query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
. Why are you told to “put your arms up” when you’re choking? | [
"Some people think raising your arms raises your diaphragm and helps you breath when your coughing. If you're actually choking and can't breath at all, you're better off making the sign for choking: putting your hands around your neck."
] | [
"Because if you hop out, the police officer has no idea what the hell you're doing. You could be having a stretch, or you might be getting ready to attack him. Also, it's safer for the driver."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What happens to the cavern created by oil mining? | [
"I used to have a friend that worked in the petroleum industry and I asked the same question. From my understanding, they pump some liquid, usually water, to displace the oil from inside the 'cavern' and so when all the oil is out, it's replaced by water. I'm pretty sure that this is only for certain types of well... | [
"Oil wells. It is a natural breakdown product from radioactive decay and collects in many underground places. It just so happens that one of those places is where we are already digging...oil wells."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why aren't there any major enclosed bodies of water in the world like the size of the Gulf of Mexico or a small ocean? | [
"There is one. The Mediterranean Sea was, long ago, a completely enclosed body of water. Even today, the opening (where it eventually broke open) is quite narrow."
] | [
"It's a lake. It is not connected to the ocean. It happens to be located at Earth's lowest point on land."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What goes into mens' cologne that makes them smell "manly". What about these fragrances/chemicals makes them masculine? | [
"It's contextual. In western culture most women's perfumes have fruit, flower, and vanilla notes. Men's cologne generally have earthy notes like pine and musk. By context you think of it as smelling one way or another because you've always associated certain smells with perfume and others with cologne."
] | [
"Women and men are associated with different scents due to older society role model stuff, and influenced by scents that match our sexuality. Guys would do \"manly\" stuff in their day-to-day, like work in the woods where their clothes would pick up evergreen scents, or work with horses and pick up the scent of lea... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
the difference between a racecar and a sports car | [
"in the strictest of terms race cars are special built for a track or one type of event, their modifications make it to where they are no longer street legal, a sports car is just a sporty car. you can make a car a race car but you can't make a race car a normal car"
] | [
"Because nice stuff costs a lot. And going fast is fun. And for your last question, then it would be easier for the average Joe to have a fancy nice car, taking away the \"exclusiveness\" of the car"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why aren't USB cables included with printers? | [
"- To save money. - Almost all printers these days have wireless capability making the cable optional."
] | [
"Anything on the USB standard is going to have the same requirements. So charging your Kindle with the cord from your Galaxy is perfectly fine. For the vast majority of consumer electronics if the plug fits it's fine. Companies don't exactly expect their customers to be smart, and aren't going to allow you to plug ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Are microwaves unhealthy? Could they give you cancer? | [
"No, microwave radiation is too big to affect our DNA. > like giving the food cancer This makes absolutely no sense. Cancer is the uncontrolled production of cells that don't do anything, which food (hopefully, by the time it is called \"food,\" since it's dead) doesn't do. Where on earth are these ideas coming fr... | [
"Your teacher is an idiot. Talk to a doctor about the best way to beat a type of cancer. That being said, a diet high in vegetables and low in red meat would lower your chances of getting cancer in the first place."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The difference between things like Inc, Co, Ltd, etc... | [
"It really depends on what jurisdiction the organization falls under, but basically the business structure you choose will have different legal and tax implications. You can visit the [US Small Business Association](_URL_0_) page for a very brief overview if you live in the US."
] | [
"Because all caps indicate acronyms and initialisms, for example, the USA, CIA, MIB, NFL, MLB, USPS, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Reddit's Karma system | [
"You get link karma if people upvote a link that you've posted (just like how you posted this question). You get comment karma if people upvote a comment you posted (like this comment). Similarly, you lose link/comment karma if your link/comment is downvoted. Having a lot of karma doesn't get you anything. Similarl... | [
"I'm assuming that this post from a few hours ago is about the same topic: _URL_0_ Summation of the answer: He is crazy and making stuff up."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If you want to heat an oven or stove to 175 degrees, does turning it way up to 400 degrees make it get to 175 faster? | [
"For an electric oven, no. The temperature control is a thermostat, not an accelerator. If the oven is below the set point, the element is on; otherwise it's off. It will take the same amount of time regardless of the setting. For a stove, it depends. A gas stove uses valves to control how much gas comes out, so tu... | [
"The reason is that it takes time for the earth to heat up, and the balance of daylight in July and August is still perfectly capable of heating the earth. Imagine you have a frozen pizza. You preheat your oven to 400 degrees and put it in. Every 5 minutes, you drop the oven temperature 100 degrees. So after 5 minu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What bitrate signifies in audio | [
"bitrate is the rate at which bits are being provided or processed in a system. That system can be your ipod or your television, etc. Higher number of bits mean high quality and more processing. In music, bits can be used to represent tones. Having a high number of bits in a music system will allow greater quality ... | [
"In binary, then people built programs to convert other code into binary."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why would a company like Dell go 'Private'? | [
"It's not that the company decides to go private, it's that Michael Dell decided to take it private. He is going to buy all the shares off the existing owners. So instead of 1000 people owning 0.001%, one person owns 100%. They sell because he gives them a better price than anyone else for their shares. He is doing... | [
"Technically possible. Cost effective? Not according to the bean counters at MSFT & Sony."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Technology:"
} |
why is "Rx" used for "prescription?" | [
"Because of its latin roots, Rx means recipe: to take."
