query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why do people want power and control? | [
"Evolution favors it. People with lots of power are more likely to command resources that benefit their offspring, increasing their survival rate."
] | [
"Because people are willing to pay money for it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why didn't the Nazis invade Switzerland? | [
"Actually, Hitler REALLY wanted to invade Switzerland. In fact, [\"Operation Tannenbaum\"](_URL_0_) was the name of the planned, but eventually canceled, invasion of Switzerland by Nazi Germany during World War II. The problem is, Switzerland is INSANELY hard to invade. They have large mountain ranges on both the s... | [
"Just look what happened when they let Germany annex a few countries before WW2."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
what's the purpose of an exhaust fan in a bathroom without a shower or tub (e.g. powder room)? | [
"Have you never heard it called a \"fart fan\"? Even in a powder room (\"half bath\"), having a fan on with the door mostly closed will at a minimum keep the bad air from spreading. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than nothing? **Absolutely!!**"
] | [
"A \"bedroom\" is just a room with a specific legal definition. It means it has a minimum total square footage (70-80 at least) and horizontal footage (7 feet) along with things like two means of egress (door and window qualify, for safety), a minimum ceiling height (half at least 7 feet tall), a minimum window siz... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Wouldn't it be cleaner to build bathrooms with push-to-exit doors? Does any thought go into the decision to hinge the door this or that way? | [
"In many areas if a room has only one exit the door must open inward as a fire precaution. If the door only opened outward and something fell in front of the door those inside would be trapped. Fire safety is the bigger concern."
] | [
"IDK what the hell monkey is talking about. The gap is basically a cost and space saver. You'll notice that a stall door doesn't hinge on the wall, but rather a pivot joint that extends from the stall wall. This allows the door to turn tighter and means the door can be wider with out it needing as much space inside... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How large can you build something before you have to start accounting for the tendency of said structure to collapse into itself on account of its own gravity? | [
"Larger and more dense than anything we have ever created, and possibly would ever create so long as we inhabit only this earth. Gravity is a weak force and generating enough for it to be a structural concern (that acts in any direction other than towards the earth's core) is a materials science problem more than ... | [
"Simply designing and building the structure would probably be the easy part. Objects in space don't need to worry about gravity nearly as much as objects on the ground. It's sort of like a whale... a whale is fine in the buoyancy of the ocean, but stick one on dry land and they'll crush themselves under their own ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How do stocks work? Is there a pool of stocks that people can buy from, or are you always buying it off someone else? | [
"I'm assuming you're talking about publicly traded stocks (the kind listed on stock exchanges). > Is there a pool of stocks that people can buy from, or are you always buying it off someone else? Usually the latter; you're buying shares from individual shareholders on the open market. Sometimes, though, companies ... | [
"An IPO is an Initial Public Offering, meaning that this is the first time that shares are being offered to the public on the market. When people buy shares during an IPO, they are buying them from the company and the company is taking the money. They can do whatever they like with the money. That was the point of ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Finance:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Finance:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why doesn't all cars come with a speed limiter? | [
"Cars do. It's called the driver. Most all of them are defective in some way or other however."
] | [
"It's a relay with a reed switch. Makes noise when activated. They're usually under the dash on the driver's side."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do game shows come up with all the money they give away every episode? | [
"Advertisements, and possibly sponsors during the show. If you look at wheel of fortune, Pat and Vanna combined make about 20 million a year. So there is a lot of money to go around if you are successful."
] | [
"To add a few more details to the other excellent descriptions: The winner from the show gets to come back the next night and play against two new contestants. This continues until the person is defeated. The interesting thing about Jeopardy is that it's a show where you have to have pretty good breadth of knowledg... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What is the difference between good and bad sugars? | [
"Sugar is sugar. In a high activity state sugar is good because the energy it provides is easily accessible. The sugar is fruit is fructose, and is actually thought to be worse than other monosaccharides (sugars made from only 1 molecule) as it causes problems with the pancreas in large amounts over a long period. ... | [
"What source says that alcohol is bad for your teeth?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Do other countries have the equivalent of a Hollywood? For example, does Germany have blockbuster films and movie stars? Why don't we hear about them? Are they aware of our films and stars? | [
"Germans are very much aware of Hollywood films and stars. Almost all Hollywood movies are dubbed and shown in German movie theatres. There are, of course, German movies and stars, but they are mostly unknown in America because Americans in general aren't interested in foreign movies. If a foreign movie looks inte... | [
"I would assume a large part of it is because American media is much more common in Britain and Australia than the other way around. For that reason, British and Australian people are familiar with American accents, and grow up hearing them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why Sia doesn't show her face, despite being photographed multiple times at high profile events and being classically beautiful? | [
"She said that she wants people to focus on her vocals and performance of hue dancers she usually has, and not how she looks. It has backfired for some people, because all they think about is her hiding her face and not focusing on the performance."
] | [
"If someone is in public, they are fair game. The Paparazzi could camp outside your house and follow you down to the mall shooting photos all the way. Photograph you through the window of the restaurant with your date. They don't do this, because they can make far more per photo by doing this to a celebrity instead... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How do they launch space ships from the moon back to earth? | [
"The moon's gravity is much weaker than the earth's, and there's no atmosphere to offer up any resistance, so they didn't need as much thrust to escape the moon's gravity well. Considering that, the lunar lander was designed to launch from the moon using its landing gear as its platform. once it was in orbit, the l... | [
"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 title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do directors shoot a scene in a movie where the actors are standing in front of a mirror so that the mirror doesn't reflect the camera crew? | [
"There are a few tricks. It depends on the scene. 1) Filming at an angle so the camera can't be seen in the reflection. Really common. 2) Filming so that the actor or whatever is in the mirror obscures the camera (a la Linda Hamilton digging bullets out of Arnold in T2). 3) CGI or other optical/set effects to remov... | [
"The primary factor is that actors are looking at a green screen, rather than whatever the movie wants you to think they're looking at. This isn't a huge issue if the green screen really is just a background, of course. But as soon as you have people looking out a window at a green screen, or looking over a balcony... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What's the point of voting for the president(US)? | [
"The President: * Is command-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Although he cannot declare war, he can order troops to mobilize and is ultimately in charge of the entire military. * Sets policy for the federal government. What's not codified in law can be affected by his political leanings, e.g. directing the FBI or Dep... | [
"How would you define \"winning\" a presidential debate?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What was the evolutionary advantage to T-Rex's small hands? | [
"Not everything has an evolutionary advantage. For a trait to exist, it only needs to not be a **disadvantage** to reproduction."
