query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
If I froze some ice at -10 degrees and another piece at -50 degrees, would the -10 melt faster because its less frozen? | [
"It would melt sooner assuming they are both heated at the same rate, yes. One piece of ice would need to absorb 10 degrees C of heat to start melting, and the other would need to absorb 50 degrees C of heat."
] | [
"This is actually because of freezing point depression. It's a concept in chemistry that basically means that when other particles or materials are added to a liquid, the liquid's freezing point is lowered. Tap water has trace bits of minerals in it, which aren't present in filtered water, so it has a slightly lowe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
How does Switzerland's politically neutral stance work? What protects them from external threats? | [
"1st: money. During WWII they stored nazi gold and allied money. 2nd: it's a mountainous country with a militia-style army (in theory every man is in the army and has a weapon at home) and they have plans and preparations in case of war that would completely close off the country, everyone would evacuate to the mou... | [
"First off, Putin has acted in ways more akin to the Soviets during the Cold war than any leader since the fall of the USSR, such as invading Ukraine, having opposition politicians and journalists killed. Secondly, the evidence suggest it's not about being best friends or equal super powers with them, but Russia ga... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is a spider doing when it sits on the wall for an extended period of time? | [
"In a parallel universe, on spidereddit: \"What is a human doing when it sits in front of a screen for an extended period of time?\"."
] | [
"They can release a dragline of silk, and will stand in one spot until the wind picks up the silk, and carries them away. There have been a ton of recent studies on this method of transportation, and this attributes to how some spiders are found on solitary islands, or high mountains. Often when you're walking in a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why are bus steering wheels (nearly) parallel to the ground whereas car steering wheels are (nearly) perpendicular to the ground? | [
"Professional bus driver here. It has to do with the angle of the rod that connects the steering wheel to the tires. Since the bus driver is much more elevated and basically sits directly above the tires the steering wheel needs to point almost straight down in order to connect. The driver of a car sits behind his ... | [
"For a couple of reasons: 1. There's more room for passengers when the driver's seat is off to the side, so you can put another seat next to it. Most passenger cars are not wide enough to accommodate a driver's seat with enough room for all of the necessary equipment plus two additional seats (one on either side).... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Transportation:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Transportation:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do black socks leave lint in between my toes but white socks don't? | [
"Because you're white and the black lint shows up better"
] | [
"Mine is usually grey. Belly button lint is made up of dust, dead skin, shed hair, sebaceous oils, fibers from your clothes, and microorganisms that inhabit your skin. All of those can affect the color of your belly button lint. It could be the color of the shirts or pants you commonly wear. Believe it or not, even... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What were the purposes of the Nazi concentration camps? | [
"Firstly the initial concentration camps were not extermination camps, that came later. In the first camps they were worked to death, given very little food and exploited for anything the Nazis could get out of them. When the concentration camps turned into extermination camps some people were killed virtually imme... | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why is it that when I fart while wearing pants and sitting down it feels like there is a bubble moving between my jeans and skin? | [
"My (educated) guess is that it is an actual bubble. Fabric can contain gasses (not very well, but some of it), so it might very well be that a bubble of gas lifts the fabric from your skin and moves until it comes to a place where it can freely escape into the air and poison you enemies."
] | [
"If I sleep on my side, I sleep with a pillow between my legs and if I sleep on my belly, the pillow goes to the ground beside the bed. So when I roll over back onto my side and grab the pillow and throw it between my legs, its generally pretty damn cold and if that pillow touches my balls it starts the chain react... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why have Washington and Colorado not released people imprisoned for pot? | [
"Because those people committed crimes. Just because something is legal today does not suddenly make them not-illegal when the crime was committed. The flip side of this is that you can do something that's legal today and not be charged when they change the law next week."
] | [
"1. Marijuana is not actually legal in Texas yet. The bill has not passed, only the people who decide what lawmakers are allowed to vote on said that they could vote on it. 2. Four states have legalized Marijuana. 3. The move is driven by small-government conservatives who believe that it's not up to the state to d... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
(Conflicting info online) What genes determine eye color? Can a blue and a brown make a blue? Brown and a brown make a blue? | [
"In both cases, yes. The brown-eyed gene is dominant while the blue-eyed gene is recessive. A person with brown eyes can have either one brown-eyed gene and one blue-eyed gene, or two brown-eyed genes. A person with blue eyes has to have two blue-eyed genes. So a blue-eyed person and a brown-eyed person who happens... | [
"People tell me that this happens to mine as well. Green eyes if I'm wearing green, brown otherwise."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can small creatures such as Ants lift things much larger than themselves? | [
"There's an mathematical law that pops up in nature called the [square-cube law]( _URL_0_) which simply states that as an object gets bigger, its volume increases faster than its surface area by a factor of a cube compared to a factor of a square. This is relevant to biomechanics because muscles get stronger accord... | [
"Cause of the Square Cube law If you become twice as big, you become eight times as heavy, and as such, more muscle, bone, and tissue is dedicated to just keeping yourself from collapsing upon yourself. Muscle also gets heavier faster than it gets stronger. (a muscle twice as heavy isn't twice as strong) This also ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When you look at someone welding, it hurts your eyes. Why is it that when you look at a video of someone welding, it doesn't hurt your eyes? | [
"Welding torches emit ultraviolet and infrared light, which can hurt the eyes. Since cameras are only designed to pick up visible light, and monitors are only built to display visible light, UV and IR don't get projected by the video."
] | [
"I would imagine it’s the same reason why cellphones cause airplanes to crash and gas tanks to blow up. They don’t. They just want people to pay attention to what they are doing instead of taking photos. Also flashes are super annoying. Could you imagine trying to enjoy a painting in a dimly lit room and suddenly 3... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are rocket scientists considered some of the smartest people? | [
"The USA went through a period where we were racing with the Soviet Union to make milestones in space exploration. During that time there was a huge amount of government investment and public expectation toward the field, and this attracted the best of the best in many fields toward constructing the technological m... | [
"The truth is that sleep is a huge mystery even to the best scientists in the world."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why are there no hreen, blue, true red or puple mammals? All other animals (insects, reptiles, fish, birds, etc.) come in a rainbow of colors; why are mammals so limited? | [
"Generally other animals are bright colored to warn predators of their toxicity. Mammals aren't venomous or poisonous for the most part. They go with camouflage or subdued colors to blend in either to avoid being eaten or to stalk their prey more effectively."