] | [
"I read your question as \"Is it because I accumulate more and more **flies**\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
On SNL (and similar shows) how is the live audience's laughing timed with the camera cuts we're seeing at home, when they can see everything happening on stage? | [
"There are several staging areas in studio 8H in Rockefeller center, most of the time the audience isn't straight on, meaning the soundstage isn't directly in front of them. So the only way they can watch many sketches is on the TV(s) mounted on the walls and rails. Other times when the cut happens for the joke for... | [
"There is a lot of editing that can be done afterwards. When the director says \"cut\" he means that everything he wanted to happen in that scene already happened. The part with his voice in it will be edited out. If there's something going on in that part that they did want to keep for some reason, they could just... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How are GMO's created and why do they threaten the environment? | [
"I will try to answer a bit about how GMO's are created while avoiding jargon. So GMO stands for genetically modified organism. At the basics organisms have a code inside them with the instructions how to build that organism. Parts of these instructions is what we call genes. Now scientist have developed ways to ta... | [
"Its not necessarly bad. Cons: - May Introduce Harmful Pathogens. - May Hamper Nutritional Value. - May Lead to Genetic Defects. - Detrimental to Genetic Diversity. Genetic engineering may work wonders but it is after all a process of manipulating the natural. It is altering something that is not originally create... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
If atoms are so small that not even the most powerful microscopes can detect them, how are scientists able to experiment with them? | [
"I bring to you a boy and his atom _URL_0_ They can see it, well visualize it The idea was to use a \"Scanning tunneling microscope\", a tool that allows scientists to visualize and move individual atoms over a surface, to create a movie in stop motion."
] | [
"Imagine you have a rock. You know that \"a rock\" isn't a permanent single thing. It has different parts and ingredients. How do you determine what those ingredients are and ultimately isolate them? You start by smashing rocks together until they break. That's what our ancient ancestors did, and their understandin... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What is is that actually causes you to die when severely dehydrated or starving? | [
"They are two very different things. Water is a universal solvent and we need it for almost all of the chemical reactions of living cells. Without it, we can't perform the chemistry of living tissue and cells will start to accumulate metabolic waste and they will receive less nutrients until they begin to die. Thi... | [
"Alcohol inhibits the reception of a chemical called vassopressin, which is an anti-diarrhetic. It's why you keep peeing all the time when you're drunk. As a result, you get very dehydrated."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why is it that problems regarding Natives are talked about much more in Canada than in the U.S? | [
"The native population of Canada is about 5%, whereas the native population of the United States is around 2%. Additionally, since Canada has a total population of about 36 million in comparison to 330 million in the US, native people in Canada have a lot more visibility. This visibility also manifests in policy."
... | [
"Complicated question but the short answer is that US conservatives are far more conservative than their counterparts in the U.K."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why tires appear to be spinning the opposite way | [
"I'm not sure how to ELI5 it, because I don't really understand it myself (and it seems like there is no solid theory yet) but there's a Wikipedia article on it, it's called the [wagon-wheel effect](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"This isn't an exact example, but, you know how when you spin a top, it will balance on that tiny point, but once it stops spinning, it falls over? Things that are spinning are harder to push out of their orientation. This works for a bike's wheels just like it does for a rifle's bullet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How are the packets of a VPN connection get routed properly when all traffic gets routed THROUGH the VPN? | [
"Why would it be exempt? If you look at your routing table *without* a VPN, you'll see that you have a default route that uses a default gateway (i.e., 0.0.0.0 goes through that gateway). And everything works, because the traffic knows what it's destination is and your default gateway knows where to route that, ev... | [
"Spoofing in what context? Basically, it doesn't. Unless you're say, using a VPN in which case the public IP seen by a receiving party is that of the VPN server, not of your own router as the traffic is being sent through the VPN tunnel before being sent to its destination server."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why aren't race/bigotry motivated crimes committed by non-islamist groups not considered acts of terrorism by the media/general public? | [
"Terrorism is a point a view, not an inherent fact to a situation. When the OK city bombing happened all the media rushed to say it was committed by Arab terrorists. When it was revealed to be perpetrated by a white Christian American, the reporting changed to a mad-man, a political extremist. Terrorism is used as... | [
"I think its a combination of factors, namely the following: 1) People on the far right now feel more comfortable expressing their views. I don't think there's necessarily an increase in people who are anti-semitic, I just think they are more vocal now. The current administration should step up and denounce these a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does cold water taste better than warm water to humans? | [
"Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [[ELI5] Why does cold water taste so much better than room temperature or warm water? ](_URL_4_) 1. [ELI5: Why does cold water taste so much better than warm water? ](_URL_2_) 1. [ELI5: Why does hot water taste so different to cold water? ](_URL_5_) 1... | [
"How much water is in the bath? How much is in the kettle? How hot is the bath water?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What causes birthmarks and why doesn't everyone have them? | [
"Birthmarks are created when there is a cluster of melanocytes- which are cells that produce melanin/skin colour. A port-wine birthmark is the cluster of blood vessels underneath the skin, which is why the birthmark is characterised as so. Not everyone has a birthmark because we are all born with different bodies, ... | [
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and wellness:"
} |
how come putting water on your face makes it dryer? | [
"Your skin stays plastic due to oils in the outer layers; water can help strip those oils out of the skin, and then it all wipes off/evaporates. Same thing for licking your lips. Skin doesn't need water, it needs oil."
] | [
"Because when you're hot it's bad for you so when you go to the cool side it cools you down so it's better for you & feels good."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How did a propeller beanie become synonymous with childish immaturity. | [
"In short, yes. In a little longer, for a while it was in fashion for kids to have those. Probably not as in fashion as it can seem though, as the image of a grown up with the very funky-looking propeller was emotionally resonant, which made it popular. In simple terms: it looked funny so people used it. Compare wi... | [
"When the media decided to leverage the negative connotations associated with 'drone' to sensationalise things."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What is Sony's hardon for putting proprietary parts on everything they make? The vaio, PlayStation, PlayStation vita, that abomination of camera that could have just used m43, mini disc, even the Sony Ericsson phones. | [
"that \"abomination of a camera\" - is that the one that takes videos that only play on Sony devices?"