] | [
"The largest animal to have ever lived is the blue whale, still around today. Many large land mammals mysteriously went extinct around the time humans start spreading across the planet, right about when humans showed up. Dinosaurs were large because some quirks of their anatomy and biology made it easier for them ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about biology:"
} |
If lockpicking guides and tools are available widely, why are so few houses lockpicked into? | [
"Its far easier and more efficient to break a window or kick in a door."
] | [
"Car locks become harder to pick as they have pins on both sides of the tumbler. More specifically, it's pretty much impossible to single-pin pick a car lock. Since it turns out that more people look to break into a car than break into a house, it's worth it for that little extra security."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do some diseases have grace periods in which a patient seems to recover? | [
"In terms of viruses, sometimes they replicate inside the cell. Under favorable conditions or stressful situations the pathogen will come out of the cell and start causing symptoms. Herpes is one of these viruses."
] | [
"Because richer countries have the means to recognize, diagnose, and treat it. Someone without access to the medical care necessary wouldn't be considered to have it and would have to live with the way it affected their life."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
WHY is it that sometimes my ballsack is loose and flabby, and other times it's the direct opposite? | [
"Your nuts are a thermostat ... escentially a thermosac. When they high and tight ... chances are you're cold. Long and loose ... you nice and warm. Reason ... your little homeboys are total drama queens and want to be at a special temp."
] | [
"Because there is no sensation at all. Which makes it hard for you to know where it starts ans stops. That can make it feel thick, and full and swollen even when irs not."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why are most VR headsets goggles instead of helmets? | [
"Mainly cost. Adding more material costs more, and most VR companies are trying to make low cost products. Also they're pretty light, so you don't really need more support. As for the audio, most people buying a VR product already have headphones/earbuds, so it's not really needed."
] | [
"The lenses bend the light to compensate for the fact that the screen is so close to your eyes. It's designed to bend the light so that it would be focused when it reaches the eyes of someone with 20/20 vision. In order to adjust it for your eyes (since you don't have 20/20 vision) you'd need to either wear your gl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do you oxygenate wine in a decanter for taste, but you can't leave wine corked for too long because of the oxygen? | [
"Oxygen creates oxidized compounds. Slow oxidation, like aging a bottle with a cork, can improve the flavor until the increase in oxidation starts to hurt the wine flavor (I'm not accounting for what happens to all compounds of wine because I'm not knowledgeable enough and this is ELI5). Fast oxidation doesn't work... | [
"The age alone makes is less common. Different alcohols age differently. Scotch doesn't really improve much past 20-25 years. Wine ferments as it ages, so the chemical composition changes as more sugar is broken down into alcohol, but if it sits too long it can spoil. Some ales are bottle-conditioned, which means t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does fiber keep people "regular"? | [
"My biology teacher explained this one to me. I'll try my best to translate this to English. Your intestine is a muscle. Your body cannot actually digest fibers. So what do your intestines do? They try to push it away as quickly as possible. The result? Your intestines grow stronger as a muscle! This keeps your int... | [
"What makes you think starches are healthier than dairy?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why is freezing an animal considered the most humane way to kill it? | [
"Because freezing to death is largely painless. From people that were found inches from death due to hypothermia, and had given up and started to succumb, they describe it as \"your entire body is numb, you can't even feel pressure, and you feel tired, so you sit down, or lay down, or just collapse, and you lie the... | [
"I don't know fif the lobster actually suffers or not, apparently the jury is still out on whether they feel pain, but if they do, the lobster only suffers for a few moments as opposed to suffering its entire life. The industrial treatment of pigs and cattle is ghastly in both its severity and duration."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What is Google's "Deep Dream?" | [
"Some engineers at Google were working with an artificial intelligence system called a neural network. This particular system was trained to identify objects in pictures. That's something that's very useful for a search engine, particularly a search engine that has image search. So they'd give it a bunch of picture... | [
"From a more general perspective, there's this great video by Tom Scott - _URL_1_ - Why Computers Suck At Translation And enjoy the similarly brilliant - _URL_0_ - Adjectival Order: Why A \"Big Red Balloon\", not a \"Red Big Balloon\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do I get the illusion that I'm sleepy then can't fall asleep? | [
"I will see if I can find documentation to back this up, but I read recently that changes in your surroundings put your brain on alert and it's harder to fall asleep. For instance, if you're watching TV and start to drift off, then the TV turns itself off with a sleep timer, your brain can interpret this change as ... | [
"It's more that you are constantly waking up through out the night, you only remember the ones where the alarm wakes you because you actually get up and don't fall back to sleep."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Sleep and boredom:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Sleep and boredom:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Technology:"
} |
Why are humans vastly more intelligent than even animals with vastly larger brains like elephants or whales? | [
"The volume of the brain doesn't matter. The number of folding is what matters. Imagine having a 100 meter square sheet, versus a 10 meters square sheet. Now take the large one and cram it into a human skull. Do the same with the 10 m2 sheet and push it down into the elephant skull. The 100 m2 sheet has obviously m... | [
"Apparently not. Fish have really small brains, and by human standards barely think at all. They're certainly not up there with dogs or pigs or octopuses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How did early cartographers (map makers) produce such detailed and intricate coastline maps? | [
"They would triangulate, a lot: they use triangles and the rules of triangles to obtain distances using angles from reference points (e.g. a mountain peak, a tree, anything). With appropriate instrument and knowing the distance between two points, they can go to these two points and know the distance of a third poi... | [
"This is a fun question. And it mostly has to do with cartographers and how they built /drew maps. Plus a little bit of British imperialism. Most of the early cartographers were employed by the rich Northern European countries to make maps of their country and the new world. So they put their native/home country fr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why don't Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, and the like blackout in protest to the TPP like they did against SOPA? Isn't it [TPP] essentially the same thing [as SOPA]? | [
"Short answer: it's not quite the same thing. The protests against SOPA included Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, et al first and foremost because they worried they could be held liable under SOPA. A Google search which yielded infringing works could (arguably) have had Google on the line. And they didn't want that. The ... | [
"Sorry I can't explain it well, but this [six minute video](_URL_0_) really helped me understand it better. Yes, ACTA really is a lot more threatening than SOPA. In order to stop it, I'd imagine we would need to contact our representatives and let them know how strongly opposed we are to this legislation similar to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why do things like metal and lava turn red when they are are hot? | [
"It is thermal radiation. The thermal radiation that everything emits depending on temperature. Glowing orange red is the lowest temperature that emit visible light. The hotter it gets the whiter it gets and even hotter it will look blue. The light from a incandescent light bulb and the sun is black-body radiation ... | [
"because the flame isnt hot enough, so it's basically just spitting the gas residue onto the snow."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why are shadows darker than their surroundings and not completely dark? | [
"They're not completely dark because light is still striking that surface from other directions, such as reflected off other surfaces or the atmosphere."