] | [
"Many people, it seems confuse \"mammal\" and \"animal.\" Animals have a certain kind of cell chemistry (they're \"eukaryotic\" instead of \"prokaryotic\" and have cell membranes rather than cell walls) and they have certain developmental features -- match that list, and you're an animal. You might be a slug, or a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Does the earth 'leak' into space? | [
"it does, solar winds strip little bits of our atmosphere away, we lose a few tons every day. some is replaced by micro comets/asteroids. net net its relatively small, and does not pose a threat to us on geological time scales (IE wont cause appreciable harm before the sun eats us in 10 billion years)"
] | [
"Why would the attraction of a black hole make anything travel faster than light?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
why can't nations conquer other nations like in the past. | [
"Starting after the First World War, and continuing up until the late seventies, there have been a series of charters, treaties, and so on, from various international bodies, including the UN that established the violation of a nation's territorial integrity, or the promotion of secessionist groups within a nation,... | [
"Educated guess that Worldwide colonization by uk caused many parts of the world to speak the language."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does the cold cause your teeth to chatter? | [
"It's your body shaking to attempt to make you warmer, the teeth chattering is just a side effect of the shaking"
] | [
"There is a big nerve at the roof of our mouth. When this nerve gets exposed to extreme cold it hurts and sends pain signals to our brain. That's why sticking your thumb to the roof of your mouth will get rid of brain freeze."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What causes your body to feel different types of pain? From toothache to paper cut to sunburn, why does the physical sensation vary so widely? | [
"Your brain is responsible for different types of pain (throbbing pain, sharp etc.) Your brain 'knows' where the pain is coming from and associates it accordingly. Its a useful feature to have because if you say, get scratched by an overzealous cat across the face, you need to be able to differentiate the pain to k... | [
"When cold things come in contact with the roof of your mouth, it causes the small blood vessels to constrict rapidly, which causes pain which is picked up by a major nerve in your face, the trigeminal nerve. This nerve also is used to pick up pain from other areas of your face, like your forehead, so when the pain... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How does Canada have access to US citizens criminal records? | [
"Your criminal record is public information in the United States, barring circumstances like being a minor at the time or some kind of conditions on expunging it. It's not just Canada that can see it, anyone can see it if they ask."
] | [
"In the USA, it is actually a piece of information that the government requests. So, they ask it. The US government uses this information for their statistics on race, ethnicity, gender."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why rappers like soulja boy who are awful at rapping are still rich off of one hit wonders? | [
"The same reason movies like Transformers are made Basically, record companies need to hedge their bets. Now, all record companies have people in them interested in producing quality music but they still need to return consistent profits. It's very hard to find high quality acts that consistently, because generally... | [
"problems between famous people makes people pay attention and attention=money. \"diss tracks\" is just rappers way of doing it. Another example is youtubers. Logan Paul and KSI used boxing instead of diss tracks and they made a LOT of money."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do i have to cough when i'm cleaning my ears? | [
"Its because the two areas associated with the sensations are so so close together in the brain that ower-sensation can trigger the other. It will take a few seconds of cleaning before the cough is stimulated. Not everybody has this, but another common example is people sneezing when the pluck their eyebrows. The a... | [
"Why do the glands in my neck burn like high hell when I'm holding back tears?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Health and wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Health and wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Colombia still produces hundreds of tons of cocaine each year, why aren't there cartels in the country like when the Cali and Medellin were big in the 80's and 90's? And if there aren't big cartels, who is moving all those drugs out of the country? | [
"I know that the US gives Colombia a lot of money to shut down cartels before they become powerful...and they are pushed out of major cities and into the jungle. Its kind of like a win win. They get major cities back for tourism and the production of drugs is out of sight out of mind in the jungle somewhere. Also a... | [
"Because the US government told Mexico to take care of its drug problems, so the Mexican government started to \"crack down\" on the drug dealers. The only problem is that since the Mexican government is really corrupt, half of the Army winds up working for the drug cartels. Oh, and it's only because the US has suc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What are saccades, and why do eyes need them? | [
"A saccade is a quick, jerky, near-instant movement of the eye. The speed can't be controlled; the muscles controlling the eye move as fast as they can. One popular suggestion for the necessity of the saccade is that the central part of the retina, called the fovea, that provides the clearest, sharpest vision, is v... | [
"You actually have a very similar reflex that you use everyday. Look at something infront of you and keep your eyes on it while you move your head. Your head moves, but your eyes stick with whatever it is you are seeing. This is called Vestibulo-ocular reflex. Basically, if you move your head to the left your eyes ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does a barcode work? | [
"You know how Morse Code is a series of short signals, long signals, and periods of silence that represent letters? Barcodes work on the same principle, only on the visual spectrum and with numbers. The lines you see in the barcode represent a numerical code. When the scanner sees those lines, it can figure out the... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is 1080p advertised as "full hd" when there are much higher resolutions? | [
"Because 1080p is what is considered high definition. 4k is considered Ultra HD. It's just a term used."
