query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why is our standard calendar not 13 months, each with 28 days? | [
"The Romans did not have a full calendar of the year. They started counting the days when spring arrived in March and counted for ten lunar cycles until winter. They only counted days and months but not weeks like we do now. The lunar cycle is 29.5 days or roughly 30 days so this is the length of a month. And this ... | [
"A year is 365.25 days long which is how long it takes to orbit the sun. 365 is not divisible by many things, just 73 and 5. Therefore if you must have equal months and for them to fit neatly into a year you either need 73 months of 5 days or 5 months of 73 days. Months are roughly based on moon cycles which are ab... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why protesters against big companies, are allowed to block traffic and inconvenience average people. | [
"As to the questions about \"doesn't that just turn people against them.\" That is always a gamble. The calculus is this: If we don't inconvenience anyone, nobody will listen. If we inconvenience people, we will get press coverage for our cause. Some of the peole who see us in the news will support us. # of people ... | [
"Because that is exactly what the WBC wants. The WBC are lawyers who figured out if their rights are violated, they can sue, and reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees from court system from local cities and counties. It's how they sustain their lifestyle. They protest and say awful things, get banned,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can our eyes adjust so quickly to a bright environment but it takes a while to adjust to a dark one? | [
"It's not about your pupils - it's about your retinas. You have two types of cells in your retina - rods and cones. Cones are good for colors, but only work well in bright light. Rods do very well in low light, but very poor in colors. When you to bright lights, you oversaturate your rods and they don't do well pro... | [
"Better to set it to low. Your eyes use blue light (light of the sky) to synchronize the body's internal clock. Blue light means daytime which means you should stay awake. Our digital devices nowadays produce a great deal of blue light. The more blue light exposure at night you get, the more your body's internal cl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can't America deploy the National Guard to areas like South Side of Chicago to help with the overwhelming crime rate and eventually restore order. | [
"Because the Governor of Illinois hasn't decided to ask them to. He can, because Posse Comitatus doesn't apply to the Guard, but it the political fallout would probably be pretty bad."
] | [
"There seems to be a misconception. Mass shootings (like the ones you see covered on CNN), school shootings, etc - they are a very small percentage of the gun violence. Most of it happens the old fashioned way - in inner cities like Detroit or Baltimore, usually between rival gangs or just people who had scores to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Legally speaking, did the Emancipation Proclamation free the slaves? | [
"no it just freed the slaves in the rebelling states....it was a strategic tactic. the 13th amendment freed the slaves almost 3 years later."
] | [
"SOME blacks did settle land according to the Homestead Act but overall they were not able to. The Act itself specified that you had to be an American citizen or declare your intention of becoming an American citizen. In 1862 a black person could not become a citizen. Remember that the Dredd Scott decision said tha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What makes Bobby Fischer better than other chess prodigies? | [
"A lot of it was he grew up in a place that had almost no support for top chess players. At the time America was a chess wasteland. The best analogy I heard was imagine an Eskimo created a tennis court in Alaska, trained by himself and then won Wimbledon."
] | [
"Because British accents sound foreign yet understandable to american audiences."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does testosterone work? Why do some of the muscular guys have no beard or a high pitched voice? Is testosterone divided between traits? | [
"If I recall correctly, there's not just 'testosterone', there's anabolic - which is muscle building, and androgenic - which contributes to 'male' features (beards, low voices, etc). So there's that, but I think there's more to it than just the presence of those hormones. I can't say what, though, because I don't k... | [
"They take androgenic hormones. Men don't grow hair on their face because of the Y chromosome, they grow it because of testosterone. So if you give a woman testosterone, she'll start growing hair too."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How did it get to a stage where most, if not all, people need to take out a loan to buy a house? Why do we need loans? | [
"A house is a durable good. It makes sense to borrow money to buy one, because the service life of the house is at least equal to the length of the mortgage. Since the value of the house is likely to remain constant (or increase) during the life of the mortgage, the borrower can exit the mortgage virtually at will ... | [
"If they can't afford a college education without loans, how are they going to afford studying abroad?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do computers organize their memory? | [
"It starts like the bookshelf. However, from time to time the computer will momentarily pause other operations in order to push things together, in order to combine lots of little spaces into bigger, easier-to-use spaces."
] | [
"Because those are stored in different parts of the brain."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Computer Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Computer Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Neuroscience:"
} |
Why are screen refresh rates most commonly divisible by 30? | [
"The electrical grid in the US is alternating current at 60Hz. This made it much easier for CRT displays to cycle at 60Hz or multiples."
] | [
"There are two things to consider (well, more, but two that I will go into): resolution, and pixel size. All \"1080p\" screens will be 1,920 pixels wide and 1,080 pixels tall. However, you can have a 1080p screen that is pretty small (I think that smartphones are approaching this) or you can have a 1080p screen tha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is snow white if it's essentially just frozen water? | [
"Because it refracts light. Same reason clouds are white. Water isn't truly 100% transparent, just close to it. You can see this in ice cubes with small cracks in them too."
] | [
"Clouds are just water vapor. It's just fog that's high up in the sky. So the answers to all your questions are the same as the answer to \"what would happen if you poured water outdoors while it was foggy?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do some people suffer from 'shy bladder'? | [
"I don't have any references handy, but I've been told it's a holdover from our mammalian roots. Like dogs pee to mark territory, we don't want to pee in front of others because of anxiety about making aggression displays. Also, your weenie is out. That's vulnerable, so anxiety happens. Edit-spelling"
] | [
"How do you know you don’t have exercise induced asthma?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Health and Fitness:"
} |
How APU processor works? | [
"Well, I am hoping since you have asked that you first know what a CPU and a GPU is. But if not, I'll try to explain. A computer has a bunch of parts, everthing has its own job. Like a factory. The CPU makes numbers, the GPU makes pictures, and the CD-ROM isn't for bologna. The idea of the APU, is to introduce a n... | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do you have to sign up for cashback bonuses? | [
"The cashback programs cost the credit card companies money. They want to be known as having a good rewards program, but they don't want many people taking advantage of it. Thus, they implemented a program where people have to opt-in (usually every 3 months) to take advantage of it. Mail-in rebates work the exact s... | [
"Because you agreed to those terms when you signed up for their service."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do girls always go to the bathroom in groups? | [
"As it's been explained to me, it's because of a number of reason: * There is often a line and it gives them someone to talk to * Because they want to talk about you/the people they are with * They don't want to get hit on That is what I was told when I've asked."
