solids. -The solids are ground into a uniform size and packaged. -Just add water to turn the coffee solids back into coffee. Source: I saw it on a \"How it's made\" show."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
what causes the weird feeling in your head/teeth when you need to pee really badly? | [
"Good heavens, I have never experienced or heard of that. Do you know other people who get this besides yourself?"
] | [
"I have this sometimes when I yawn, hurts like a son of a bitch. I'd also like to know what's going on"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How does hypnotising work and can you come out of it on your own? What does your brain do? | [
"Entertainment style stage hypnosis is fake. The people do what they say for the laughs. Clinical hypnosis is more like meditation where they suggest things you should change while you're zoning out, it imprints more strongly on your subconscious and your more likely to take the advice. In any case they can't mak... | [
"A lot of nerves in your ear canal link to most of your body. Tickling them makes your blood pressure drop and thus leads to pleasure. At least that's what I read. Correct me if I'm wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Health and wellness:"
} |
Why does moving when you have to pee make you feel less like you have to pee? | [
"Less pressure on the bladder; more muscles constricting lightens the load on the \"hold it in\" muscles"
] | [
"It doesn't. You already have to pee a lot. If you pee now, though, it just means you'll pee again later. If you wait to \"break the seal,\" when you finally do, you'll just pee more at once and then inevitably have to pee again later because you're drinking."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did old timey torches work? How did they burn for so long? How did the fire not just burn down the stick? | [
"They were often wrapped in a cloth soaked in some sort of oil or pitch. Tar was common, so was tree pitch. Inuit cultures and Norwegians used seal and whale fat. It burned an extremely long time but didnt actually burn down the torch itself"
] | [
"Seems that a lot of people here have missed the main point. Cigarettes go out pretty easily. They add one chemical to keep it burning despite windy conditions, one to keep it from burning too quickly, another to keep it burning consistently and another to make sure that they don't burst into flames outright. To th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How can certain camouflaging octopi and squid emulate their surroundings as close as they do? | [
"This is what I want to know. How does a flounder, which doesn’t even have any freakin eyes on one side, know what the surface under its blind side looks like to match it? Does it feel differences in color as heat or wavelengths or something?"
] | [
"Evolution. Deep sea creatures have evolved traits to give them the best chance of survival. Since most deep sea fish live where there is little to no natural light from the sun, they didn’t have the need to develop beautiful scales and patterns. However some fish, such as the Angler fish have developed bioluminesc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If the theory is that dinosaurs went extinct because of a meteor coliding with earth, where is the crater? | [
"The crater is in Mexico, buried under the Yucatan peninsula. It’s 150km in diameter and it coincides by carbon dating exactly with the end of the fossil record of the dinosaurs. It isn’t exposed to the surface after millions of years, but the geological features are detectable through geophys scans and drilling. I... | [
"It's impossible for a satellite the size of the Moon to be caught in a planet the size of Earth's gravity. Plus the material make up of the moon is similar to that of our crust/mantle. Couple that with lots of simulations showing that another planet had to swipe by the Earth a couple times to put up enough materia... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How does our brain combine the different images from our two eyeballs? | [
"There's a really deep neuroscience explanation that's way over my head, but basically, we just evolved that way. We developed eyes because it's super advantageous to be able to see. The better eyesight you have the better your chance of survival, so over millions of years we learned (evolved) to make sense of what... | [
"Our eyes twitch in movements called *saccades*. Saccades are very fast movements of the eye that allow the *foveas* of our *retinas* (the sensitive cells at the back of our eyes that detect light) to quickly refocus on new information in our visual fields. The fovea is a very small part of the retina, but very hig... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Biology:"
} |
Is it likely that a diet including lab grown meat will have a lower climate footprint than a fully plant-based diet? | [
"Plants are carbon negative. That's awfully difficult to discount. The thing is: If eating animals, ergo farming animals is %13-%18 of greenhouse gas production, is a plant-based diet significantly better than a lab-meat diet. 18 vs probably -2 vs 0-1 The real answer is either will be a huge win, and some people... | [
"Because there is a trend to move from grains and veg towards meat which require crops to be grown to fed to the animals before they can be turned into meat."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Agriculture and food production:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Agriculture and food production:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
how does albinism work? | [
"Albinism is a genetic disorder in both animals and humans. It happens when melanin, the natural pigment of the body, is not produced thus making the person or animal almost completely white."
] | [
"why do we yawn when we read about yawning?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
now that USA has decided to go to war with huwawei, stopping them from using SD cards and arm processors, why cant the company just ignore the sanctions, copy arm and build their own stuff. Its not like USA could do anything about it. | [
"Technically speaking, they could. But it is exceptionally expensive to reverse-engineer and then create an entire supply chain for the reverse-engineered knockoffs. I don't know how much money Huawei has to burn on that. It also doesn't help that there's likely a decent number of consumers who would rather have a... | [
"if I remember correctly thunderbolt is made by intel [this is the display port type, although you may be referring to lightning port (i-devices) which is the same answer anyways] Both Apple and Intel have relatively new patents on these units, and with my personal knowledge on both these ports, they are oddly comp... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do flash drives say they have certain memory capacity, but when you check the actual memory they're short of a few GBs? | [
"Marketing, mostly. In computer engineering, a gigabyte is 1024 megabytes, and a megabyte is 1024 kilobytes, so on. But marketers like to reinterpret this as 1000 megabytes to a gigabyte, and 1000 kilobytes per megabyte. It helps the product look better for the end consumer without inflating costs"
] | [
"They don't. They're using the same size chip, it's that ssds lose a fraction of a percent of their space every write cycle, and different manufacturers reserve a certain amount of space in the drive to make up for those losses, so your total value doesn't change over time, and so if you fill up the drive completel... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do humans like a warm bed but like a cold pillow | [
"they don't, it's a matter of preference. I like cold both. it's the same with temperature in general, some people would rather be hot than cold, but that tends to run along gender* lines. really though, you can get used to anything."
] | [
"You sleep under the sheets, no? Your body warms up the inside of the sheets so its very warm come morning."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
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