] | [
"4k isnt HDMI...4k is about the *resolution of the video* being 4k. which is almost 4 times as much as normal 1080p HD is at the moment. HDMI cables we have at the moment cant run that high a resolution, but HDMI 2 will."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did Oasis become so popular in the'90s, and why aren't they as Iconic as Nirvana? | [
"They had catchy, well written tunes.... for one album. Their follow up albums got worse and worse and the Gallagher brothers were notorious for not getting along with others or even each other. They even fought on stage. What they were not, however, is ground breaking. They sounded like an update of the Beatles. ... | [
"Because the musical landscape is always changing. In the early 1900's, Jazz was still on the rise. Soon after that, blues became more dominant, soon to be followed by rock 'n roll, with Elvis becoming the biggest artist in the world. He was soon followed by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and rock music became... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why do we laugh when being tickled when it's not enjoyable whatsoever? | [
"As with most things biological, there is a tremendous amount of guess-work required to come up with a meaningful answer. There are many theories as to why we are ticklish and why we respond the way we do to it. The most compelling to me is the theory that tickling is related to play-fighting. The young of many soc... | [
"It's not seeing someone in pain that's funny, it's seeing how they got there. Most of our lives are pretty pain and accident free. When something happens that goes against what normally happens it's very novel and we tend to think novel things are funny. That's basically how jokes work as well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Psychology:"
} |
Does the car A.C. Use gas or electric to run, and how does it affect gas mileage specifically? | [
"It doesn't directly use gas *or* electric. There's a pulley in the front of the engine. The air conditioning is turned by a belt that connects it to the pulley. When the air conditioning is switched on, it's pretty difficult to turn the air conditioning unit. And since this unit is connected to the engine by the b... | [
"Extremely vague question here, but Ill give you a simple broad answer. A \"gas efficient\" engine (usually low power) A transmission geared to take advantage of the \"gas efficient\" engine. Something that keeps the engine in the lower rpm range most of the time, especially driving on the highway. A low drag, good... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Automotive:"
} |
Why we need to become unconscious in order to sleep? | [
"An important detail which most commenters are apparently unaware of: You are still conscious while sleeping. Sleep is considered to be a state of altered consciousness, not unconsciousness. This is because you can still respond to stimuli while asleep, and wake up if necessary. In other words, everything is work... | [
"It's easier to say things than it is to actually do them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How do loading bars know how far along a download is? | [
"When you begin a download, it creates a \"box\" that says there is a specific amount space that the file will be contained in. As pieces in the box fill in, the box says \"hey, I currently have been filled with X number of the Y required pieces.\""
] | [
"Because different progress bars work different ways. Some are just for show. Most count tasks to be finished, without any thought to how fast those tasks are. So the tasks from 10-20% are much quicker then the tasks from 1-10% in your example. The computer doesnt know in advance how long something will take until ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Internet speed and service:"
} |
Why do bands bring have their own speakers and amplifiers if everything is just run through the arena's PA system? | [
"Like their guitar amps and stuff? A guitar amp does a whole lot more to influence the actual sound and tone than the PA. A guitarist's amp is pretty integral to his whole sound, so he'll want it to be consistent, and he'll want control over it. Then the venue will put a mic on his amp to connect it to the PA."
] | [
"News organizations prefer to be in control of their own audio. If this is a live press event, there are simply too many variables for safety - there's a microphone, a cable, an amplifier, a mixing console, etc. The news station doesn't know if the microphone is crappy, or the cable is half-plugged in, or if someon... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In space, it always seems that we are shown traveling on a 2D plane. What happens if you leave Earth and go straight "Up" or "Down"? | [
"Our planets are all mostly on the same plane, which is nicely convenient for illustration purposes. If you go any other direction, it's pretty darn empty. And it will take a while to run into the [Oort cloud](_URL_0_). Beyond that is way more empty before another solar system."
] | [
"Because getting into space is less than half the battle. If you go straight up 100,000 miles, you will still come back down, even if it takes a while. Gravity doesn't magically disappear when you get up far enough, there is still gravity on the ISS. What they are doing is essentially \"falling\" at an angle which ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
Why is the ocean water so clear in places like the Caribbean but not at US beaches? | [
"Tropical waters like those in the Caribbean are warm, clear, and completely devoid of nutrients. This is why life clusters around reefs, a lot of creatures eat the plankton and algae that grows on the coral, they provide food for the area The waters up north are cold, dark, dirty, and full of nutrients! The darkne... | [
"Temperature is influenced by air and ocean currents. In general, the eastern and central parts of North America are significantly colder than Western and southern European countries that are about the same latitude. Then if you go east of western Europe, into Russia and Siberia, the temperature gets colder again. ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why have newspaper comics gotten so abysmal these days? | [
"Several factors are at play. First, you're older, so you've developed a taste. You might recall loving Garfield as a kid, but now you read recent strips and it's dull and bland. But if you went back and read strips that were published when you were a child, you would find them equally dull. Second, the authors cha... | [
"Have you been paying attention to the news at all this past year? FIFA is astonishingly corrupt."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How is it that I get so car sick when I try to read or write in the car when I'm otherwise fine? | [
"Reading and writing requires intense visual focus. Your eyes home in on the paper, and the visual part of your brain kind of stops paying attention to anything in your peripheral vision. However, if you're in a car, your inner ears are telling your brain \"hey, I'm moving all over the place\". But your eyes are te... | [
"To expand on this, it's not only rocking. As a child I was rarely rocked. When I was fussy my parents would drive me around in my car seat until I fell asleep. To this day, I'm 27, riding passenger in a car makes me very tired."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is cheese sometimes crunchy/gritty? And what causes that texture? | [
"The crunchiness is caused by crystals of various substances that form as the cheese dries. They start out dissolved in water in the cheese, but as the water evaporates, they start to crystallize. Usually, the crystals are made of calcium lactate. But sometimes, for some cheeses, there are crystals of amino acids l... | [
"It's the mould growing on it that's the problem. If you cut that off, you can eat the cheese still. It has a different texture and taste as it gets older though. Cheddar, for example, will taste stronger and crumble easier with age."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If a MLB pitcher were to hit a player in the head, and that player have life suffering injuries, would the pitcher be in trouble? | [
"Unless it was intentional, no. All the players signed legal waivers when they sign their contracts."
] | [
"Not just support - but it's allowed. MMA fighters or boxers don't get arrested for their actions, unless the injuries are severe beyond the norm. It's an implicit agreement within hockey that it's part of the game, and you are free to _not partake in any fights as well_. In serious cases of injuries, criminal inve... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why or how do fires make sound? More specifically 'roar' ? | [
"Hot air rises, and the fire heats the surrounding air unevenly, causing increased turbulent air flow around the fire that we can hear as sound."