] | [
"If men reacted to hot women the way women react to hot men, we'd go to jail."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
in America I see tons of land that is unpopulated. If nobody owned this land since America was founded how could someone obtain this property? | [
"Just because it's unoccupied doesn't mean it's unowned. When the US was forming and expanding, it claimed a lot of land for itself. Most of that land it then sold or gave to various citizens (or other entities). A lot of these land claims were huge, so a family lived on the land and over generations sold it off t... | [
"Who would take them? What about the people living on them already? Why would someone or some country want to lease an island when they could buy property on the market anyway? It's an interesting thought, though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do we sleep on beds and not directly on mattresses? | [
"So, I live in Germany and slept on a mattress on the floor for years and it was absolutely fine. Then I moved to a place with a cement floor.... The answer is not cleanliness, for it's perfectly possible to keep your floor clean... but you want to be warm in your bed, and if you live in a cold place, you'll be abs... | [
"If tigers could hang upside down in your bedroom and climb down on a rope coming out of their asses nobody would talk about spiders"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are so many books "#1 New York Times Bestseller" I've never seen this list referenced anywhere but the front of books. Why are there no #2s etc and how can there be so many #1s? | [
"[The list](_URL_0_) is updated weekly, and there are several categories. An anticipated book from a popular author just has to be #1 right when it comes out, when there's the initial burst of sales from people who already wanted a copy. And (as /u/caresaboutstuff remarks) if it only makes #3, it's still a “New Yor... | [
"Because there's no formal definition of what a \"bestseller\" actually is or not so anybody can call anything they want a bestseller. You'd probably upset the bookstores you need to keep onside if you started calling shitty books by unknown authors bestsellers but you could. There are lists of \"bestsellers\" out ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do car dealerships (both foreign and domestic) fly huge american flags? | [
"Trying to cash in on the patriotism of consumers."
] | [
"They don't have dealerships, they sell directly to consumers. Many states require car companies to sell through dealerships."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
In music what is the overtone series, how does it work, and why is it important. | [
"The overtone series, or harmonic series is the series of tones that resonate with the base tone. They do that when their frequency is a whole multiple of the base tone’s frequency because then every time the base tone’s wave swing in one direction all the harmonic tones do so too. Not all instruments generate all ... | [
"Different notes make the air vibrate at different frequencies. When more than one note is played, the beats of the frequencies will line up and form a specific pattern. Our war percieved this as a harmony as the beats are extremely fast. Most fundamental intervals and chords contain frequencies that are simple ra... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about music theory:",
"pos": "Represent the document about music theory:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is the Pope considered holy and revered by Catholics, in the splendor of the Vatican, dressed in rich garments - while the Catholic/Christian savior preached humility? | [
"At least this new pope is making a big personal effort to be more 'humble' and has insisted a lot of the other Vatican big-wigs tone down their opulent lifestyles. There was a great pair of photos on Reddit a few days ago, comparing the previous and current Pope's robes and papal thrones. I'll see if I can find it... | [
"The Church has always had an uncomfortable relationship with homosexuality. On one hand it’s opposed to “immorality”, on the other hand The Vatican is about the gayest place on Earth. Monasteries, priests, and the male-dominated “celibate” priesthood has favored homosexuals historically. Michelangelo was gay and t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do we use the middlefinger to make inappropriate signs? | [
"The ancient Greeks and Romans used it as a disparaging gesture because when all, save the middle finger, are clenched, it resembles an erect penis and testicles; it's quite literally saying 'fuck you'."
] | [
"Sorry I only have time for a small part of an answer, but take a careful look at the position of the palms when people make these signs: v-sign with palm out means \"victory\" or \"peace\", v-sign with palm in means \"the finger\" in the UK and its relatives."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Car Tires, how don't they pop! | [
"Yes, they are strong. Fibres - natural fibres, plastic fibres, glass fibres or even kevlar or carbon if the strength is really required, are embedded into the walls and across the tread of the tyres. There are even steel belts that run around the tyre. But what actually holds up the tyre is air pressure. The press... | [
"Big trucks have Big engines. Big engines make lots of heat. All cars and trucks have a part called a Radiator. The Radiator is where all the heat from the Engine goes. The Radiator is put just inside the front of the Car or Truck so the air can take the heat away as the Car or Truck drives. Big Trucks have Big eng... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Automotive technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Automotive technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What's actually inside the Kaaba in Mecca? | [
"There's a black stone set into the wall, originally by Muhammed. It's thought to be a meteorite. It's mostly empty now. It has a few lamps, three support pillars, and plaques dedicated to its renovators. Originally, it was a gathering place for different pagan religions to worship their idols. These idols were in... | [
"The Ka'ba isn't prayed TO. It's prayed AT. Muslims believe it's the focal point of god's power on earth. So they're praying 'to god' in the direction of the Ka'ba. Trivia: Mohammed started out telling everyone to pray towards the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, but changed his mind one day and switched to Mecca."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does almost every cop tv show portray internal affairs as a bad thing? | [
"Because when you're a cop, internal affairs doesn't really benefit you. Either they accuse you of misconduct, or they leave you alone. Their purpose is to protect the non-cop public."