] | [
"The fog is white, while the forest is colored. Anything white on a colored background looks brighter than the background, because white reflects more light than any other color."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why is it that some types of bottled water "taste" or "feel" different? | [
"Because water from different areas contain varying quantities of various minerals. Its the minerals that can change the taste."
] | [
"Yes, it has a \"good\" taste. If you drink a glass of distilled water you'd say it \"tastes flat\" or maybe \"stale\". There is a level of minerals that people associate with \"fresh\", and that's what they're adding to their purified water."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The Earth's magnetic field periodically reverses polarity. How does this happen and what are the effects felt on Earth? | [
"The effects are relatively unknown. We know a good number of species rely on magnetism to navigate, so there might be a critical moment that could lead to a kill off event where magnetically dependent species just get lost and die. Or they will just notice everything's been flipped. It's hard to test, I've seen ex... | [
"It happens every few hundred thousand years. There have never been any mass extinctions associated with them. So it wont be that bad. We would expect to see auroras all over the world. This is because the planet would gain many different poles all over the place before they settle in their new homes. Potentially w... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How are other subreddits like "ellenpaoiskillingreddit" but "blackout2015" not getting banned? | [
"Subreddits have been banned previously, but it's generally been for a reason other than merely disagreeing with the administrators. For example, the recent ban on /r/fatpeoplehate was based on the accusation that members of this subreddit were actively harassing people outside of their subreddit. I can't really th... | [
"except /r/askiscience usually has accurate answers and this sub is often filled with broscience and guesswork. Also it has become a replacement for /r/askreddit since /r/askreddit has become /r/makeupstories."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why are hypocrites and people with double standards not the same thing? | [
"A hypocrite is someone who pretends to have some sort of virtue but really doesn't. A hypocrite would be, say, a priest who preaches about morality, etc and presents themselves as the epitome of what he is talking about but behind closed doors molests children. People usually use it to refer to people who say one ... | [
"I don’t think there’s anything to explain. Sometimes we as humans are just hypocrites. Why is Bill Clinton given a pass on all the allegations against him? Why do people follow some bits of the bible and reject the bits they don’t like? Humans are strange."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Are electric blankets bad for your health in any way? | [
"No, the electromagnetic field emitted by the current running through the blanket will not harm you in any way. With regards to overheating, you'd be unable to stand the heat before any damage occurs , unless you're an idiot and try to overheat yourself using one, you're going to get uncomfortable and take it off/t... | [
"What source says that alcohol is bad for your teeth?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do human legs bend forward, while other animals (e.g. Velociraptor) legs bend backward? | [
"I believe that if you look at the back leg of a dog, for example, the \"backwards\" joint is the equivalent of a human ankle, and they also have a knee. Basically, if you walk on the ball of your feet, and had a size 30 foot, you'd be doing the same thing."
] | [
"Dinosaurs are a specific clade of reptiles, meaning they all share a common ancestor. Primates, for example, are a clade of mammals; all primates share a common ancestor and mammals that predate or aren't descended from that ancestor are not primates. Dinosaurs were a very diverse group, but their main similarity ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
If you don't have to have to show the police the contents of your pockets unless you're under arrest, what's to stop them from making something up and placing you under arrest anyways? | [
"The Fourth Amendment and the rules of evidence. If you assert that you don't consent to any searches and are arrested on bogus charges, the evidence obtained illegally cannot be used. This is something to discuss with your attorney, who may or may not be able to get the evidence thrown out, but if you consent, th... | [
"It's inadmissible so that cops won't be encouraged to do illegal searches. It's to protect innocent people from just having cops bust down their doors on the off chance that they find something."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
I'm stuck outside in the path of a Tornado. Can I hold onto a tree or pole as it goes right over me like in the movies or will my arms get ripped out their sockets? | [
"No human is that strong. Even if you chained yourself to the tree there's a good chance you'd be killed by debris or that the entire tree would be uprooted with you along for the ride."
] | [
"The things that are likely to fall on you when you are outside are: 1. Taller. 2. Heavier. 3. Often electrified. In principle... yes an empty field full of grass with no trees around would be a great place to be during an earthquake. However buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes, and so you should be saf... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do cuts get white when you take a shower? | [
"It's a bodily fluid that mostly contains white blood cells and vitamins. It's to help speed the process of tissue/skin repair."