] | [
"> I would think the technology in my Macbrook Pro surpasses that inside of my iPad Not really. Tablets are a miracle."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
why haven't we seen the US (and its partners in the fight against ISIS) engage in a siege of Raqqah, the "de facto capital of ISIS"? | [
"Isis doesn't wear uniforms, man. They blend in with civilians, that is their defence tactic. Raqqah has a population of like 300k, how many more innocents need to die ?"
] | [
"It *used* to be the economic hub of Syria and is still a pretty large city. However, a small eastern section of the town has been taken over by Islamist cutthroats under the overall leadership of former Jabhat al-Nusra, the resident Al-Qaida branch. The government army has spent several years trying to eradicate t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about current affairs:",
"pos": "Represent the document about current affairs:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do tattoo last so long if every cell in your body is replaced in 7 years? | [
"As an aside, it's just not true that every cell in our bodies is replaced over seven years: _URL_0_"
] | [
"It actually has to do with the turtles genes. You see, every cell in the body has a limit of times it can replicate, or copy itself, through a process called mitosis. This is decided by specific codes in our genes that differ per organism. So a turtles genes say that a turtle cell can replicate more times in its l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
why do humans get squeamish around blood? | [
"There is a huge difference between \"humans\" and \"you and your friends\". Start with cleaning a fish you get at the fish market, then you can move to catching them, and end up a full-fledged paleo omnivore."
] | [
"why do we yawn when we read about yawning?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it that you often have to "use the other door" when entering restaurants? Sometimes the half of the door is even bolted. | [
"A lot of double doors are nested, one has to be closed before the other. Customers aren't going know this, and will often close them wrong, resu;ting in the door getting banged up and not shutting all the way. Leaving the door that should be shut first closed and locked prevents this."
] | [
"Because they unlock using different methods. One door is locked in place with latches at the top and bottom of the frame while the other has a key lock which slots into the other door. Opening the regular door is easy and necessary to enter at all but the other might require a screwdriver, tool, or just flipping r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does it skin have trouble differentiating between cold surfaces and wet surfaces when our eyes aren't looking? | [
"Liquids conduct heat away from your body several times faster than air. Thats why falling into a cold lake, at say 40 F will kill a LOT faster than say being exposed butt naked to 30 F air. Cold surfaces do the same thing, conduct heat away. So if you're closing your eyes, all you feel is a loss of heat, since bo... | [
"Because the inside of your mouth is already around 37C and coated in slimy film, where as your hands are dry and have a surface temperature relative to the air temperature. If you dipped your hands in say..slime, they could also pick up hotter objects. Your hands and other sensory organs are wired to tell you \"t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
I can find/google anything on the internet within seconds, so why does the windows file explorer take so long to search for files? | [
"Google uses something called an *index*. A computer index, sort of like a book index, is a quick way of looking for things based on keywords. On older versions of Windows, and with *unindexed* files (for example files on a USB drive you just plugged in), Explorer doesn't have an index to rely on, so it has to manu... | [
"It takes forever to load, sometimes you need to install shit to make it work at all, it takes control of your keyboard unless you click outside the flash box, you can't search in it, I can't see it with my iPhone, it belongs to a big corporation that forced it down our throats.... Shall I continue?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is scientifically currently known to influence sexuality? | [
"TL:DR: Scientifically, there is a LOT of debate. The answer will depend on who you ask, what you mean by \"scientifically\", and what you mean by \"sexuality\". First you have to considered the huge debate of \"nature vs nurture\". Specialists disagree wildly on whether sexual phenomena (such as sexual orientatio... | [
"Genetics and environmental factors - the same thing that affects most variability in human traits."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why would a software require the use of IE instead of other browsers? | [
"Web browsers read code (usually HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for web applications) and displays it for you. Different web browsers are produced by different organizations and are slightly different when it comes to reading and executing code. Even something pretty universal like HTML will be read and executed in slig... | [
"Most my videos do use HTML5. Are you sure you're running a supported browser?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What are the pros and cons of raising minimum wage? | [
"let's take one scenario for example: imagine minimum wage becomes $50/hr. Macdonald's workers aren't worth that much. Between training, actual wages, and feeding them, it would probably be cheaper to use self-checkouts or machines instead. Those who keep their golden arches uniform will earn significantly more, bu... | [
"Because being employed is no guarantee of being able to afford food, shelter, and other basic necessities. You can look to any number of threads talking about raising the minimum wage for more details."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do the colors of a sunrise and sunset look different? | [
"The heat from the sun cause air currents that kick up dust and haze. More stuff in the air means a more colorful sunset, while the sunrise, with cool still air, is less interesting."
] | [
"Some light still reaches the moon, it just has to travel through the earths atmosphere and is refracted. Since the path through the atmosphere is so long shorter wave lengths are filtered out and only long waved red light reaches the moon. The same effect causes sunrise/sunset to be red."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does music sound faster when I'm sleepy? | [
"Really? I get the opposite! I sometimes even get sped up versions of songs just to make them sound right."
] | [
"Everything seems a little slower, you seem a little off balance, and life is more entertaining. Source: I'm pretty drunk right now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If galaxies are moving away from each other at tremendous speed, why are the Andromeda galaxy and Milky Way about to collide? | [
"Dark Energy is expanding the universe, but the rate it expands is greater the longer the distance is. On the universal scale, Andromeda and the Milky Way are quite close together. There isn't enough distance for Dark Energy to overcome the force of gravity for now. Scientist estimate that every second, each mega... | [
"Absolutely not. While we move around the sun, the sun orbits the center of the Milky Way at 220 kilometers a second, the Milky Way meanders around the Virgo Supercluster, et cetera, et cetera. The planet will likely never see the same spot in space twice."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what's the point of a tool bring pneumatic instead of electric? | [
"Pneumatic tools use a pressurized air line to \"power\" the tool instead of electricity. That's pretty much it. Isn't prone to shocking/sparks/fires, and works even if the power goes out, as long as you've got air in the compressor tank."