] | [
"An uneducated public who only reads 144 character tweets for the entire story. A lack of understanding that a few officers fucking up doesn't make us all evil, heartless, bastards with a God complex. The medias refusal to show POSITIVE stories and constant push to make every single story negative or \"juicy\" or ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
what happens when you "lose your voice"? | [
"when your vocal folds are inflamed or Irritated they cannot vibrate properly ."
] | [
"Imagine a situation: I cant hear you talking right now. Does that mean you have no voice?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why my eyes get red in pictures and what can I do to avoid this? | [
"The red you are seeing is the inside of your eye, behind your pupil. This is part of the natural anatomy of your eye, so the only ways to stop it is to turn the flash off when you take the picture. If you are okay with editing in post, most editors have a \"red eye\" feature that \"fixes\" this because it is so co... | [
"You may be allergic to dust mite. If I don't wash my blanket constantly, I tend to feel these allergies symptoms when I wake up and when I go to sleep, just like you do. I recommend you to look for a doctor, take a blood test and check if you are allergic to this. Some medications also solve this problem, so you c... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Health:"
} |
Can a minor run a business for 18+ such as a casino in the US? | [
"There's not a general rule against it, but there are lots of specific rules that make it difficult. For instance, there's no particular reason a fifteen-year-old couldn't be the owner of a convenience store that sells beer (let's imagine her parents died unexpectedly and she inherited it), but she wouldn't be allo... | [
"Because they made alot of income. So they owe money on that income. A 9-5 job isn't the only way to make income. Running a business, Gambling, stock market, inheritance are all big ticket items subject to paying taxes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What happens when the "Daily Reddit Gold" bar reaches 100%? | [
"Everyone with one karma point more than you gets a delivery of whores, some coke, and bag of cash. (nothing - it's like karma, you're just supposed to be oddly interested in making it happen)"
] | [
"Reddit silver. Costs around $0.40 and is nothing but a \"super upvote\" sticker. Reddit gold: price was reduced, and the included Premium gift was reduced to a week, but it now also includes enough credits to give one Reddit silver. Reddit Platinum. Price is roughly the same as the old Gold, includes a month if Pr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Economics:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Economics:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What's going on with Australia's prime minister? How can he just be removed from office? Who is trying to remove him? Why are they doing this? | [
"Australia is a Parliamentary system. This means that the leader isn't chosen directly by the people. The Parliament is elected by the people, and the Prime Minister is then the leader of, normally, the largest party in the lower house (in terms of getting the post, it's a lot like Speaker of the House of Represent... | [
"All non-essential offices are shut down. Workers don't get paid. Nothing gets done. ...and then everyone forgets about it two years later & elects the people who did it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How the map on 'Voyager gold record' works? | [
"The map works by identifying pulsars by their frequency of pulse. Pulsars are kind of weird and easy to identify, so they make good landmarks. If you sit at the sun, then those pulsars with their corresponding distances will all be at the correct angle. You can do the same thing here on earth with a topo map and ... | [
"1) Moon landing 2) Space Station 3) Mars landing - fucking remote controlled, then autonomously landed - 90 day mission still going 10 YEARS later 4) Burj Khalifa - 2722 ft tall skyscraper in Dubai 5) Watson Supercomputer 6) Voyager I - has literally entered interstellar space 7) Internet The defense rests.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How does pointing car keys at your head extend the range? | [
"Its actually because your head is basically a big ball of water and acts like an antenna. You can get the exact same efect using a big jug of water. [Watch the experiment here](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Not an expert, but it might have to do with touching the very tiny hair on the skin of your nose."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How are tower cranes built? | [
"Literally by other cranes. But ALSO they can build themselves once they get started. [Check this video out!](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Step 1: Contractor comes and collects them. Step 2: Material is either autoclaved and incinerated or simply incinerated. Step 3: Resulting material is formed into hot dog shapes and sold to tourists on 5th Ave."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What is the difference between mass and weight? | [
"Mass is just the amount of matter that an object contains, while weight (functionally) is how much that matter is being pulled by another, much larger object. Weight is also a unit of *force*, while mass is not. The line is blurred, and confusion is caused, because in English units the pound-mass and pound-weight... | [
"Because in a vacuum a moving object has no resistance acting on it. Clarify the second part of the question please."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does life insurance work and how do insurance agencies make money off of them? | [
"Youre paying every month or whatever just in case you die and then your family or whatever will get paid. If you dont die, they will be keeping the money you gave them."
] | [
"Insurance is a security against unexpected expenses. You pay the insurance company a certain amount of money per month/year/other period, and in exchange, they will provide you with money should something happen. Most people prefer insurance because they can afford the small payments per month, but can rarely affo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do animals live so long? Wouldn't it make more sense to die after mating early in life as to have more gene turnover? | [
"Evolution does not work based on what \"makes more sense\". And generally, there is no great advantage to a \"higher gene turn over\". It is all about one generation successfully passing their genes along to make another generation. The timeline, in general, is irrelevant. Some animals mature quickly, mate, and di... | [
"The answer to why anything in nature is basically because it works and they keep having babies. Reptiles generally use the strategy to keep growing because it increases their chances of survival and reproduction more to just get bigger and keep staying alive. Mammals tend to stop growing and put more resources int... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did the moon get its orbit? | [
"The angle of the impact was not perpendicular to the impact point. The velocities involved were likely tremendous - stuff probably got thrown all over the solar system from the impact."
] | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Astronomy:"
} |
What happens to skin cells when skin turns red | [
"Your skin will turn red when struck, rubbed, when you blush, or in certain temperature conditions because the tiny blood vessels (called *capillaries*) under your skin are expanding and allowing more blood to flow. Nothing directly happens to your skin as a result of being reddened from excess blood flow. However,... | [
"If you mean immediately after for just a second, it's because when you press down to scratch, you temporarily cut off blood flow to that area so it turns white for just a second until the capillaries fill back up again. Otherwise, if you're talking about the actual surface of the skin, it's because you loosen up d... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Biology:"
} |
Why did QR codes seem to die out? They could have made things so easy if phone manufacturers supported them. | [
"As a supporter (I have them on many marketing pieces, business cards, etc), they don't have much use. I've stopped just because it has no value at this point. It's available on all modern phones, it's not a matter of lacking manufacturer support. For instance, the QR code on business cards goes to the company webs... | [
"It was a bit ahead of its time, they wanted to bring in augmented reality before people could comprehend it. Also they added a camera to it which made people nervous so it was getting banned in many public places. Combine that with the fact it was awkward with glasses and the price tag was in a weird spot, it's fu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What would happen to the environment, economy, etc if everyone became vegetarian at the same time? | [
"A large chunk of the agricultural sector that produces meat, fish, and eggs would almost immediately crash (except eggs and fish, depending on the type of vegetarianism everyone is adopting). Since everyone is eating vegetables and cereals, the prices of those would go up at least temporarily, until the surplus fr... | [
"Organic food is one of the biggest scams in history. Don't be taken in. If we all ate organic, like the proponents say we should. MIllions and millions of people would starve."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Agriculture and food production:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Agriculture and food production:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is the sense of smell so strongly associated with memories? | [
"Smell is associated with memories, especially when those memories are tied to emotion, partly due to the anatomy of the brain. Neurons from your nose send information regarding smell to the olfactory bulb in the brain. From the olfactory bulb, many neurons project to the olfactory cortex and other higher-order are... | [
"Perhaps you are smelling it. As smell and taste have quite the correlation with one another"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why during the take-off of flights do I need to turn off any electric devices I have and just how serious is it if I do not? | [
"A very short answer would be better safe than sorry. All wireless devices emit radio waves, and the navigation and flight control computers on airplanes are designed to sense even very weak signals coming from far away. Radio waves with just the right power and frequency can in theory introduce errors in computin... | [
"There is a minimal chance, practically nonexistent(in a modern aircraft) that your device might interfere with the airplane electronics. Now takeoffs and landings are so critical that practically nonexistent is too much of a chance. And why should everybody risk their lives so you can play on your phone, or why sh... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Technology:"
} |
How are tattoo artists not violating copyright laws? | [
"They are, but entertainment companies generally know it's counter productive to fuck with their fan base."
] | [
"It depends on what you actually do with the artwork. If you attempt to pass the artwork off as your own for any reason, its plagiarism. If you attempt to sell your copy claiming it is the original, then it is forgery. If you attempt to profit in anyway using copies of the artwork, then it is a copyright violation.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why if I have my ceiling fan light on for a while does it stay glowing a dim green for a few minutes after it has been turned off? | [
"Many LED and compact florescent lights display something called afterglow. For florescent light it it due to the phosphorus (essentially glow in the dark paint) that remains energized a few minutes after the power is off. this is because the lights work by electrifying mercury gas that gives off ultraviolet light ... | [
"Probably a night/day sensor light. So when it's bright out (or any artificial light such as the tv in this case) or is bright enough, it will be dark! But when it's dark such as when you moved your hands toward it, it blocks out the artificial light and turns the bulb on!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why the Mona Lisa is so coveted? | [
"The mystery behind the woman adds to it too; theories about who she was, that da Vinci himself may be the subject etc."
] | [
"Question 1: Am I a celebrity? * Yes: Move onto question 2 * No: Who gives a shit about you? Question 2: Do I like to look terrific in photographs? * Yes: Move onto question 3 * No: Use your iPhone for nude selfies Question 3: Do I mind being raped? * Yes: Call Annie Leibovitz * No: Terry's your man!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
We eat solids, drink liquids, but can we use gas as a food source? | [
"Technically, yes. But there are issues associated with it. Usually, you breathe gas into your lungs, not your stomach. It also needs to stay in your stomach long enough to be digested. Needless to say, vapourised foods are stupidly hot. etc."
] | [
"A lot of it is water. Or other inedables like bones. It is basically things that our body can not take use of in a meaningful way."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do sites like Youtube and Facebook (but especially Youtube) continuously modify their interface with new skin, color, and features, despite the negative reception of their userbase? | [
"Because everybody hates change. Week 1-4 of a UI overhaul, everyone hates it. It's all different and you have to find the stuff you want again. Once you figure it out you stop caring and usually whatever new/optimized feature gets a jump in usage, which is why they made a new UI in the first place."
] | [
"I think you're overestimating how large the changes have been with Google and Yahoo - there are certain distinctive features that have carried on for the past 15-20 years (Google's color scheme, Yahoo's exclamation point). Most major companies go through subtle changes in their branding like they have, they keep t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Technology:"
} |
How do those rubber pads in urinals promote hygiene? | [
"I believe there were a bunch of studies done that indicate that if there's something in a urinal, men are more likely to aim at it. Even if it serves no hygienic purpose, it at least keeps it in the urinal (which I suppose makes it more hygienic that way)."
] | [
"The material is relatively cheap, easy to clean, doesn't degrade with constant contact with water, and doesn't absorb odors or smells. All these are desirable attributes for choosing the material to make a toilet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why was the decision made to split Korea in the first place? | [
"Decision isn't quite the right word. After WWII the Soviets held the northern part of Korea, and the United States the south. They wanted Korea to be remade suiting their own interests, which were in conflict. The Soviet north made a Soviet-styled North Korea. The United States left a Western-style democracy that ... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are calculators the only common solar powered gadgets? | [
"A small solar panel isn't the most efficient or reliable energy source, so for a portable device to be able to be solar powered, it has to consume very little power and suffer no ill effects if the source is suddenly cut off. There simply aren't a lot of devices that fulfill both of these criteria. As it happens, ... | [
"One contributing factor was that the European Union legislated that all phones must be chargeable via interchangeable USB plugs. When a lot of electronic gadgets were *forced* to have USB chargers, others followed because it was convenient for them too. Nearly every consumer has USB chargers in heir home already. ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
Why I get so many nose bleeds in the winter and other people don't | [
"Cold air is dry air. You may be able to make the nosebleeds stop by getting a humidifier for your home, or at least for your bedroom."