] | [
"Heat lightning is lightning that is very far away, but conditions like overcast let you see the flash over great distances, up to 100 miles away. It makes thunder, but sound doesn't carry anywhere near as far as light so you can't hear it. But anyone who was nearby to the actual lightning strike would've heard thu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is there any Virus which infects Apple products?Why is there such a big problem with windows and hardly any problem with the mac when it comes to bugs? | [
"Yes, there has been malware for Apple products including OSX. Windows gets targeted more because it has a far larger market share. I haven't had significantly more bugs on a Windows device than I have on OSX. I haven't seen a BSoD since XP was the latest Windows OS, but I did see a kernel panic on OSX (So basicall... | [
"They do. The problem is that because it's very new to a lot of people we aren't used to thinking about security for smart phones. Try searching for android and malware, you'll find all kinds of articles about malicious software for phones."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do birds stop for rests after flying for long periods of time? | [
"It depends on the bird. Most birds do stop to rest, but birds like swifts, terns, and albatrosses can stay in the air for weeks or months at a time, usually by gliding on air currents. One benefit is that lets them conserve energy."
] | [
"They were raised at their destination point (point a), learned it was home. Then they were taken to other places that would want to send that destination a message (point b). When the pigeon was needed to send a message it was released from point b and instinctively flew back home to point a. Birds fly hundreds o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Stress is implicated in a great number of health problems today, things must of been pretty stressful for our early ancestors, why are our bodies still not able to deal with stress? | [
"There's a big difference between acute stress and chronic stress. Life was not as stressful as you have been led to believe. Most anthropologists estimate that hunter-gatherers worked a lot less and had more leisure time than modern humans. The stress response is adaptive for dealing with short term threats in the... | [
"Infected teeth can kill you as the infection can easily make it into your blood stream and to the rest of your body. It's best that you're well motivated to fix them. This is just as true today as it was for primitive man, and probably more important, since we eat so much more sugar now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why auto makers dropped the frameless doors? | [
"Because they really didn't work too well. It was too hard to build a seal between the car frame and the glass, that worked well when closing the door, while allowing the window to slide up and down. Because you couldn't hold the glass in a channel, the window gets pulled away from the seal at high speed, unless yo... | [
"Emissions: US emissions are stricter than in other countries. It would require different emissions equipment for the EPA to allow the sale of the car in the States. Market: The bean counters at Honda decided that the type r would not appeal to Americans enough to be worth getting the car certified in the States. P... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
is it true that if one sits too close to a television it will affect your vision after a certain amount time? | [
"It MAY cause eye strain which could be a temporary annoyance, or cause a headache. But no long term damage can/will come of it. Simply put, your parents said that because if you were to close to the TV, it makes it harder for others to see."
] | [
"I read somewhere that there was a study done in Japan that the more time school children spend away from sunlight the worse their vision is. I have had terrible eyes since I was a child, it started about the time that I started reading books a lot and staying inside. Since I heard of that study I have been more co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do low fuel prices have a negative long term effect? | [
"It's not the effect of the low fuel prices, it's the effect of other things are shown by low fuel prices that are causing worries. Analysts who see concerns in the low fuel prices believe that the prices are indicative of demand for fuel dropping, which would strongly suggest poor economic activity (likely in Asi... | [
"Electric buses are not causing a surplus of gas. The article you read was about how electric buses were reducing the demand for gas from municipal bus services. But municipal bus services form a very small fraction of the overall demand for gas. Overall demand for gas has consistently increased by about 2% per yea... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can we be woken up by others snoring but not our own? | [
"You can be woken up (easily) if your sleep is not deep. You only snores when your sleep is deep."
] | [
"I am exactly the opposite. It takes me forever to get to sleep and when I do, I get woken up by the slightest noise. I have to sleep with a noise machine that plays a constant unwavering noise to drown out any little noises. I also can't fall asleep while touching someone (i.e. cuddling) which bothers my girlfrien... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How do they make old 70s and 80s movies in high definition when it didn't exist back then? | [
"Film is a very high quality medium capable of storing images very high resolutions. The master prints of those films are still around and are used to create HD copies. Back then, scans of the films were taken at relatively low resolutions because VHS tapes were the standard medium for distribution. VHS tapes are l... | [
"George Lucas wanted all films to be shot digitally. He invested a lot into the digital process and Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones was one of the first feature length films to be completely shot digitally. So basically Disney is saying fu to Lucas who was trying to push digital film adoption with the success of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do apps on Google Play need me to give them access to details which are seemingly private and unrelated to the app I'm downloading? | [
"It depends on the app; either it: 1. Is spamming malware (there is no initial vetting done on apps put onto the Google Play store; Google only takes apps down if they're reported). 2. Is sneakily but legitimately selling your information to advertisers. 3. Has features you aren't aware that utilise those features ... | [
"An Android vulnerability for example, is installing an app with a crazy amount of permissions which the app does not need. If one access is for sd storage and internet, they can send pictures to a server. Ensure the app only request permissions which are relevant to its purpose. If the app appears shady, don't ins... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how do they determine traffic light timing at intersections? | [
"I'm pretty sure they time how long it takes to get from one major intersection to the next major intersection driving the speed limit. Then they subtract 5 seconds and make sure you catch the red light"
] | [
"if I am thinking about the same cables you are thinking about they aren't used to measure speed they're used to count how many cars are going across the road they use it to know how much maintenance or if they need to expand the road to handle more traffic."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Technology:"
} |
What exactly is the Dial-up sound? | [
"They're doing a few things: * Figuring out which protocols each modem is capable of, and selecting the best one that they both can handle. * Sending some commands to the telephone network that switch it to a mode more useful for modems than talking. * Measuring the qualities of the telephone connection. * Figuring... | [
"It seems to be something called a \"403 error.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
When a relative gets into an accident, how do emergency services notify you? | [
"Depending on the circumstances, there are a number of ways next of kin are notified of an accident: - if the accident is fatal, all efforts are made by the police to locate the next of kin and notify them in person. This allows for support and victim services to be made immediately available. This also ensures tha... | [
"They will dispatch police or other first responders to your location to see if they can determine what the problem is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why is affirmative action still around? | [
"The easiest way i can explain it is affirmative action is a set of guidelines and goals to reduce and reverse historical trends of minority groups being deprived of social and economic opportunities not available to them solely because of their background. I saw guidelines and goals because actual quotas have been... | [
"One answer: Its all the fault of white people. That answer is allowed, indeed encouraged to be said in public. Other answer: Its all the fault of black people. That answer is racist, and may get you arrested in some places. At the very least, sacked from your workplace. Another answer: Its complex, and multifacite... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can English speakers efficiently communicate with most other English speakers (regardless of dialect) but a lot of Mandarin speakers can't communicate likewise between the various dialects of Mandarin nearly as efficiently? | [
"There aren't many dialects of english. But get a creole and a cockney to have a conversation and I'll owe you a beer"
] | [
"Part of it is that while there is a unified Chinese *written* language, there are dozens (maybe hundreds, I don't know for sure) of difference *spoken* Chinese languages (i.e. dialects). Pinyin corresponds to Mandarin Chinese (the official spoken language) while there are many other dialects (Cantonese, Shanghaine... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people feel a dull ache in their forehead when an object (like a pen or finger) is brought very near to, but without touching, the point between their eyebrows? | [
"I get the same sensation when something comes close to the area between my eyebrows. It has nothing to do with eye movement or mystisism. I cannot explain why but i can feel a slight pressure when an object is close. I have wondered about this myself."