] | [
"Because running power through a power transfer hinge through a door and to the leading edge is expensive... people are tight and dont see the point of spending 150x the price of a keyed lock. Would function beautifully but yeah.. the price. Batteries are useless Source : locksmith"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why aren't Libertarians invited to participate in Presidential debates? | [
"Because the debates are sponsored and produced by the Commision on Presidential Debates, which is co-chaired by a prominent Democrat and a prominent Republican, and requires candidates to poll at or above 15% support to join the debates. The CPD was founded in 1987 by the Democratic and Republican parties to take ... | [
"Caucuses in general are held so that the Democrats and Republicans can nominate who they want to be president. The person who wins the most caucuses wins the right to run under their party's banner; they are said to be the Democratic/Republican nominee for president.. That's why we don't have more than one contend... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does the internet love cats? | [
"It's quite simple son. Cats are a common household pet so lots of people have them. You might think that there should be an equal amount of dogs, but dogs don't sit still long enough for you to take a photograph of them to upload onto the internet, whereas cats are quite nonchalant (once fed) and are quite happy f... | [
"Now you too get to see the terrible deleted comments! Welcome!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If we depend on wind energy, why won't it adversely affect the global atmospheric currents? | [
"Not really. We're not removing enough energy from the wind to actually stop it. The amount of fluid energy in wind is pretty substantial. [It's like saying if we use solar panels we're removing energy from the sun. T](_URL_0_)he energy is there, and whether we harness it or not, the energy will be spent. Granted, ... | [
"Global warming is what the planet is undergoing as a whole. The increase of average global temperature. Climate change is what could be observed in a specific region. A region could be hotter, cooler, wetter, drier, etc. The worry is that the ecosystems in a region could change too quickly for organisms to adapt a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Environmental Science:"
} |
Why does 20 mph in a car feel slow but on a bike or skateboard feel super fast? | [
"A big factor is physical sensation due to wind resistance."
] | [
"Its the fact that that water always has some turbulence or chop. Your boat starts to transmit that feeling to you at a much lower speed than a car on a smooth road. Its the same reason that you can easily drive a new mercedes at 90 mph and not feel like you are going fast at all, but a Toyota Corolla feels like it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do row crews need a small dude to sit in the back of the boat and yell at them? | [
"Even if it were possible to operate the boat without a coxswain, the object isn't to go as fast a possible, just faster than the other boats. So long as everyone has a coxswain, the competition is fair. It is kind of like safety equipment in a racecar...they might go a little faster without, but things go a lot be... | [
"I'm not sure it's physics or just physical. If you look at these boats, there is no room for rowers to lift their oars to let the next oar go by. People get injured when one rower gets out of sync."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why does your mind think of disgusting things when you're trying not to vomit? | [
"\"That is disgusting. You know what else is disgusting? This thing, and this and that.\" Our brains love connections and relationships."
] | [
"The idea that masturbation can damage your eyesight is a lie made up by people who think masturbation is wrong. Stop if your dick is sore and don't do it inappropriate places and you'll be fine. Masturbation is normal and healthy as long as you're not doing it constantly. Don't know what's up with your eyes, but i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why can't we think of a new color? | [
"You can sort of, just not directly. Its possible to see black thats more black than possible, or orange thats more orange than orange. But for the most part, we can think of any color we want, just not ever experience it. These are because those colors are impossible. _URL_0_ If you're interested in learning more ... | [
"In the real world why would anyone want to be a politician?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
if you get a blood transfusion and your blood is found at the scene of a crime and tested, how does it effect the results? | [
"As others have said, red blood cells have no DNA. Rather, it's other cells, such as white blood cells, that are present in blood and are the source of DNA evidence in \"blood\". What you may not know is that when you donate blood (or receive donated blood), that blood is filtered and separated into its constituen... | [
"i can claim i killed a person. but unless police have physical evidence tying me to a body, there's nothing to arrest me on."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are the cartridges for NES and SNES games so big if they only have to fit a relatively small computer chip. | [
"It had to do with the Video Game Crash around the time the NES was released. To make the NES look more pleasing to the US, they turned the Famicom into an \"Entertainment System\" Much like a VCR or Cable Box. So in turn they made the Game Carts much bigger than needed to resemble something like a VHS Tape. This g... | [
"None-volatile storage of that size did not at all exist back then. The best that existed were floppy drives which were not exactly something you could add into a cartridge. They could do something like that today, but it would add a bit to the cost of the cartridge potentially. Most modern gaming devices have th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What happens when our muscles fail when working out? | [
"There's a build up of toxic byproducts of the exercise that literally make your muscles unable to contract. Resting allows those byproducts to be removed/destroyed, so your muscles can function normally again. EDIT: The process is called lactic acidosis. It is brought on by a *shortage* of ATP which in turn is bro... | [
"You used muscles you do not normally use to a degree you do not normally use them and you stressed those muscles. It is the exact same thing as happens when you work out and are sore afterwards."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why do I sleep like a beautiful princess after I wash my sheets and make my bed? | [
"After a shower and a shave - I'mma sleep till NOON."
] | [
"You lay a greasy head on them and never really get the chance to wash them. What did you expect would happen?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
any reasons certain companies hire and train from scratch while others doesn't? | [
"It's mostly company culture/philosophy. Some companies want a higher retention rate, so they invest in the employee early on and train them on their system/integrate them into their business. In theory this should lead to higher morale and productivity/reduced error rates. It can also be a case of a very niche bus... | [
"Just like you can drop them after being their customer for 8 years. If they don't want to work with you they don't have to."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What does the sign "We don't call 9-1-1" that some home owners display outside their door mean? Are they anti-emergency services? | [
"They are fantasizing about shooting you with their guns."