] | [
"I'm coughing all day if I sleep with the windows open. I don't have any regular seasonal allergies. When I say it's the night air making me sick I get crazy looks.???"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How does political instability in the Middle East affect oil prices? | [
"A lot of oil comes from the Middle East. Political instability might lead to chaos on the ground, that could result in less of it being produced in the future. You're probably familiar with the idea that prices are determined by supply and demand. If just as many people want something, and there's suddenly less of... | [
"The incident puts the near future into jeopardy. What will the political ramifications be? The military? Will there be a war? More sanctions? How will it affect business around the world? When people are unsure, investors tend to take a conservative approach to trading until things clear up a bit. That effects eve... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
- please explain, to an Australian, what the American civil war was actually about. | [
"Money, economy. The north and the south were very different economies. The west was emerging. Not all free states wanted black citizens. Don't take it the wrong way. The civil was was not about equality - women and poor white people couldn't vote either. There were northern states that would not allow blacks. The ... | [
"> Can someone please explain to me what in the hell is going on here? What is going on is that the American healthcare system is a sad joke."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do police who do horrible things in the media seem never to get punished? What's actually going on? | [
"According to a recent post on reddit, what actually happens (in the US at least) is that they go on paid leave while two investigations (a criminal and then an administrative one) take place, only after which will any charges be brought against them. This is additionally complicated by the fact that evidence gaine... | [
"More or less a way for corporations to literally be above the law and do whatever they want, among other things. Cross your fingers it doesn't go through."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why do doctors tell you to finish the whole bottle of antibiotics and what happens if you don't finish them? | [
"Essentially, the antibiotics kill the microbes that are making you sick. The meds make you feel better as more microbes are killed, so if you stop taking them after you feel better the more resistant ones are still alive and will reproduce. So these will be harder to kill with the remaining meds. If you keep doing... | [
"Nobody is going to give you those kinds of antibiotics for an ear infection. What you should do is take all antibiotics as prescribed. That means finishing your prescription, not skipping days, etc. This will help prevent you from developing an antibiotic resistant infection."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How did germophobes deal with germs pre-1800s? | [
"You can't be phobic of something you're not even aware of... in the same way that no one at that time had anxiety around flying in an airplane. There were \"neat freaks,\" but they wouldn't have thought in terms of germs or disease, just dirt and cleanliness."
] | [
"There is no way to tell. Right now, if you get a bacterial infection, we can usually treat it by using antibiotics to kill it. If a bacterial infection evolves to the point where our strongest antibiotics don't kill it, then it will be like we don't have any medication at all. This can mean a minor inconvenience, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Science:"
} |
Can someone explain String Theory? | [
"String theory is really really complicated. The super basic gist is that there are strings, shaped more like rubber bands only smaller than anything you could ever really imagine that vibrate at different frequencies that are the ultimate basis for everything in the universe. Brian Greene wrote a boom called 'the ... | [
"I need somebody to ELI5 that question for me."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are "scratch n' sniff" stickers made? | [
"There are tiny (microscopic) capsules filled with scented chemicals on the surface of any sort of \"scratch n' sniff\" surface. When you scratch them with your finger, you rupture some of them and release the smell."
] | [
"There is a huge amount of science behind pressure sensitive adhesive release. And, yes, if does involve \"non Newtonian\" behavior. Also, the backing sheets for bumper stickers and mailing labels have sophisticated release coatings (usually silicone based) that allow the \" sticky\" to last indefinitely in storage... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does a middle octane gas exist? I understand using low octane for price and high octane for quality, but why use middle? | [
"The thing about different grades of gas, is you should only use the one your car requires. Believe it or not, 87 will perform better than 93 in a car that's tuned for 87. With that being said, some cars require mid-grade. The ignition timing was increased, but not to the point where the owner would have to get th... | [
"In a car meant to take regular, no. In a luxury or sporty car designed for premium/super, yes. Engines use gasoline by igniting it, high octane gas ignites at a higher temperature than regular octane does, so it can withstand more compression. With modern cars, there is no real negative to adding high octane ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How would our current immune systems be affected if we were to travel 200 years back in time ? | [
"Most of the vaccine's you've received would still work, but you'd be exposed to things like cholera, polio, and a whole host of parasites that would fuck you up good. Your body definitely wouldn't somehow be better suited to fighting off illness purely by virtue of the fact that you were born in a different centur... | [
"Current spacecraft can travel 17,500mph, the light travels 671 000 000mph. This means that it wouldn't take us 40 years to reach the planet, it would take us 1 533 714.2857 years. Longer than homo sapiens have existed. Let that sink in. To get there, the humans we send would have descendents that evolve on such a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Can someone explain to me how the stock market works? (LI5) | [
"Your lemonade stand decides to go public, so you take its worth, divide it into a certain amount of stocks and then start selling them to people. (1 billion, 1 billion stocks so 1 stock = $1). When you do well people want your stocks, so they buy them, but people that already own it want more money, so they sell ... | [
"I need an ELI5 for whatever this question means."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Finance:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Finance:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
- Why does your home temperature of 70 degrees in the summer feel a lot warmer in the winter when it is the same temperature? | [
"Humidity plays a role in this, the 70 degree weather in the summer will often times have more water vapor in the air causing it to feel warmer than it actually is, kind of like the opposite of wind chill in the winter where the wind makes it feel colder than it actually is. In the winter the air is more dry and th... | [
"This is more related to relative temperature than actual water temperature. The pool temp is probably pretty constant, we'll call it 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If it's 90 degrees outside and your body has started to adjust to that setting, 65 degree water is going to feel nice and cool. On the other hand, jumping in a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do weaker foods taste like nothing after eating stronger foods? | [
"Think of it like this...look into a bright light then look into a darkened room. You cant see anything because your visual senses were overloaded by the bright light. Same concept with taste. Give your tastebuds a chance to re set and you'll taste the milk chocolate just fine."