] | [
"Why do the glands in my neck burn like high hell when I'm holding back tears?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do ants decide the physical structure of their colonies? | [
"They don't decide in the sense of a conscious, intentional, planned or designed thing. Instead, each one of many individuals of various castes (think occupations) follows a few very simple procedures that collectively result in an elaborate layout. This kind of thing, where amazing complexity can arise out of the ... | [
"Ants don't rely on eyesight nearly as much as we do. Their use of trail pheromones and appendages like feelers give them other sensory inputs to know what's around them and where to go."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What would happen to our body if we could increase gravity like in DBZ? | [
"At 10G your poop would crack the porcelain of your toilet."
] | [
"They don't really grow taller, their spine just stretches out due to the zero G environment. They shrink back when they go back to Earth. The same thing happens every night when you sleep, actually."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How do paleontologists differentiate dinosaur carnivore species? | [
"Do sheep and horses look the same to you? There are major fundamental differences between many of them, and more subtle ones between species within the same genus. It is simply a case of careful description."
] | [
"The ecological niches formerly occupied by dinosaurs were taken over by the creatures that survived the mass extinction. So now instead of big dinosaur carnivores like t-rex, we have big mammalian carnivores like lions, tigers, polar bears, killer whales, and fish like great white and bull sharks. If all mammals b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do fingerprint detectors work? | [
"The scanner uses a light-sensitive microchip to produce a digital image. The computer analyzes the image, selecting just the fingerprint part of the finger, and then uses pattern-matching software to turn it into a code, then this code is used everytime you want to unlock something. Every finger is given a unique ... | [
"You're most likely using a capacitive touchscreen. These work because they sense small electrical conducts, which perhaps surprisingly, the human body emits. There are more than one types of capacitive screens, but you can read more about these with a quick Google search of \"Capacitive touchscreens.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Technology:"
} |
Why are deep voices relaxing to most people, as opposed to high pitched ones? | [
"No clue if this is \"official\" or correct, but many times I associate high pitched voices with either panic, anxiety, or whining. My voice gets higher when I'm upset."
] | [
"Most likely because the vocal chords are proportional to the rest of the body. Tall people have longer ones, thus lower voices, and same for short people the other way around. There are some exceptions to this of course."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why is there no alternative to Adobe Flash Player? | [
"There are alternatives, just largely unpopular for the most part. The most popular alternative is probably HTML5, which is actually very popular and has a chance of taking over flash in the years to come."
] | [
"Go check out how much it costs for the Adobe software that CREATES PDF, Flash, and Shockwave files."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do car radios turn to static in road tunnels and not go silent? | [
"No squelch function. In a nutshell it comes down to cost. There are technologies, quite old ones really, that are able to filter the static but there are too few tunnels to make it worthwhile installing this in cheaper cars."
] | [
"Electromagnetic interference from the signals going to the phone goof with the electronics that pulse the speakers and make little buzzing noises if it isn't shielded well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why do mostly women seem to peddle crappy MLM products? | [
"Theres a couple reasons, they typically target women, specifically housewives because they are home a lot and they lure them in with the idea that they can earn a living easily. People like that are often desperate to feel like they can achieve things. Also the products are ussually things women are more likely to... | [
"Honestly, I think they are WORSE than pyramid schemes or Ponzi schemes. For one because they prey on naive, desperate or vulnerable people like high schoolers and college students who can't find jobs and have no money. But what's even worse is that they push some kind of product as their only link to legality, and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Finance:"
} |
How does putting ice on stuff like bruises and swelling help make it better? | [
"The cold causes arteries to constrict stopping blood from rushing to the area. This prevents further swelling and also helps the swelling go down. It has the added benefit of numbing the area reducing the pain as well."
] | [
"I don't know about ant bites. However with the toothpaste if you dab it onto pimples its supposed to dry them out and make them shrink."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does a pile of broken glass look blue? | [
"Window glass is actually greenish. You don't notice when looking through a thin pane, but if you look through it edgewise or through a thick piece, you'll see it. When you look at a pile of glass, the light passes through many pieces and the color is more apparent."
] | [
"But what happens when you look at the blue sky and see a similar pattern appear without having to rub your eyes?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Health and Physiology:"
} |
The benefits of "Greek Life" | [
"To some extent fraternities benefit from economies of scale. If you have $20 to spend on entertainment on a weekend your money will go further if you pool that with 50 other people and organize an event. The structure and culture of a fraternity forms to support this benefit. The schools tolerated or encouraged th... | [
"The things that are touching get tangled. ELI25 Version: Pursue a Ph.D. in Material Science...we still don't have all of the answers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why are eggs in so many foods that don't taste like eggs? | [
"Eggs are a great binding agent. Binding agents help all the other ingredients come together as a specific shape, or to just hold together. They can also add texture. So by adding eggs to your brownie recipe, you get that wonderful, moist, delicious, \"stuck together\" texture, while also making them keep their sha... | [
"Basically because commercially bought mayo uses sterilizing methods to make the eggs safe without cooking them. Besides, chances are that most store bought mayo doesn't even use real eggs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What is the difference between genetic modification and selective breeding? | [
"Genetic modification involves editing the genetic code directly, whereas selective breeding involves only breeding organisms with particular features- so that, eventually, the whole flock/crop/population begins to exhibit the desired traits. All in all, they both involve in tinkering with the genome- just selectiv... | [
"It's a generic term for \"genetically modified organism\". It means that changes are being made to the genes of plants. They aren't inherently dangerous. We've been doing this in a rudimentary way for hundreds of years with selective breeding and cross pollination."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about science:"
} |
Why do people say that Reagan's fiscal policies were so terrible if the 80s were some of the most prosperous times for the middle class? | [
"\"the 80s were some of the most prosperous times for the middle class\" Source? I don't think your stipulation is generally accepted as true. The 80s were arguably better than times since, but the late 40s through early 60s brought much greater gains in income and living standards to the middle class than the 1980... | [
"Clinton, though a Democrat, was actually quite centrist, especially on economic issues. That said, the balanced budget during his administration was due to several factors. Here are a few. * A major tax increase on the wealthy, passed in 1993 (without a single Republican vote) * Enormous economic growth in the cou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why does a combustion engine need gears but electric cars do? | [
"A combustion engine can only rev so high due to mechanical limits, so it needs gears. Plus it's peak torque and power occur in a fairly narrow RPM band. An electric motor generates power through rotation like a jet engine and the limits on that are a lot different than a gas engine which relies on reciprocation.... | [