] | [
"I found this remedy on Reddit somewhere. It sounds silly, but it seems to work for me. Place your hands behind your head with the tips of your middle fingers touching with your hands over your ears. Your index fingers should be resting at the base of your skull. Place your index fingers on top of your middle finge... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are weather forecasts still so inaccurate? | [
"You remember the times they're wrong and rarely remember the times they're right. Also if an app is telling you it's sunny and clear when it's raining perhaps the location services on your phone aren't functioning properly."
] | [
"The farmers almanac records the weather of each day every year. So lets just use the past ten years for example. So if on may 1st it rained 8/10 years they will assume its going to rain 80% of the time on may 1st. Now the almanac has been keeping records for a very long time so they can actually make pretty decent... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Since I'm not a Nielsen family, does pirating a show basically have the same effect as watching it on live TV? | [
"With respect to TV ratings, if you're not participating in any special Nielsen Families (or related) program, then pirating would be effectively the same as watching the TV program live via antenna or via a passive cable/satellite tuner (e.g. using the QAM tuner built into your TV). There are, however, cable/sate... | [
"Maybe someone else can fill in more, but from what I heard stations get people to monitor what they are watching and send in the results. I think it was 5,000 or 6,000 people in America? They get randomly selected and ask if they would like to participate and get a monthly cheque if they do. So when they say \"10 ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How can gas stations charge 9/10 of a penny, when no such denomination exists? | [
"Since there is no such denomination, they \"do it\" by rounding to the nearest penny. When you multiply any amount of gas by any price, you always get something that has to be rounded off. It's their way of turning 9 cents into a dime, 99 cents into a dollar. That also gets them a tiny bit more money than if they ... | [
"> if there are leftovers after the transactions .006 cents where does it go? It gets rounded, which evens out over the long run. The thing to remember is that you never buy gas in exact, gallon increments. So it really makes no difference whether or not a gallon of gas is priced in fractions of a cent, because you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does society view the exposure of the female chest so differently from that of a man's? Why do women have to cover and men don't? | [
"In New York State wherever a man can legally be topless, so can a woman."
] | [
"It's sending the signal that women are distractions to men and that men are incapable of controlling themselves when it comes to ogling women. It's also implying that it's perfectly natural for men to act as though they are helpless to control themselves around the sight of a woman's body. In cases where girls are... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are actors/directors/crews not employees of major studios (or are they)? | [
"Movie studios used to operate this way many decades ago. It was referred to as the star system. The decline of this method of operating came about largely because studios became notorious for exploiting actors and heavily restricting or controlling their careers. The system also tended to favour the development of... | [
"the prizes they give away are relatively cheap when compared to the cost of script writers, actors, etc that are incurred by other forms of TV."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why is it easier to balance on a bicycle when moving than when standing still? | [
"People are going to tell you it's because of the gyroscopic effect, but [these people showed it's possible to build a stable bicycle even when the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel is canceled.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Object in motion wants to stay in motion. Its easier on a car and requires less force to maintain a speed than to get the car moving from a stop."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Automotive:"
} |
Why do deeply religious people badmouth other religions? | [
"From their perspective, other religions *are* evil. If you believe your immortal soul goes to heaven you believe the right stuff, and goes to hell if you believe the wrong stuff, other religions are Satan's trick to try to lead you into damnation. To you, they are literally the worst thing in the world."
] | [
"Christianity says you should give to the poor too. Hell many religious say to give to the poor. Are you asking why are there poor people? Or why do people not follow some the teachings of their own religions"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why did society's view of 'The Future' change from being classically futuristic to being post-apocalyptic? | [
"Probably the Cold War if it had to be ONE AND ONLY ONE thing, may be more accurate to just say nuclear weapons in general. Also I think the upheaval and social restructuring that went on in the 60's, what with 'Nam and LSD and Watergate and all, kinda slapped the rose tinted glasses off of the face of society in a... | [
"Destructful weather. Mass extinction. Bad crops and food shortages. Little to no intercontinental travel and a seemingly post apocalyptic lifestyle in general."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Climate science:"
} |
Why are the directions "left" and "right" associated with liberal and conservative political philosophies? | [
"It comes from the French Revolution when people loyal to religion and the king would gather to the right of the president of the National Assembly while supporters of the revolution would gather on the left. The right thus became associated with traditionalism and conservatism while the left with equality and revo... | [
"Republican and Democrat refer to members of specific political parties. \"Liberal\" and \"conservative\" are socioeconomic and political ideologies. The Republican party tends to be more conservative than the Democratic party, but they're not always entirely conservative, or conservative on all issues. The Democra... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why is there a feeling of total disgust for men after they finish masturbating...and what causes it | [
"Your mind pretty much goes from a high state of pleasure to a state of reason in a matter of seconds..."