] | [
"Because toothpaste has non sugar sweeteners in it that kind of numb your sweet tasting taste buds and allows you to taste all the other flavors in the juice without being covered up by the normal sweetness of the juice."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why does mac gaming suck compared to windows? | [
"Nobody seems to have pointed out that Microsoft used its monopoly to get game developers to use his proprietary Direct X 3D library instead of OpenGL which is open source and multiplatform... Which makes it much harder for game developers to make multi-platform games."
] | [
"Think of an Xbox vs a PlayStation to be like a PC vs a Mac. You can't run Mac software on a PC and you can't run PC software on a Mac. The same problem occurs on an Xbox vs PlayStation. They just don't speak the same \"language\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about videogame development:"
} |
How does Reactive Armor work and what makes it work? | [
"Modern anti-armor warheads use shaped charges. These shaped charges are designed to produce a \"knife\" or \"lance\" of superheated plasma capable of cutting through very thick armor. Reactive armor is essentially an explosive package, and many of these packages cover the armor of the tank. When struck by the warh... | [
"Related question: What if I want to become a mercenary? What do I do?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is Scientology and why do they seem to be so powerful in America? | [
"Scientology isn't at all powerful in American politics. It's far less powerful than the evangelical Christians, America's top-dog religion. It's less powerful than Judaism, or Mormonism, other medium-name US religions, and it's even less powerful than tiny religious organizations like the Masons. In 2001 (latest s... | [
"What's a Tory, and why do so many people seem to hate them?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Religion and Crime:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Religion and Crime:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what made people believe the Marjorana Fermion possible? | [
"While we wait for an answer to your question, could you give me an ELI5 on what Marjorana fermion is?"
] | [
"Bitch grade or non bitch grade, Poseidon decides."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do companies think it's necessary to change the layout of their user interface? e.g. Netflix, Microsoft, Facebook, Youtube, Google, etc. | [
"Stuff evolves. Go actually look at how awful websites used to be. Go actually look at how clunky popular websites used to be compared to now. Websites can't just stay the same forever when the technology is changing, if everyone in 1997 said \"nope, this is good enough, keep it like this forever\" every website wo... | [
"We already have lots of apps that work fine, like alien blue etc. Reddit doesn't need to make an official one."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why what Nixon did in Watergate was considered so bad compared to other political scandals that have blown over? | [
"President Nixon's administration was caught abusing government and campaign resources to harass and spy on their political opponents. The most famous incident was a break-in at the Watergate Hotel, where five burglars attempted to install listening devices at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Subsequ... | [
"The benghazi hearings were about an attack on the American embassy in benghazi that resulted in some Americans being killed. Hillary Clinton was secretary of state at the time, and took responsibility. In the United States, politics is divided between two major political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How Do Iq tests work exactly? | [
"Basically any iq test can make up its own rules regarding scoring on questions. Then afterwards you map all results, and make it so the average person scores 100 Proper tests generally have a test taker that will make sure you do everything correctly, and determine if your answer is correct, or partially correct. ... | [
"1. Make poor people poorer 2. Make rich people richer 3. ???? 4. PROFIT"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
the difference between a Quasar and a Black Hole. Also, are quasars galaxies? | [
"Quasars and Blazars are a side effect of supermassive black holes. These black holes suck in matter at an incredibly high rate of speed. Since black holes also spin, this matter also gets spun and twisted. The incoming matter gets sucked in so fast that it collides with other incoming matter and becomes extremely ... | [
"They would merge into a single black hole with the combined mass of both of the smaller black holes. Also, it is hypothesized that they'd emit strong gravitational waves."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Physics:"
} |
where does stuff go after it's been deleted from your phone or computer? | [
"I can give a basic answer: Files on your computer are stored as bytes on your hard drive. Bytes are just binary, meaning each byte can be one or zero. These bytes come together to represent data or instructions. When your computer saves a file, it looks for space where it is allowed to write those ones and zeros t... | [
"So, I've read a lot of the answers, most of them are saying similar things. Where does it save the vide on your computer? For example, if I have less than a GB of space left on my computer, why can I still watch a several-minute HD video on YouTube without running out of space?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is with this whole Luigi thing since Mario kart 8 released? | [
"It's his facial expression in the game. If you pass him, he looks at you like a serial killer."
] | [
"I don't get it. Edit: oh it's like Whose Line is it Anyway?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How is my iPhone able to make an SOS call with no signal? | [
"[911 calls are sent via any wireless network.](_URL_0_) If your carrier doesn't have service, but another carrier does, you can still use 911 off the other carrier's tower."