] | [
"Most places have \"good Samaritan\" laws which protect people who try to help, but fail. In some places, like where I live, these laws do not protect people who have a 'duty to assist,' which is why the \"safety associates\" at my office who are trained on the defibrillators and take yearly CPR certifications are ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do we, as humans, keep procrastinating even though we already know we're screwing ourselves over? | [
"Best piece of writing I've read on this was on [Quora](_URL_0_). (Click \"Close & Read First Answer\" to get around the sign-in block)"
] | [
"> We seem to derive far more pleasure from procrastination than actual work itself. Do we really, though? I find a period of good, productive work to be much more pleasurable than the same period spent feeling faintly guilty playing some stupid game. I still procrastinate all the time. I'm doing it right now in fa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why aren't the Joint Chiefs five star ranks? | [
"Because the joint chiefs don't individually control everything. They each have control in their respective branches, but they still have to coordinate with each other. On the flip side, the president can't be expected to have the knowledge necessary to issue out advanced, detailed orders. So what do you do when yo... | [
"There was a five-star air-force officer: [Henry H. Arnold](_URL_0_) The five star thing was only ever for world war II, because there was rank inflation and one-upmanship going on and because there simply were so many people involved that you needed a bigger rank pyramid. Since the ranks were to help coordinate wi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is happening when I need to poop, but instead I hold it until I don't need to poop anymore? | [
"You have two spinchters one where your asshole is, and another about ~6 inches up. Most of the time that 6 inch section is empty, but when you need to poo your second spinchter opens and waste moves into that last section. If you wait and don't poo I think that your body just moves the waste back up behind the sec... | [
"Wait until you need to pee. Then don't go. You will be able to ignore it at first, maybe even forget you needed to go. Eventually the urge will come back, stronger this time. Still, try to resist. Do not go. You may or may not be able to ignore it at this point. Keep at it. At some point, it will become the ONLY t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Health and personal habits:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Health and personal habits:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why does heat sometimes soften and sometimes harden metals? For instance, smithing metals makes them easier to bend, but factories heat metal in a furnace to harden it into shape. | [
"As for smithing: Glowing hot metal is soft. You hammer hot metal, it kneads Because metal has a structure. You heat metal, structure changes. Say, from structure A (cold), to B (hot) You leave hot metal cooling down over time, structure slowly changes back from B to A You take hot metal and immediately put it o... | [
"Plastics are made of polymer chains that are tangled up. It's like a big mess of spaghetti. For most plastics, when you recycle it you'll end up breaking down some of those chains. If you keep recycling it you'll get rice which behaves quite different from spaghetti, and finally couscous which is even weaker. Many... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What steps a computer takes to connect to a webpage | [
"When you write \"_URL_0_\" in the browser address box, the following happens: 1. The browser asks a DNS server for the IP address of _URL_1_. Your computer might have the IP address stored in a cache from previously, so this step might be skipped. 2. The browser connects to the server using its IP address. 3. The ... | [
"It means you are connected to your router, so you can do things like file share to other computers on that network, but your router isn't connected to the Internet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why is spray deodorant cold when it comes out of the can? | [
"A few reasons, first you may remember from high school chemistry the ideal gas law. PV=nRT, where P=pressure, V=volume, n= number of moles, R is a constant and T is temperature. If you spray a pressurized gas (the propellant in the can), which is typically butane or propane, as the gas comes out of the spray nozz... | [
"Because the propellant in the can usually runs out before the cream. Shaving cream cans are filled with both the cream and a pressurized propellant gas like butane. When you press the button the propellant forces the cream through the nozzle and aerates it, making it light and foamy. When the propellant starts to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do .zip files work? I can download a .zip and extract a file that's twice as large from it. What are they cutting out? | [
"They aren't cutting anything out, they're just writing it in a way that doesn't take as much space. There's a good explaination here: _URL_0_"
] | [
"The main purpose of zip files is to compress the files. Some files however can't be compressed, usually because they are already compressed - if the compression algorithm determines that a file can't be compressed any further (i.e. any attempt to compress it will only result in a file with the same size, or even l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is the Bluebottle Jellyfish aka the Portuguese Man-of-War considered a colony of cellular individuals? Why aren't humans a colony of specialized cells? | [
"Well because of the cnidarian life cycle. Cniderea is the family corals and jellyfish are in. In most members of the family there is the polyp stage and the jellyfish stage. Some species spend their whole lives in one stage like coral, or most of their lives in another like jellyfish. In a syphonophore (like the m... | [
"No. The entire thing you think of as the coral isn't the animal, it's the colony of animals. What you think of a \"the coral\" is really a collection of millions of animals. The single animal is only millimeters in size typically."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do clarinets overblow at the 12th, but saxophones overblow at the octave? | [
"The bore shape is part of the issue, but the other part is that the clarinet is *closed at one end*. Any tube is going to produce harmonics: the fundamental is the first harmonic, the octave at the second harmonic, the 12th at the third harmonic, and so on. An ideal closed cylindrical bore doesn't produce even-num... | [
"I think it's to allow easier transition for players between instruments. For example an alto and tenor sax have the same fingering but produce different note. This means a player who plays tenor sax can more easily transition to alto sax as they won't have to relearn all the fingering. A b flat on alto is the sam... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
the recent Planned Parenthood video(s) controversy | [
"Planned Parenthood does a great many abortions each year in the US. After the abortion is done, PP is allowed to donate the remains to labs or universities for medical research. They are allowed to accept money to cover the cost of shipping and storing the remains (so they don't lose money on these donations). The... | [
"Not so much of a scandal as a tempest in a teapot. Some people on the internet were looking through the leaked Podesta emails and came up with the idea that emails concerning food orders, such as pizza, were actually coded messages for child molestation parties. There isn't anything to it as far as I can tell. The... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why are unrestrained animals in vehicle cabins not covered under any existing "distracted driving" laws? | [
"> But no existing \"distracted driving\" laws even mention animals or pets. This is false. Hawaii Statutes, Section 291C-124, (b): “While operating a motor vehicle, no person shall hold in the person’s lap, or allow to be in the driver’s immediate area, any person, animal, or object which interferes with the d... | [
"Because there is no law, rule, or regulation that forbids it. It's pretty much as simple as that. While it may or may not have caused an accident, those incidents are not widespread enough to put pressure on regulatory agencies to ban those sounds."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why are galaxies planar and haven't been crushed into spheres by their own gravity, like other space objects of sufficient mass? | [
"Because they rotate. Angular momentum spins them into a disk orbiting the supermassive black holes in their center. It is the same reason solar systems do not all collapse into their star."