"Lets start with how an engine works. You have pistons which compress gasoline and then it gets ignited. The explosion drives the piston back, which cause a different piston to compress gasoline. But when an engine is stopped you can't compress the gasoline. Modern cars have when is called a Starter Motor, which is... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
People say that O.J Simpson was found not guilty because the prosecution mishandled the case. What does this mean? | [
"The prosecution made lots of mistakes: * They didn't call certain witnesses who could have bolstered their case * They had OJ try to put the glove on. When it didn't fit, the jurors concluded it wasn't his. (We now know he spent days before drinking water and doing other things to make his hands swell up) * The pu... | [
"There was no evidence that OJ had been where the murders took place when the murders happened. There was no witnesses and nobody saw his car. So there was no proof that he was even there. The DNA evidence was pretty strong. However, all such evidence had been collected by one police officer. That same police offi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why are video games/dlc's primarily released on weekdays? | [
"There's a few good reasons. There's better media coverage during the week, so you're more likely to get press for your release than you would over the weekend. Second, a lot of times with game releases, there's server issues/emergency patches as problems become apparent when a large number of players come online a... | [
"The lion's share of the games market is for consoles and phones/tablets, where piracy isn't much of a concern. In the PC market, a large number of games need an Internet connection/account for play and/or updates. However, the major reason is probably that games have almost no shelf life. Studios are still making ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Media:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Media:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is it that makes human beings orders of magnitude smarter than other animals, and why are we the only species with such intelligence? | [
"\"...on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were f... | [
"Speaking scientifically, there was not a benefit to their survival in being more intelligent than they were. So, greater intelligence wasn't 'selected' by their genes in their evolution. The goal of evolution is not intelligence, it's survival. However, I think a more complete answer is that we really don't know f... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
If you download the Quran to a device like a kindle or a desktop computer, do you have to treat that device with the same respect you would treat the actual book? Why or why not? | [
"A similar question was asked in /r/DebateReligion last year, when Qur'an burner Terry Jones caused that international brouhaha. [This answer is interesting, and is at a ELI5 level.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"It has to do with idolatry. When you paint a picture of Mohammed, people may start to pray to him and worship him as a god. Mohammed in Islamic faith was just a man. Only Allah should be worshiped as a god because he is their God. However, naming a child after Mohammed is more like paying homage to him. No one is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If the universe is infinite, in theory isn't all energy renewable? | [
"Technically oil is a renewable energy source. Some of these waste products get absorbed by plants and some of these plants will become oil in a few million years. However, theres a difference between renewable and not infinite. Most of the things that we consider not to be renewable are just not economically renew... | [
"Depends how you define universe. Theres the observable universe which is finite. We can only see so far out past earth. Most people believe space is infinite. If it wasnt, then what would exist after space? Anyway, if space is infinite and our observable universe is finite, then it is highly likely that other univ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do train tracks always rest on rocks/pebbles? | [
"The rocks can flex against each other. Solid earth (or when mud fills the spaces between the rocks) won't flex, and the ties work themselves into loose holes. There are [machines](_URL_1_) that stir up and clean the rocks under live tracks to keep them flexible."
] | [
"The stones are called Track ballast. They are there so water can drain away from the track and doesn't cover it. They are also hard for plants to grow on, so you don't have to clear bushes from them as often."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is there a ban on screenshots in most of the popular subreddits? | [
"The communities in those subreddits felt that the memes and other quick-to-read content was overcrowding the interesting articles and other text-based content. If you click on a meme, you can look at it and vote on it in about five seconds. An in-depth article might take you two or three minutes to read and vote o... | [
"I've been wondering the same thing. Along the same lines, is there a way to block certain subreddits from popping up in the all feed? I'm pretty new to Reddit yet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Do animals experience emotions? If so, do they differ from human emotions? | [
"Kind of hard to tell exactly what animals experience, since we can't ask them. However, science suggests that many of them do. PET and fMRI show their brains acting the same way ours do when we experience emotions."
] | [
"We have more empathy for creatures with high levels of awareness and intelligence. It is easier for us to see that they have emotions for us to empathize with."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Do car gears dictate a top speed, or would a car with an automatic transmission going down a big ramp in drive go faster than its top speed? | [
"Wind resistance mainly dictates top speed. A car has to push itself through air, which takes energy. When the energy that the motor puts out equals the energy of the wind working against it, you stop going any faster. * yes, other things also dictate top speed, such as rolling resistance and other mechanical losse... | [
"Each gear is a compromise between torque and speed. 1st gear gives you maximum torque but super slow speed. 6th gives you speed but very little torque. During initial acceleration from 0 to whatever you want to have perfect timing when switching gears in order to get to the end line as fast as possible. By skippin... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How do bugs and glitches in electronic software occur? Isn't code just a formula? How can maths break? | [
"Code is a set of instructions; literal instructions. The computer doesn't know what you *want* it to do, it only knows what you *told* it to do. Bugs can happen when your instructions are faulty, or something unexpected happens. **Faulty Program for driving a car** 1. Walk to the driver's side front door of the ca... | [
"You use another language to do it. If you are wondering where the first languages came from, well... they wrote them directly in machine instructions or made circuits that carry out the program. In other words, the first 'programming' was essentially building a circuit, and although nobody typically calls that pro... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why is it okay to eat under-cooked beef or eggs, but considered too risky to eat under-cooked chicken or pork? | [
"Unless it is ground up, beef only has bacteria that are harmful to humans on its outer surface. Look up \"Pittsburgh Rare\" for the extreme way to have a steak. Eggs are self-contained, no exposure to the outside so safe to eat. Chicken and Pork both contain bacteria with the flesh that is harmful to humans. So yo... | [
"It doesn't actually have to be. No solid cut of meat does. Bacteria grow on the outside of muscle tissue, but not *inside* the meat itself. So, as long as the very outside surface of the meat is cooked, it's safe to eat. In fact, if raised and handled properly, any meat can be eaten raw. There are places (like Jap... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
That thing with two guards and two doors and one always tell truth while the other always lies. | [
"You ask either one \"which one would the other guard say is the safe door?\" Asking either the liar or the honest guard will have them tell you which one is the unsafe door. Basically, the liar will lie, and the honest will tell you the liar's lie."