] | [
"Find My iPhone works with GPS and an internet connection, neither of which are used by calls or texts."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Did we start out with black skin and then it changed to white/yellow et al.? | [
"By the time we get to Homo Sapiens, yes. Definitely. Way earlier in the evolution of man, like several millions of years, when our distant ancestors first became bipedal, walking on two legs, they were in forests which limited sun exposure. Melanin, skin pigment, showed up only about one to two million years ago w... | [
"Nationality, where you are from. Your country, nation, of origin. Race/ethnicity is how much melanin you have and your hair, maybe a few other traits like eye shape. This is based on where your ancestors lived and adapted to the weather. Sun? Darker skin. Dreary weather? Paler skin."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Social Sciences:"
} |
Why do many redditors share gifs using _URL_1_, when it takes forever to load them and is clearly inferior to _URL_0_? | [
"Pretty much the only reason is that Imgur has a very small file size limit for GIFs. Minus either doesn't have a limit or it's big enough that I've never had to worry about it before. Also I've never had a problem with loading Minus GIFs before (they're just as fast as Google or Imgur) but I think it must have som... | [
"_URL_2_ is a URL shortening feature. It let's you use this: **_URL_0_ instead of this: **_URL_1_ That's about it. Still brings you to _URL_3_, still shows the same video, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why is the weather usually pleasant after a thunderstorm? | [
"Thunderstorms generally occur when a cold front moves in a warm area. The way fronts work is that the colder ones shove the warm air mass upwards since cold air is more dense. In this same way, the warm air has more energy than the cold does, so when the cold from moves in, the air is calmer. Often during the summ... | [
"If there is a red sky in the morning, it means there is a lot of cloud reflecting the sun. A lot of cloud usually means bad weather heading your way."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what's the difference between controlling the volume on the PC and controlling the volume on its speakers? | [
"The difference is the signal to noise ratio you end up with. Keeping the PC volume low and then cranking up the speaker is like recording someone speaking softly outside and then amplifying it: all the background noise gets amplified too. Keeping the PC volume high and turning down the speaker is like recording so... | [
"I'm an audio tech, so I deal with this a lot. Turning any volume too high can cause distortion or compression, so try and not drastically change just one. For instance, I keep my YouTube volume at 50%, my PC volume at 75%, and use the volume on my headphones to make small adjustments."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
If calories are the fuel for our body, why does our body feel full based on the amount we eat in size and not the amount of calories in the items? EG: We feel less hungry eating a decent meal at 500cal vs 1 doughnut at 500cal | [
"Imagine you need to make $100 per day selling sea shells. You don't know which ones are worth $10, and which ones are $1. You just collect them, bring them to the shell store, and they pay you. You find, through experimenting, you have a bucket of a certain size that when full is always about $100. You make it a g... | [
"Generally it’s done through a combination of eating more often (say four meals plus snacks instead of three or two and no snacks) and eating calorie dense foods. A salad and mashed potatoes could be the same size (and thus fit into your stomach the same) but the mashed potatoes could easily have 80x as many calori... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why, when I get a zit on my nasal septum, does it hurt so much? | [
"Because your pain receptors are highly concentrated there, since it's an important part of your body. More pain receptors = more pain."
] | [
"My whole life I thought my nose was fucked up, because I could breath through one side at a time. Now I know it's everybody. What a strange relief. Does it seem to become more noticeable at night time for most people? Because that's when I really can tell."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Why do most men become instantly un-horny after they ejaculate? | [
"Read this on another thread like this. This is because the penis is shaped to scoop other guys sperm out. Once a guy finishes, he needs to stop right away so that he doesn't scrape his own sperm out."
] | [
"Because if sex is not pleasant for them, the men are much less likely to ejaculate into their vaginas."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does everything seemingly become 100x funnier when you mustn't laugh? | [
"Juxtaposition has a big part, you ate in a quiet place, say a church that people are meant to take super seriously and suddenly something so unexpected and out of place happens, while everyone is meant to be sombre. There's such a clash between what society dictates and the situation that it amplifies the abserdit... | [
"You mean like the ones you only notice when you're watching someone sleep really closely for hours on end? Don't know."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Every day a post hits the front page about some incredibly effective cancer treatment. Why doesn't it seem like these treatments proliferate to the real world, and how close are we REALLY to curing cancer? | [
"Treatments can appear promising during initial trials but that doesn't mean they are effective when subjected to further testing. Basically, journalism covering medicine is very optimistic -- and journalists are not generally super well educated in pharmacology and medicine, which makes it harder for them to cover... | [
"There are a million things that can be studied as potential cancer treatments. There's no particular reason to believe that soursop works at all. Most researchers prefer to direct their work into areas that actually have some prior plausibility. Something to bear in mind: while various online advocate groups insi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What is "dust" and why is it everywhere? | [
"Pollen, soil, volcano ash, skin flakes etc anything light and powdery that can be blown on the air and because of that it gets everywhere that the air circulates."
] | [
"You might want to provide a little more information otherwise the best anyone can do is take a wild guess. My wild guess is that it is because it is cold outside, wear gloves to prevent it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
The price of a bottle of doxycycline in USA is more than $1,000 while it's less than $50 in my country without insurance and completely free when you're covered. How does this huge price difference happen? | [
"I just looked up doxycycline and it's only $60 at my pharmacy in the U.S. *even if you don't have insurance*. In my case, it's $10 flat."
] | [
"Iran allow this. The market is government regulated. Donors get paid between $2000 - $4000 for a kidney. If a donor ends up needing an organ transplant in the future they skip the waiting list of which there is virtually none anyway. Seems to be a great way to do it if you ask me!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why is taking the life of another person the source of what satisfies a serial killer or murderer? | [
"It's primal...almost sexual. The feeling of ending a person's existence by your hand makes you feel like a god. Knowing that with a slash of a knife, or squeeze of a trigger, or twist of the neck, you could change the course of human history. This person could've changed the world for the better, or worse, and now... | [
"To be a terrorist, you need to kill to further a goal or an ideology. Without that as a driving reason, you are just a murderer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do we have creases on our fingers, and do they have a primary use? | [
"those creases are where the joints are, they're basically wrinkles from excessive use. can that guys finger bend where he should have a crease?"