] | [
"Black holes aren't the cosmic vacuums that some media has made them out to be. Once you get very close some odd things happen due to the immense gravitational forces, but at a distance they behave like any other large object. The Sun more or less orbits the massive center of the milky way galaxy. The black hole at... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Physics:"
} |
How can 'New Horizons' send home detailed pictures from Pluto when we don't even have a stable Internet connection everywhere on Earth? | [
"New Horizons doesn't use the same network as the internet. There is a series of large radio telescopes around our planet known as the [Deep Space Network](_URL_0_), which are used for the purpose of communicating with probes a long distance from earth. Given the distance of New Horizons, it has line of site to alm... | [
"Venus's surface temperature is 800 degrees, the atmosphere is beyond toxic, and it rains metal. We're not going there any time soon. Same goes for Mercury, too hot. Mars itself is a six month trip away, a trip to Jupiter would take years, same with Saturn or any of its moons. It took Voyager nearly 40 years just t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
why does a phones signal interfere with landing and take off of aircraft? | [
"If you have a phone that does not meet the regulations for electromagnetic emissions, there is a fault with the airplanes avionics, there is a slight possibility that your phone might have a slight impact on one of the several redundant systems the pilots use to navigate. In other words they don't. The primary rea... | [
"when there's two plane parked side by side, you won't be able to tell by sound which one's running."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are crab legs so expensive? (as compared to other seafood) | [
"Because crab fishing is extremely dangerous. A lot of people are hurt or killed on crab boats, which means captains have to pay a ton of money to get people to crew their boats. The cost is passed down to the customer"
] | [
"Lobsters are sold live, lobster tails are frozen. There are many more market forces that come into play for transporting live lobster."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How can King trademark words like candy and saga, and what is to stop me from grabbing a dictionary and starting with A? | [
"Trademarks only cover uses that you can show could cause confusion to a consumer. So you can have Apple Computers and Apple Apple Company, and neither is infringing on the others' trademark."
] | [
"I believe that is a Trademark, not a Copyright. In the case of Pandora, each is in a different field. So, for example I could make a Ford cookie and a Fairlane pie, but not a car with either name. You could probably get away with selling a \"For the cure\" potato salad, but you might still get some grief from Susa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why does my camera take rectangular photos (horizontal vs. vertical orientation) even though the lens is circular? | [
"Cropping, photographs looked like this a hundred years ago - _URL_0_"
] | [
"The camera sensor is rectangular. It does not rotate. So by holding the camera vertically you are also holding the sensor vertically. The camera *could* crop the video down to a lanscape orientation, but it will be at the cost of vastly reduced resolution (you're literally ignoring more than half the pixels on the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does nearly every country in the world have either red, white or blue in their flag? | [
"A few reasons: Basic, primary colors are good for flags because those are easier to make and to see from a distance. There aren't that many basic primary colors (think of the 8-Crayola box). So by random chance \"most countries\" are going to use at least one of any three of those colors. Also, a great many countr... | [
"The ones I know from my head: On the USA flag they stand for each state. On the Australian flag you have the Southern Cross constellation and the federation star. The New Zealand flag also has the Southern Cross. The Chinese flag has the communist party for the big star and the four classes for the little ones. Th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Medicare vs Medicaid | [
"Medicare is a US government program that provides health insurance for old people. Medicaid is a program that provides coverage to the poor."
] | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
the Cuban Missle Crisis | [
"It was Cuba and Russia against the United States. It happened in the early 1960s. Russia put some missiles in Cuba and basically we all just threatened to attack each other. Never actually happened, but we both had nuclear weapons pointed. That's the very quick and dirty version."
] | [
"Star Wars Episode VII: The Jar Jar Binks Adventures"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why do your eyes tear up every time you yawn? | [
"Muscles in you face tense up, squeezes tear glands"
] | [
"You turn your head so you don't cough on your doctor."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How can people in submarines stay underwater for so long? With a full crew, wouldn't they run out of oxygen? | [
"I was a nuclear operator on a 688 class submarine for many years. In order to produce oxygen we remove all impurities from water. We then subject the water to high voltage DC. The water molecules split into their component atoms (hydrogen and oxygen). This process is called electrolysis. Additionally we have emerg... | [
"A combination of design and the strength of the materials used. Super-deep-diving submersibles use a much more compact design than military submarines, whose large, cylindrical shapes are not suited to going that deep. They also use very dense, strong materials for surviving the crushing pressure. And if a human t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do Indian Reservations work? | [
"Indian reservation - Wikipedia _URL_0_ An Indian reservation is a legal designation for an area of land managed by a federally recognized Native American tribe under the US Bureau of Indian Affairs rather than the state governments of the United States in which they are physically located."