] | [
"its usually you are detecting something small touching you, itches are in their finest moment when they get you to swat away a bug thats crawlin on you, they suck when they are a big patch of irritated skin which gets more irritated every time you scratch it. think of them as a minor tiny display of pain. They are... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do nations determine their currency value? | [
"Most currencies are not regulated in the way you say, countries do not set the values of their currency in international trade themselves. This was not always the case (see \"gold standard\"), but now, most currencies are floated on an exchange, the Foreign Exchange Market, where the value of each currency is dete... | [
"Tying your currency to other countries with whom you have no authority over their policies is a bad idea. see: EU"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are urls created, and also how are they made so they dont match another url? | [
"each url (not including the sub directory) links to exactly one ip address (as determined by your dns server, different people using different dns, may be directed to different ips). this ip address determines the webserver which will serve the webpage. [server].[domain].[top level domain]/(optional)[sub director... | [
"Assuming you are not talking about extracting images from the browser cache: Its the name the server gives the image. Most servers just need some unique name so they generate gibberish."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some people feel more comfortable in the city, while others are more at home in the country? | [
"preference.... I am not aware of any specific cause. The human brain rebels against monotony and sameness so that might have something to do with it."
] | [
"Where are you? In the city surrounded by tall buildings? Out in a field with nothing around?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why did it take so long for FTC to accuse Vemma of creating a pyramid scheme? | [
"Many pyramid schemes masquerade as legitimate MLMs. The structure is identical, so just because it has that kind of structure isn't enough for the government to file charges. They need *evidence* that something illegal is happening."
] | [
"It's not a pyramid scheme. Pyramid Schemes are Multi Level Marketing groups. Wish is a retail aggregate that focuses on low-cost (and possibly copyright infringing) items. Even if Wish offers you an incentive to share the program to others, they never say that you, the random jackass who never posts a product, wil... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does it feel normal to sit back down in your chair, but if you sit in someone else's it feels warm? Why can't we feel our own butt warms? | [
"When you sit in a chair it will change to the temperature of your body. So you wouldn't know the difference because the temperatures would get to the same degree as you currently are. Other people's body may be at a higher temperature at the time so you will notice the difference as the chair would be as warm as t... | [
"Humans are finicky about what comes near our head. It's a protective thing. We need our heads to do stuff like think and hear and see.Water can impair the ability to do two of those things, while water (at least rain) does not significantly impair our ability to move our limbs. Admittedly, this might be bullshit.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why are people able to get your IP from your Skype name but not from other things? | [
"If you've got a direct connection to someone (through a client like Skype), they can see the IP address you're using. Other things like Facebook aren't a direct connection between users; both people access the server to see what's been posted to it. It's a question of who has access to the information. If I ran a ... | [
"You can use a VPN. I would recommend a service such as PrivateInternetAccess, really highly liked here on Reddit. You connect to a VPN for when you are gonna be torrenting, and your computer reports that your IP is actually somewhere in another country - thus providing anonymity. ISPs and content providers, get yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How and when did the world universally agree to use the same basis for time (24 hours, each of 60 minutes, etc) | [
"As it turns out, \"60\" is just a really versatile number. If we had 100 minutes in an hour, for example, we could divide it in half, or in quarters, etc, but there are lots of numbers you *can't* divide by without creating complex fractions. With 60 minutes, though, we can divide it by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, ... | [
"Do you mean units of time? Like seconds? Well, days, years and lunar months are pretty easy to observe. Now, 12 is a great number its better than ten. You can only divide 10 by 10, 5, 2, 1 but you can divide 12 by 12, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. As multiples of 12, 60 & 24 are also useful numbers. So a day was divided into 24 ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why don't politicians get charged with libel when many of them knowingly lie or misrepresent facts? | [
"For a start, lying isn't necessarily libellous. You can say all sorts of untruths without defaming anyone. Second...if you sued a politician for lying, just thing of the exposure you'd be giving their arguments? Money couldn't buy that sort of airtime (well, OK, in the US it probably can). Third - some countries l... | [
"Because they are the propaganda wing of the Republican party. They aren't news (and fought for the right to mislead in court, claiming they are only entertainment) and knowingly and intentionally mislead or outright lie to their viewers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How come heat seeking missiles don't go straight to the sun? | [
"Older versions of the AIM-9 Sidewinder did routinely lock on to the Sun or clouds, sending them ballistic. Newer versions have corrected this by adding optical filters to the sensor to only allow certain bands of infrared energy into the sensor for detection. This same system is used to help defeat flare counterme... | [
"> why don't the bullets injure people on the way back down? They can and do. > Why don't people worry about where the bullets are going to go on the way back down? Because people are thoughtless and foolish."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why don't countries apart from the US have manned moon landings? | [
"I think the US sent a man to the moon more for national pride than for any practical purpose. JFK declared America's intent to complete this mission in order to send a message to the Soviets and the world that the US was a superior nation. Today, it's less about pride and more about science. It makes no sense to ... | [
"Because most wealthy people didn't make their money by investing in something with little monetary return. You also underestimate the cost of sending a person to mars. Who do you think has enough money to fund a trip solo?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do people hack into an intranet and why do we need anti-virus systems in an intranet? | [
"There are a lot of ways someone might \"hack into an intranet\" but a simple way to understand why something might get through the barriers surrounding an intranet is to consider USB thumb drives. A virus on a thumb drive might easily be introduced within the network even with the strongest of barriers between the... | [
"There are several iOS viruses out there, but they are extremely hard to get because of the controls iTunes and Apple puts on distribution of apps, any apps which pose a weakness hazard to iOS gets removed almost immediately, if they ever make it into the shop at all. Your computer on the other hand doesn't have th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do both of these images exist? | [
"Because anyone can caption any image anything they want."