] | [
"Why are noses different in size, why are people different heights, why do we have different hair colors?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Biology:"
} |
why are sharks immune to cancer | [
"It's a common stated myth. Sharks are not in fact immune you cancer. _URL_2_ _URL_0_ _URL_1_"
] | [
"whats the point of hospitals if we are all going to die anyway"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Since it takes hardwood trees decades to become large enough to use for lumber, how do we ensure that we are keeping the hardwood lumber industry sustainable? | [
"There are giant areas of the world covered in forest for lumber. If trees take 50 years to grow big enough you need to make sure you have 50 times the area for forests as you need to cut down each year. Most of this area is unsuitable as farmland anyway. Trees are very good at growing in tough terrain so you can f... | [
"In a few decades the trees will have grown into big forests and forests can be cut down and sold for money. In general it is better for the economics of a region to plant trees rather then do nothing with the land."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why does Google's search engine do such an excellent job of correcting typos/spelling mistakes but Google Chrome's spell checker is horrible at recognizing seemingly obvious typos? | [
"First of all, they're completely different algorithms. Google search relies on user input to suggest correct spellings. So people have searched posive, got it wrong, then typed positive. The algorithm has now linked the two words, and from then on it makes the suggestion (stored on the google server). Chome spell ... | [
"Google Keyboard has been the best auto correct software I've ever used, it's fast almost always gets the word right, unobtrusive, and it leanrs what worda are most commonly used."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it that teeth come in symmetrical pairs but aren't all the same shape? | [
"Most things in our body are symmetic, on a cellular level this is because very early in embryogenesis a front and a posterior(\"back\") are defined and along this axis initiated by different concentrations of signal molecules, symmetrical expression patterns are developed."
] | [
"I've always looked at it as it has to do with being symmetrical. You can divide even numbers into two equal halves. When you look at someone and find them attractive their face is normally symmetrical. People without birth defects have symmetrical sides of the body, two arms, two legs, ten fingers and so on. This ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Dentistry:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about Dentistry:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How does Google Analytics track and serve me targeted ads, even though I use a VPN and delete all my cookies? | [
"There is a process called fingerprinting, where a site gathers a lot of data on your computer's environment, rather than your internet connection. A web site can detect your screen resolution, browser type, processor type, windows version. With something called WebGL, used for putting 3D graphics directly into a w... | [
"I don't think your first assessment is correct. Browsing history and cookies are two different things. Your history is stored by your browser and cookies are set by websites. A cookie that's set has a name, issuing website, date, expiration time, and a value and to my knowledge, a website can only read the cookies... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How much does a train engineer control the train? | [
"generally speaking the driver of a train ( or engineer in some countries) controls the speed and brakes and the horn. They don't steer ! They may also control door opening, internal lights, have some control over engines/pantographs, information displays. In some special circumstances drivers ( such as some Lond... | [
"It's a big system. It also carries a bit from state to state. Are you interested in the application process? Policy? Logistics?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do pop musicians score a chart topping hit on the release of their first album, and go from nobodies to ubiquitous in a matter of weeks? | [
"Studio with money, industry connections and payola. The music is just the particular product they sell, but it's just business. To me, as an art form, that type of product lacks soul. I stopped buying into it after high school."
] | [
"They were invited because European pop music was and still is huge over there. For example, ABBA had some hits in the UK, but when they got wind of their popularity in Australia, they toured there and were treated like superstars. The cultural impact spilled over in to movies and other art forms too. When it comes... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about music industry:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about music industry:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How to ankle monitors work? | [
"1. If they were to leave the designated area for a certain amount of time the monitor would signal the police that they are no longer within the specified zone. 2. While they are made to be un removable there are people that do risk removing with heavy equipment which is foolish because once its removed it also s... | [
"You CAN actually. Good luck figuring out how to get the OS on there though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
How are there more stars in the universe than grains of sands in all the beaches on Earth? | [
"[This is a picture of one thirteen-millionth of the night sky.](_URL_0_) Most of the ~10,000 objects pictured are galaxies. Astronomers estimate that there are somewhere between 100 billion and 300 billion stars in the Milky Way, which is admittedly on the large side for a galaxy. Overall, the current estimate is ... | [
"Space is huge. It's bigger than you can possibly imagine. Even with the billions of stars and galaxies in the universe, most of it is empty. It's that big. The best analogy I can come up with is trying to light up the Yankee stadium with a few dozen household light bulbs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How does a dark room (for developing photographs) work. | [
"In the dark room there is an enlarger. A negative is put into it. A bright light is shone through the negative onto light sensitive paper. The image is kept in focus. After the light sensitive paper is exposed to the image it is put through a series of trays of chemicals which develop the image and then the develo... | [
"I can only speak for black and white: it's Due to the light sensitive paper. Using a pinhole camera as an example, basically the composition of the scene is projected upsidedown on to the photo paper. Areas reflecting more light (highlights) trigger the paper more, causing them to grow darker when developed, while... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's happening at Deutsche Bank? | [
"I'm not aware of the nitty-gritty of the situation, but what I have read from it is that DB seems to be in a similar slump as Lehman Brothers was back then when it failed (complete with excessive leverage; at 40-to-1 it makes even Lehman's 31-to-1 look tame), but if DB falls, it's definitely going to take another ... | [
"The restaurant just rents out the area from the store. Source: Walmart Sales Associate"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's with the really uncomfortable pulsating, pressure sensation in my ears when I'm in a moving car and only one window is down? | [
"When you blow over the top of a bottle, you set up a vibration of the air in the bottle, and that comes out as a sound. When you open one window of a car a certain distance at a certain speed, exactly the same thing happens. As the car is much bigger than a bottle the vibration is below the range of human hearing;... | [
"Any particular triggers? I get something like that occasionally, but usually in a situation like being in a very quiet house and trying not to wake people up."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does the temperature of a beverage affect our perception of its taste? | [
"The more heat, or energy, in a substance the more excited the molecules that substance is composed of are and more easily detected by your taste buds. One example might be sugar content in water, or maybe iced tea. Sugar likes to crystallize to itself so it takes some energy, like extensive stirring, or just heat... | [
"Two possible reasons. 1. Ice can absorb odors from your freezer (and attached fridge) which will change the taste. 2. If the water is cold when you drink it then your taste buds will be less responsive to the taste of your mouth and your impression of the aftertaste will differ from that of room temperature water... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Language and culture:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Language and culture:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Science:"
} |
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