] | [
"Jdwertkin sits in a jail cell next to his buddy KFkertwin. KFkertwin starts clawing at the ground to break from the hostage as JD looks upon him with astonishment. It has only been 24 hours, right? Anyway, he decides to access reddit from the iPod 1st Gen he store in his sock. He decides to go on ELI5 and ask how ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between a defibrillator and the device used in the hospital to restart a heart. | [
"They're both defibrilators, but the one you've probably seen around is an AED- automatic electronic defibrilator. This automates the process to allow non-doctors to be able to use them safely and effectively. They're not like the TV hospital drama ones where you hold the paddles against the patient's chest and say... | [
"It has a computer programmed to recognize the specific conditions when a shock will get a heart out of fibrillation. It is designed to be easy enough for anyone to open it and apply the leads. There are diagrams. It gives verbal instructions. The leads sense the heart signals normal ECGs detect. If the heart is qu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Medical:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Medical:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How are sports arenas able to do Basketball one day and Hockey the next? | [
"The ice is frozen once for the whole season. From there, the basketball court, or any other surface is laid on top of the ice. (with a protective cover inbetween the ice and basketball court) Its a lot of labor, but it can be done with enough time. Then they remove the court, and the ice is still there, ready for... | [
"ELI5: You go to see the Oakland A's, and they seem to be all playing Baseball. You understand those rules. Then you come back and you see the Oakland Raiders, and everyone is playing Football. You understand those rules too. But both teams play in the same stadium, So why does one set of rules apply one day and an... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Physics:"
} |
Where does the word "ruthless" come from? Is there a word known as "ruthful" or a word known as "ruth"? | [
"> ruthless (adj.) > early 14c., from reuthe \"pity, compassion\" (see ruth) + -less. Ruthful (early 13c.) has fallen from use since late 17c. except as a deliberate archaism. Related: Ruthlessly; ruthlessness. > ruth (n.) > \"sorrow for the misery of another; repentance, regret,\" c. 1200, ruthe, from Old Nors... | [
"He didn't just create words out of thin air, he coined (or at least was the first to print) words based on existing words. For example, he's credited with coining the word \"bedroom.\" It's pretty easy to understand what he meant by that since the words \"bed\" and \"room\" already existed. Or the word \"invulnera... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why didn't Human speciate | [
"There were different [species of humans](_URL_0_), but we've outcompeted or outbred them. Given enough time, we could begin to speciate again, but at this point there is so much interbreding that it's hard to really say that, in the long run, any group of humans will be isolated enough for long enough to speciate... | [
"I'd like to add on to this. Were the Hawaiian people disenfranchised in this vote too?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
how does sleeping cure a headache? | [
"What sort of headache? That agony-at-the-base-of-skull headache? Cos that's usually from sleeping badly /tension. Taking the giant weight of your head off it and letting the muscles untense probably helps it leave quicker. I have one now and I'm trying to make the damn thing go but it's stubborn.."
] | [
"why do we yawn when we read about yawning?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why have over 760 people died in the UK from in a heatwave of about 86°? | [
"The number of deaths has been embellished. Remember, they are lumping in drowning and other summer-related deaths with the heatwave mania. It's just typical media dramatization."
] | [
"Can you really use the term 'so quick' when the conflict in Syria has been ongoing for almost 2 and a half years?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do rental car companies make money by only charging $30 per day for a car? | [
"They aren't JUST charging $30 a day for a car. They charge by car class and size, they also upsell on special options such as GPS, car seats, roof racks, etc... They charge you for the convenience of them filling it up for you if you don't return it full. They charge for additional drivers, roadside service, and d... | [
"Yes, your insurance covers you. LDW is a rip-off unless you are planning on getting in an accident. Also, many credit cards provide protection if you use them to pay for a rental car. Check with your bank."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is Bipolar Disorder? | [
"I live with very mild bipolar disorder. Basically, it's like there is two versions of me. One is motivated, starts to learn new skills, starts large scale projects, goes out with friends, pushes improvements at work that benefit everyone, works out, keeps a healthy diet etc. The other part is depressed, unmotivate... | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is Bitcoin to be the future currency if there will never be more than 21,000,000 of them? That seems like so little for so many people. | [
"A bitcoin can be divided into smaller units so the value of a single bitcoin would be driven up so that 21,000,000 would equal the total amount of money in circulation today. For example a person making $100k a year might be the equivalent of making 1 bitcoin a year and would then pay for their coffee by transferr... | [
"I'm certainly no expert, but here goes... Dogecoin and Fedoratip are jokes and I would surmise KoinyeWest is as well... pretty hilarious name at least. You can give anyone a tip of Dogecoin for free and it merely serves as a joke. The value of BitCoin comes from the amount of goods or services that are traded for... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why did Chrome stop supporting plugins? | [
"Google reckon that some are now possible with HTML5, and that others are not secure, so they've pulled the plug. [Source](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Most my videos do use HTML5. Are you sure you're running a supported browser?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What caused my glass of water to spontaneously explode on my bedside locker this morning? | [
"Spontaneous glass breakage is a phenomenon by which toughened glass (or tempered) may spontaneously break without any apparent reason. The most common causes are: Minor damage during installation such as nicked or chipped edges which later develop into larger breaks Binding of the glass in the frame causing stres... | [
"Because when you pulled the knob up at the start of the shower, there was water left in the spigot from when the flow was cut off."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What exactly is clean coal? | [