] | [
"> Is there anything more to it? Turn left."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are final seasons/episodes of shows often done/received poorly? | [
"Well for one reason, it's the same reason that we will never see Half Life 3. They're too hyped up and will never meet expectations. If valve were to release HL3 everybody would be expecting the best game in the world. If a series has gone on for long everybody will be awaiting the ending and thinking about what m... | [
"Several reasons. Firstly, there could be copyright issues. Secondly, often times the ideas in those pilots are cannibalized into another show. Thirdly, how would they make any money off of releasing it for free? Fourthly, releasing terrible things can dilute their brand and make them lose respect. Fifthly, pilots ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Explain how recording onto the old vinyl records works. | [
"Why should the vocals be different from the instrumental music? Vocals are made up of sound waves just the same. You are drawing a distinction which is physically meaningless."
] | [
"They can go to the source material which has separate audio tracks for each audio. The actor speaking, sound effects, music, ambience. The original production of the film means mixing the sounds to the final product."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
I am trying to understand why the sun sets at different times all along the west coast of the US. Sunset was at 4:53 PM today in San Diego, 5:05 PM in San Francisco, and 4:43 PM in Seattle. I am baffled: why is SF the latest but it's in the middle of California? | [
"San Francisco is at 122.4194° W San Diego is at 117.1611° W, so, way east of SF. Seattle is at 122.3321° W (about the same as SF) but also much farther north where winter days are shorter."
] | [
"They have one time zone because the government says they have one time zone. Specifically, the Communist government made the change in 1949 after the Civil War. It means that in the far west of China the sun doesn't reach its highest point in the sky until 3pm. In December the sun doesn't rise until after 10am and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is there a northern and southern accent in the United States? | [
"Why is this under biology? Anyway, this is due to differing patterns of settlement. The North was settled mostly by religious pilgrims from the more rural regions of southern England, while the South was settled mostly by Scots-Irish settlers (Presbyterian Northern Irish) and aristocrats. This resulted in the crea... | [
"> cultural differences There are plenty of cultural differences between the East coast and the West coast."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why do antidepressant often have depression as a side-effect? | [
"Anti-depressants are a guessing game as far as prescribing them. You're messing with the brain my friend. There's no telling exactly how they'll affect one particular person and how they feel. Having used them, it's hard to tell exactly what feels different sometimes. You think a strange thought that you've never ... | [
"Humira is a drug that reduces inflammation. Because Humira treats a symptom, rather than the root cause of a disease, it's useful in treating a wide range of diseases that share that symptom. I don't think Humira is advertised as a treatment for depression, all I found online was people asking if depression was a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why does it always come down to "drink lots of fluids" when you tell the doc you gave the flu? | [
"There's no cure for influenza once you're sick. It's a self-limiting and mild infection that your immune system will fight off, all you have to do is keep your body working long enough for it to do so. That means sleep and fluids."
] | [
"The case with most over-the-counter medicine is that it simply loses potency over time. That 'Tussin would still work, but don't expect any magic. Although if you think you might have the Flu, do your co-workers and fellow humans a favor and take time off to recover. It's particularly nasty this year."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What's a cellular automaton ? | [
"For starters, it's not really an essential part of understanding computing. The idea came about as more of an entertaining thing to do with computers. At best, they're a footnote in the history of computing. Take a grid. Each cell of that grid can either have a thing in it or not. Now, given some rule based on the... | [
"Can someone explain to me what a fantasy football team is?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How a "double bounce" or "super bounce" on a trampoline works | [
"Fred is going to double bounce George. As George comes down from a jump, Fred jumps in and lands right next to George. Their combined weight and momentum stretch the trampoline tighter than it would with just one of them. At the bottom, Fred hops off to the side, however the trampoline is still stretched very tigh... | [
"This is commonly called Eugenics, advocating the use of particular practises that could potentially improve the human gene pool. It obviously has its upsides and downsides, but yes it's hypothetically possible to rid humans of certain genetic diseases, but if we don't fully understand the entire genome, we could b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What does 10th Cousin, once removed mean? | [
"First cousins have the same grandparents. Second cousins have the same great-grandparents. Third cousins have the same great-great-grandparents. And so on. So 10th cousins have the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents. \"Once removed\" means that you're of different generations. ... | [
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do Jehovah Witnesses not celebrate Holidays? | [
"exJW here. We avoided Easter because we celebrate the last supper in form of The Memorial, instead of Jesus' resurrection. As for the rest of the main holidays, we avoided Christmas due to its roots in paganism, Halloween due to its association with the occult, and birthdays because King Herod had John the Baptist... | [
"Are you asking why Christians don't hate Hindus?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is North Korea a credible threat to the the US? Aren't these the same guys we mock mercilessly? | [
"North Korea is not a credible threat to the US. There are a bunch of US military stationed in South Korea who could be in danger if war broke out there. NK has a large but generally poorly equipped and trained army. They could potentially cause a decent sized mess in South Korea in the early days of a war, but the... | [
"North Korea is controlled by a bunch of psychos, but in the grand scheme of things, are powerless. They like to make a bunch of threats and bomb a few South Korean ships and islands, but don't actually constitute much of a threat. However, if you try to attack North Korea, you're gonna cause a bunch of problems. T... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
If computers have to follow direct commands, how can it choose things at random? | [
"Computers usually *can't* choose things at random. Instead, they have algorithms that can generate [psuedo-random numbers](_URL_0_). This often involves seeding the number generator with various \"random\" factors, such as mouse movements, the current time, and/or the contents of the computer's memory, which are a... | [
"Programming an AI is much more difficult than graphics. Graphics are just shapes and figures although it is difficult to get proper reflections and fluid motions all these effects can be described mathematically and thus implemented much easier. Then its just a matter of raw power from the graphics card and proces... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about videogame development:"
} |
Why do people say ouch even when something doesnt hurt. | [
"It's a learned response. Different languages have different words for \"ouch\". You expect something to hurt so you go through the learned response."
] | [
"Yes, they are called phantom pains. And of course when you cut it off it's going to hurt obviously."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What did they do before eye-glasses? What if people had horrible vision? | [
"They were said to be blind or have clouded vision. In some societies they were taken care of or depending on their vision could be mostly self sufficient. In others they were killed or left to die for being weak."