] | [
"Related question: What if I want to become a mercenary? What do I do?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
why do french fries, tater-tots, or any other deep fried potato food taste different after being left out or put in the refrigerator? | [
"Frying in oil produces a crispy texture because it has a high boiling point. Unlike potato chips, fries and tater tots aren't cooked to the point of driving all moisture out. They retain some moisture. As soon as you take them out of the fryer the moisture starts to affect the texture of the food. The longer you w... | [
"You have to add some moister to the meat, the buns need to be removed from the meat and it has to be reheated. The heat from the meat will cause the buns to become stiff as it cooks the buns when it wrapped up. So the best thing to do is to remove the buns and place them in a baggie and put them on the counter, th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Food:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Food:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Food:"
} |
How thermal camera works. | [
"Let's put it like this: everything around you with a temperature over 0°K (so everything) radiates a wide spectrum of \"light\". The hotter the observed object is, the shorter is the wavelenght of that light. (this can be estimated with the black body radiation _URL_0_) So our sun has a temperature of around 6000°... | [
"It helps them examine patients in environments with poor lighting. It acts as a reflector. Edit: Spelling. Typical reddit :)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do drinks taste better in glass bottles compared to plastic containers? | [
"Part of it the taste from just what your mouth comes into contact. Glass will be colder than plastic, and glass and metal generally have less of a taste that plastic. Anothing thing to consider is the difference between drinking from a bottle and a glass. With a glass, your nose is better exposed to the drink, thu... | [
"Beer will go flat sooner in plastic bottles, as it is much more porous (microscopically) than glass. By the way, beer is commonly sold in plastic bottles in places like ball parks."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do gills work, and why can't fish survive on land very long? | [
"Both lungs and gills have thin surfaces that red blood cells can get close to to absorb oxygen. Gills are designed to pump water through so those cells can pick up dissolved oxygen in the water while releasing carbon dioxide, while lungs do the same, but with air. Fish can't survive outside the water because the g... | [
"That is what they are adapted to do. It is like asking how fish can swim all the time or how whales can hold their breath for so long. The stress of being used for what they do isn't something difficult for nipples to do."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If a fighter plane has an eject system for pilot, so that if that plane has a problem the pilot can eject, why can't commercial airlines have the same technology. | [
"First thought is weight. I imagine (although I'm no expert), that having a couple of hundred ejector seats on board would add a huge amount of weight. Other Factors: Install Cost, Maintenance, Danger (You are essentially sitting on rockets/explosives)"
] | [
"First. It would scare the passengers. Second. Not everyone knows how to free fall, deploy a parachute in the right position, then land on the ground safely, it would be a nightmare explaining this on every commercial flight. Third. It could be a liability in the case someone needs to use it and the parachute doesn... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is Alaska part of The United States? | [
"We bought it from Russia in 1867. After gold was found, the population increased and we granted it territory status in 1912. We put lots of military bases there in WWII and the Cold War, and gave it statehood in 1959 after oil was found, giving credibility to people’s claims that the region was strong enough indep... | [
"Where do you mean? Europe? The US? Middle East? Africa? Eastern Asia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How did marijuana suddenly become legal in 3 states? Why is there such a sudden change in sentiment? | [
"I wouldn't say that it's been a \"sudden\" change in sentiment. The legalization movement had been gaining traction for quite a while. Two big tipping points, however, are probably due to 1) the growing realization that the *War on Drugs* has been one colossal—and expensive—failure, and 2) the nuanced view the Med... | [
"Legalizing marijuana is not a politically wise proposal to make. There are lots of reasons why this is so, but the core thing is that a politician would lose more votes from the minority that opposes marijuana than from the majority that supports it. As long as that is true, marijuana will not be legalized, no mat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why do we write 3 dots after unfinished sentences? Why not 2 or 4? | [
"I think it's just that 2 dots seems like a typo, and 4 is just excessive. 3 dots gets the point across."
] | [
"What's 5 + 5? Okay now what's 5.105 + 5.079? Which took longer?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Genetically, how does a red head baby come to be? | [
"There are dominant and recessive genes (example: R for dominant, r for recessive). Each person has two copies of a gene, one from each parent. If a gene is dominant, even if there is a recessive gene, the dominant gene is the one that determines physical traits (example: RR has the same physical traits as Rr). If... | [
"Being Black/White/Asian isn't a species. Your professor is trying get that across. Your skin color or hair type is no different then your family lineage having big ears or a beak like nose. The CFTR gene, Sickle Cell, Tay-Sachs are common in groups of people yes. But that's just a simple case of those people in t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why were timers in NES games so fast? | [
"It's because they weren't seconds, they were ticks. A tick, usually used in video games and not as a unit of time, is about how long it would take to say the word tick. A tick is used to time something, like in a shooter, the rate of fire for a specific gun wouldn't be logged as x bullets per second, but would x.x... | [
"Because many of them tie their internal timing to the speed of the cpu clock, making the game run faster the faster your cpu is, not unlike how many console games on PS2 and earlier were coded. Not all games were coded like this, however."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How come places like Spain are +1 GMT when most of it is relatively behind the Greenwich Meridian Line as far as rotation is concerned? | [
"The Nazis. That's actually the reason. When they invaded France, they switched it to the same timezone as Germany. After the war, the French didn't change it back. Spain was neutral in WW2, but the ruling regime was on mostly good terms with Germany, so they also decided to align their timezone."
] | [
"Because the earth is round, countries on one side will be in darkness when the other is light. It doesn't make sense to say that the time is the same everywhere as 10 AM might then be the middle of the night in one place, and early morning somewhere else. Instead, the world is divided up vertically (mostly, the li... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why do some 12V adaptors have chunky brick plugs that block power strips while others are thin and fit so nicely? | [
"Two different technologies, their use being dictated by cost. The heavier \"brick like\" power supplies employ a simple iron-core wire-wound step-down transformer. They are cheap and long-lasting, but they are also bulky and heavy. The slimmer, lighter-weight packages are examples of switch-mode power supplies, ... | [
"The outlet themselves are designed to grip the plug. The outlet itself has some bumps in the contacts that you plug into. Those plugs fit into holes on the plug, and grip it a bit better than it would if there wasn't the holes in the plug."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Electrical plugs and their design:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Electrical plugs and their design:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Electrical appliances:"
} |
If it's expressly forbidden in the bible, why do so many Christians get tattoos? “And you shall not make a wound in your flesh for one who has died nor put a tattoo upon yourselves; I am God" (Lev. 19:28) | [
"That's in the same part of the bible where homosexuality and shellfish are both \"abominations\" so it's the \"choose your own adventure\" part of the book basically."