"The term \"clean coal\" is a myth brought about by the coal industry's public relations team and really the correct term is coal pollution mitigation. There is no such thing as clean coal. Coal is the dirtiest of the energy production fuels and there is no way to really use coal in a clean fashion, but there are w... | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does time exist? How is it not just a construct of humans and their need to measure their existence? | [
"We experience the arrow of time, cause and then effect. You cannot have cause and effect occur simultaneously, therefore, something must separate them, we call that thing time. We can't say time is real, or how we experience it is correct. But for your examples, a car doesn't just get mileage, it accumulates it, o... | [
"Maybe this is why it's called freezing time, eh? But actually, if you think about what you mean by freezing time, you realise it isn't a good concept to begin with. Time is the marker of entropy. To say that time is still, usually what is meant is that an instant in time begins to last for eternity -- but what is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How can people ask to have their face blurred on camera in a public place such as a street in the city? | [
"Your image cannot be used without your permission for commercial purposes. I can't take a picture of you on a public street and then print an ad, \"Phillies2628 loves ButtTech Anal Wart Cream!\" For other uses (say a news magazine like 20/20) they would do it out of common courtesy, rather than legal requirement."... | [
"As far as I know, and please someone correct if wrong, but if these people are on public space and not in an area generally considered private, you're free to film them as walking in a street of parking lot does not have an expectation of privacy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Law and television court shows:"
} |
When you eat some bad food and you have diarrhea right away, does your body still absorb the calories from the food? | [
"Diarrhea means for passes right through intestines, before they could break down and absorb energy from it. So the answer is no. Very little to barely any energy absorbed from food and body loses lot of water and salts in process."
] | [
"You have bugs in your stomach that like to eat carbohydrates. When they eat they produce gas. Alcohol contains carbs. The diarrhea is probably a side effect of not eating as well as you should while drinking. If this happens every time you drink, you should see a doctor."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where does a snails shell come from? | [
"Snails grow their shells the same we humans grow hair and fingernails. Their shells are made from calcium that gets excreted from their bodies. Because their shells house most of their vital organs, the shell cannot be removed without killing the snail."
] | [
"The shell is made up of panel-like things called scutes. With most types of turtles, these scutes shed periodically to allow bigger scutes to form. They are made out of keratin - same as human hair & nails. Source: I’m a turtle fan."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How stores like Winners and Ross can offer the same clothing brands and items, in style, for significantly less | [
"Department stores buy a bunch stuff at a time (like dozens if not hundreds of pieces), sell most of it & then get new stuff in for the next season. They like to make sure that they've got multiple copies of everything in multiple sizes. When they're almost out they put it on the clearance rack and, eventually, sen... | [
"Factory stores started out as a way for stores to sell previously unsold merchandise or items deemed imperfect. To keep up with public demand for factory stores and the expanding factory outlets business around the country, stores now create merchandise specifically for their outlets that you would never find in t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do humans vomit at the sight of something exceptionally disgusting? | [
"It's a protective instinct. Think of our ancestors who may be interested in a left-over meal. The body lets us know that this wouldn't be a good idea by turning our stomachs."
] | [
"Apparently the body releases a certain odor that is undetectable to humans, but not to dogs right before some types of seizures."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why can't bots check the "I am not a robot" captcha? | [
"The checkbox is not the real test. Checking a box is easy. What it does it is reada your mouse movement while you're on the page, and since you move the mouse in an organic, imperfect way it decides you are not a script or \"bot\"."
] | [
"It tracks activity from your IP across all Google services/analytic affiliates. The CAPTCHA is somewhat superfluous when they have so much information about users, they can update Google Maps in real-time to reflect traffic congestion. If you aren't clicking \"I am not a robot\" 10 times in a minute or accessing r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are the bottom of clouds flat and the tops are fluffy? | [
"I've searched tha seven seas fer an answer. Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [Why are the bottom of clouds flat? ](_URL_3_) ^(_12 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Why are the bottom of clouds flat? ](_URL_0_) ^(_2 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Why are the bottoms of some clouds flat? [other] ](_URL_1_) ^(... | [
"Storm clouds hold a huge amount of water droplets and are considerably taller than the fluffy white \"fair weather\" clouds. All that water vapor blocks much more light, so from below they look darker."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Meteorology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Meteorology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If I weigh 99 pounds and eat 1 pound of rice, am I now 100 pounds? | [
"Yes, for a very short amount of time. Eventually, that food will be processed by your body, and CO2 from the starches will be lost, the sugars will be burned, and the non-digestible bits excreted in the feces."
] | [
"> How come if I eat 4 pounds of macaroni and cheese then step on the scale immediately after it doesn't say that I gained 4 pounds? Because you either didn't actually eat four pounds of mac and cheese, or your scale is inaccurate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how do sites like Reddit manage to store all the content they do? | [
"The thing about Reddit is that it is all text. It doesn't host images (you're linking those from other websites). Also, text compresses nicely (either as open text or like an Oracle Database). Because of that, my guess is that you could store the entirety of everything that has ever been written on Reddit using a... | [
"Yes but then how else would snapchat store all the pictures and customer data to sell for money?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is the U.S. Soldier who killed Afghani civilians being tried in the U.S. for his actions? | [
"He will be tried under the UCMJ, which holds jurisdiction over all military personnel. The military took him out of theatre and try him under a military tribunal which doesn't require local military personnel."