] | [
"I have never heard of this being the case. Ever. Unless your glasses are closer to your prescription it shouldn’t be the case."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What makes a CD an EP and not an LP or album? | [
"EP and LP are terms that originated with the technology of vinyl records. An LP is a 12\" vinyl record which when played at 33-1/3 rpm gave you ~22 minutes per side -- they were able to stretch that a little bit but not too much. A 'single' was a 7\" vinyl record with a bigger hole in the middle (it was developed ... | [
"Theme song = Song designated as the official Theme of that piece of media. Soundtrack = All music featured in that media. If a theme song is a song, a soundtrack is the album it's in. OST = Original Sound Track. Just an abbreviation for Soundtrack. Don't know why they don't just use ST. Maybe it looks better."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why are Camillia Bowles and Kate Middleton Duchesses and not Princesses? | [
"To be a Prince or Princess you must be the child of a Monarch. Being the Consort (wife) of a Prince is not enough. They are Duchesses because the are the wives of Dukes (who happen to also be Princes). Duke/Duchess is the highest rank of Nobility that is non-Royal in the British Peerage system, though members of t... | [
"Meghan will not be a princess. She will be a Duchess, like Kate. William and Harry are called Prince because their dad is the Prince of Wales. When William married, he was named the Duke of Cambridge (as a wedding present.) So his wife, Kate, is the Duchess of Cambridge. Harry will likely also be given a dukedom, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Does cooling a sealed bottle/can of soda and then letting it come back to room temperature cause it to lose carbonation? | [
"No. The sealed bottle or can is much closer to an enclosed system than an open container - it can stay very well carbonated for months. It would be a reasonable simplification to say that the carbonation hasn't changed at all. However, there is another property that is important, Solubility. When you open up the c... | [
"Well it has to do with pressure. Wine is put into the bottle and sealed so that no air goes in or out. Now if the wine is sparkling wine then that means none of the bubbles can come out so there is a slightly higher pressure inside the sealed bottle. That pressure is enough to slightly change the freezing point of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How do dressmakers/tailors make garments bigger or take them out? | [
"Clothes are made from several pieces seamed together. Seams are usually created by folding the edges of the pieces over in a complicated way and sewed over. The way the pieces are folded on the edges depeond on what kind of seam you want to create (hold firmly / have a little flexibility / comfort on the inside / ... | [
"The fabric is woven as a tube with the right diameter for that size of tshirt. This is only done with regular fit men's/unisex t-shirts as they are the same width all the way from chest to hem. With shirts, as well as slim fit and most fitted women's t-shirts they are made up of different shaped pieces that are se... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When, why and how did Monday through Friday become a classic work week, with weekends Saturday and Sunday? | [
"Unions pushed for a standard 40 hour work week with 2 days off."
] | [
"It used to be 6, with the exception being Sunday for Christians and Saturday for Jews. The additional day most likely only came with rising regulations and laws for the protection of employees. In some service industries, people still work 6 days."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
- Why do motorcycles only have manual transmission motors? | [
"Motorcycles with automatic transmissions exist. Perhaps you don't see as many as you live in a society where people who ride motorcycles are the sort who want power and control, or are cost-conscious, both of which manual transmissions have an advantage. Also, there isn't anything about a standard motor which make... | [
"Just a clarification I'd like to make here, most things do have a gearbox. Even if there's only one gear, there's still a gearbox. I think what you might be asking is more along the lines of \"Why do boats/planes/submarines only have one gear?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why scientists can date the age of Earth, but not the Egyptian pyramids or the Sphinx? | [
"Radiometric dating works by comparing the ratio of isotopes in an object now to a known reference ratio at the object's inception. Each element has a different useful range of applicability based on the half-life of the decaying isotope, with increasing error and eventually uselessness outside that range. C14, for... | [
"They put out a program on the mound builders about 15 years ago which hinted that they might have been built by immigrants from the Old World. The program was sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Just about lobbed my remote at the screen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do we sometimes remember dreams days or even weeks later? | [
"That's probably a case of confabulation, where your brain makes plausible sounding lies to fill in a memory gap. The tricky part about confabulation is that you can only notice this when other people point out contradictory facts."
] | [
"What about the kind of DÉjà Vu where you dream something but don't remember dreaming it until it happens in real life? This happens often atleast monthly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Cognitive Science:"
} |
why is the Scottish independence referendum positioned as neck and neck in the polls, whereas the bookmakers odds suggest the opposite? | [
"I expect that the odds are down to a significant number of people betting the outcome will be 'No'. Odds aren't just calculated by looking at what will *probably* happen, but also by the amount of money already taken in by people betting. If the odds were, say, both even (which is what the polls suggest), and a di... | [
"Scotland had a popular vote in order to decide whether or not they should leave the uk in 2014, they voted to stay by a narrow margin on the basis that the UK would remain in the European union. however now the UK have chosen to leave the European union. Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland voted to s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is there a difference legal or otherwise between "sponsoring" a politician or bill vs a bribe? | [
"Sponsoring legislation is the term for when a member of Congress introduces a bill, it has nothing to do with money, bribery or corruption."
] | [
"Lobbying is literally just saying \"Congressman X, you should vote for this bill because reasons.\" That's all it is. Have you ever signed a petition? Wrote a letter to a congressman? Asked a question at a town hall meeting? Congratulations, you've lobbied! Lobbying is a vital part of a democratic government. It a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What exactly IS Citizen's United, and why is it bad? | [
"Citizens United itself is a nonprofit organization that helps conservative candidates win elections. That's not important. What is important is that when Citizens United tried to broadcast an anti Hillary video before the Democratic primary, they were told they weren't allowed. This started the Supreme Court case ... | [
"Context? What is a \"smart meter\", and where is this controversy based out of? Who is involved? Thanks!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Humble bundles.. and how it works from the game developers' perspective. Also.. how much does each dev get from a bundle? | [
"Not sure about the first question, but the amount the developers get is determined by the buyers themselves. When you buy a bundle from the site you can choose how to split the money between all the developers, the charities and the humble bundle site."
] | [
"Honestly, part of it is mass hysteria (we all love to conform in someway) and part of it is this is the first time a lot of otherwise ignorant people have stopped and thought about the fairness of how Steam (and any online publishing company - looking at you, Google) goes abouts its business. Is 30% worth the publ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
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