] | [
"*I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefor... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does seasoning cast iron work? | [
"Oils that are best for seasoning will form longer carbon chains when heated in the presence of oxygen (a few of them will do it at room temperature too but it takes considerably longer). Heating the iron expands the pan creating tiny pores in the iron that cause the oil to stick to the pan. So seasoning a cast ir... | [
"It's more likely how you cook them, rather than how they taste from frozen. Grill, oven, frier, fat etc. These things all have an impact."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In computers, the main hard drive is labeled C:, and any other hard drives or storage media you install is named D:, E:, F: and so forth. Where are A: and B:? | [
"Once upon a time, hard drives as we know them were a luxury in personal computing. You had a floppy disk drive for your operating system - 1.44 precious megabytes. This was A:/. You also had another drive, typically a floppy disk drive for whatever else you wanted to do - 1.44 precious megabytes, this is B:/. Then... | [
"Google uses something called an *index*. A computer index, sort of like a book index, is a quick way of looking for things based on keywords. On older versions of Windows, and with *unindexed* files (for example files on a USB drive you just plugged in), Explorer doesn't have an index to rely on, so it has to manu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Am I supposed to pop pimples/infections? | [
"No. All you're doing is bypassing the protective barrier of the skin and creating an opportunity for more bacteria to get in."
] | [
"From time to time I get these, which are often unpoppable or hard-to-pop pimples. Unless they are large and show the characteristics of a cyst, it's likely they're just pimples."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do babies probingly scream and make loud noises around others, while for other species it'd probably mean death? | [
"We are a social species and our ancestors were too. Our babies were never left alone. In many other species, it is important that the babies stay quiet because they are sometimes left unattended and must hide. (like young deer hiding in a field). That was never the case for humans. Like chimpanzees, we would've li... | [
"They don't really, feel more or less pain. They just don't know how to cope with it. Kid doesn't know what is happening, so it cries, sobs, and vocally express his/her feelings. But adult know what the pain is, he knows why it is happening. And will treat is as annoyance as opposed to life or death situation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Babies and their crying behavior:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Babies and their crying behavior:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What would happen if you tried to land on a small Gas planet? | [
"We don't really know the inner structures of gas giants, but they're thought to have solid or liquid cores. Usually, this would be any inner core of heavy elements and an outer core of liquid metallic hydrogen, but the behaviour of matter at those temperatures and pressures isn't really known. They're not all gas... | [
"Has to do with rotation, but also because the Moon Nazis want to keep their base hidden on the Far Side."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Astronomy:"
} |
Why do television ads for medicine and drugs always say to look at their magazine ads? | [
"The fine print. You can only say so much on television, and the screens are only so big to display text. there are a TON of legal disclaimers in the fine print as well as side effects and the like, all of which is information you'd (hopefully) want to know before putting a random drug in your body. Usually the t... | [
"The happy imagery is designed to get you to want the product they are selling. The dangerous side affects is to conform to federal regulations related to advertising of medications."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How my Phone knows when im using the knuckles instead of fingers? | [
"This is speculation, since I can't find any 'how this works' detail from a bunch of googling: When you touch the screen with a fingertip, it's 'squishier' than touching it with a knuckle. There's more surface area in contact with it, and it doesn't bump the phone as suddenly. So the phone (probably) tells the diff... | [
"Have you never called someone in the same room on your phone? Try it!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Telecommunications:"
} |
Why do some cats start going nuts and biting you after you pet them for too long? | [
"they get scared to let anybody in emotionally because they have been hurt before"
] | [
"Similarly, can someone explain how my sister was extremely allergic to cats, and I was fine to pet them, etc, and now, she is not allergic at all, and my eyes start itching if I'm around someone who even *has* a cat? This change happened for both of us within the same year-ish period."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Why and how did the big bang happen? | [
"We don't know. We don't know if it was caused. If it was caused, we don't know what caused it. If it wasn't caused, we don't know how it happened. We don't even know if there's any sense in which \"where did it come from\" or \"what came before it\" make sense, and if they do make sense we don't know the answers."... | [
"As far as we can tell, time did not exist before the big bang. So there was no before the big bang."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How does general anesthesia work? Why is it so fast? | [
"I hope it's ok for me to link to an outside source. Not quite ELI5, maybe ELI12, but [this](_URL_0_) podcast by the Stuff You Should Know guys is a very good broad explanation of what we understand about anaesthesia."
] | [
"There are local anesthetics that can numb just body parts or even the whole body, and not put you to sleep. Also general anti-anxiety medication that would keep you calm."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what is preventing mold to grow on food before it's expiration date? | [
"nothing at all, there is already mold and bacteria on all your food before you ever buy it, but depending on the food and the storage conditions how long it takes to grow enough mold that you can see it or enough that it is dangerous will vary."
] | [
"When foods car canned they're sealed in a vacuum to prevent bacterial growth. That's why the top on salsa cans makes a pop sound when' it's opened. As soon as the can/bottles open, bacteria is let in. Refrigeration slows the reproduction of the bacteria and kills some others. Leaving it out provides the perfect en... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How insects are preserved in Amber and how we’re able to tell how old they are | [
"Amber is tree resin, it was liquid and sticky when it came out of the tree so all sorts of stuff got stuck in it fairly often. And since it's a carbon compound from a tree it can be radioisotope dated, some part of carbon in trees is always radioactive carbon-14 coming from the air where it's created by cosmic ra... | [
"Fossilisation is rare, not everything becomes a fossil. It takes specific conditions for something to turn from organic matter to rock. And then, on top of that the fossil has to go undisturbed by tectonic movement, disasters or water for 60 million years (in the case of dinosaurs). We are very fortunate to have a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
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