] | [
"Because Guantanamo Bay is in Cuba, and not in the US? Or do you mean, how come the US has a military prison where they conduct torture at Guantanamo Bay and not the US? Remember, torture is technically illegal in the US. So is detaining inmates without due process. There's your answer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What scientific logic supports the infinite universe theory? How can this be possible or even perceivable? | [
"Just from a logical point of view, if the universe is finite, what happens when you get to the edge? Is there anything outside it? If yes, then isn't that part of the universe? If no, is the edge some sort of barrier? What would it be made out of? Or does existence just stop once you pass the edge? An infinite un... | [
"Because we have observed and recorded things in space moving away from each other over time at a constant and predictable rate. However it is a theory and there will be a paradigm shift if new, solid and replicable evidence is found that contradicts what we currently believe to be true."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about astronomy:"
} |
What would happen if America's "too big to fail" banks actually fell? | [
"Rapid deflation. When you put money in a bank, the bank loans that money out. In civilized nations, they loan out up to 90%. So 100 dollars in the bank is 190 dollars in the economy. Except the 90 dollar loan also gets put into a bank, and 81 more dollars are lent out. So, for every 1000 dollars in the economy, 90... | [
"Around 1990, the economy collapsed in both Sweden and Japan taking down the banks with bad loans. They dealt with it in opposite ways. Sweden ripped the band-aid off, i.e. they fired the CEOs, made the bank stocks worthless, wrote off and auctioned the bad assets and sold the banks back to the public when they bec... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Economics:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Economics:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Economics:"
} |
What is carried interest provision? and how does it work? | [
"The way that the U.S. Tax code is structured, any compensation that you receive (wages, salary, bonuses, etc) above a certain threshold are taxed at a higher rate. But long term investment earnings are taxed different. If a person makes capital gains from buying low and selling high, those are taxed at a much lowe... | [
"The taxes are higher in the US. Tax inversion is a way to pay lower taxes. There is no correct answer to your side question."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why when I click the "X" on the top-right of an ad box does it always remove the ad? Why do advertisers never link the "X" to their ad page? | [
"Ads are served by middle men, for example Google, and they never would allow that becauese it would mean sites just wouldn't use them to place adds. Also you could likley sue or in some way take action agasint the company for that kind of thing. It would be really blatent misdirection."
] | [
"Because they are assholes, and don't want you to leave the website by hitting the back button. BTW you can right click the back button, and choose a location from the history that pops up."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Technology:"
} |
why do we sometimes make hand gestures when we are explaining something or telling a story? | [
"We're really good at nonverbal communication. Hand gestures are part of that."
] | [
"you might be like me in that you don't know the best way to put what you are trying to say into words because of all the thoughts running through your head. that's my 2 sense"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Speech and Language:"
} |
Why do our bodies have an average weight range that doesn't seem to shift that much if we are within our "normal weight"despite eating a variety of foods ( different calorie intake per day)? Is it just simply basic metabolic and caloric intake ? | [
"You won't gain the weight back as long as you don't go back to your previous eating/activity habits (which were likely a combination of eating too much and moving too little, essentially). Your body has a range of \"maintenance calories\" that it needs for day-to-day living, which is generally in the 1800-2400 ran... | [
"Metabolisms. Different people’s bodies burn energy at different rates. There are base genetic facotra but you can also raise your metabolism through exercise. Her body just burns/needs more energy than yours does on a normal basis."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do we vomit and have diarrhea when we are sick? What causes it? | [
"Basically, it depends on when your body recognizes a problem with the contents of your stomach. If you eat something that is recognized as \"bad\" before it reaches your stomach or while it is inside, your body will instinctively send it back the way it came from. If it makes it into the intestines first, your bod... | [
"There are two reasons why you feel nausea. 1. Low blood sugar will cause a dizziness. 2. There are specific hormones released when the body is expecting food which increase stress and causes nausea if we don't get food. Regardless, the worst effects will pass in a few hours unless you have diabetes and your bloo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
When I fall in a dream, why do I also fall off my bed in real life? | [
"There's also a common occurrence called a [hypnic jerk](_URL_0_). That is a falling sensation just as your about to fall asleep that will wake you up and make you \"catch\" yourself. When you fall asleep, your body goes limp. The hypnic jerk is thought to be your body misinterpreting that limpness as falling."
] | [
"While you're dreaming, you realise you're in a dream and take control. The hard part is not waking up once you realise you're dreaming."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why does dry air cause dry skin if skin being dry means it lack oils, not water? | [
"Just like water, oil also has a vapor pressure, and so just like water it evaporates. You can actually find a lot of things that have a vapor pressure because you can smell them. What you are smelling is actually the small amount of whatever it is that is now in the air. But a lot of things don't have a smell to h... | [
"Usually lotion is either water based or oil based which changes how it works. Lotion works best when applied within 15 minutes of washing the skin or using water on it because lotion basically just traps existing water in the skin. Oil based just coats the skin in a \"protective barrier\" which means it covers it ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are we able to 'sense' when someone is looking at us or that "gut feeling" of something being wrong? | [
"Your brain processes a lot more information than you are consciously aware. So you may see something in your peripheral vision or some noise that you didn't realise you noticed. This makes your subconscious uneasy as it is a base survivor instinct."
] | [
"It's not the wink itself but the meaning we've put along with it. So when someone winks at you it triggers the same feelings as someone verbally telling you they like you, or that they find you attractive."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How can AdBlock detect ads? | [
"There are certain servers that host ads. A website with ads reserves a portion of the page to that information, and points the browser to where to get it. AdBlock just needs to keep a list of all these server addresses and when the browser is told to go there, stop the connection."
] | [
"Follow-up question: does it have something to do with revenue? Are there more ads on the horrible apps? Good question, OP!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do my childhood friend and I both have totally different memories of the same event? Are our brains lying to us? | [
"Try not to think of 1 event 1 memory. Each time you recall a memory it gets imprinted again. After hundreds of instances, little differences will actually create a different memory then the first one. As time goes on for most memories distortion gets worse."
] | [
"So you wouldn't confuse reality with dreams. Since I've been on antidepressants, I've been remembering a lot of my dreams. Sometimes, I recall what happened in dreams as believing it had actually happened. For example, I dream that I had a conversation with a colleague. When I reference that conversation to my co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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