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[ { "content": "ELI5:How after 5000 years of humanity surviving off of bread do we have so many people within the last decade who are entirely allergic to gluten?", "role": "system" } ]
We don't know. There are a number of theories about this. To clarify, while the increase may be exaggerated by people who falsely claim intolerance when they probably have other health issues (or are hypochondriacs), there is actually an increase in people with diagnosable gluten intolerance. And gluten intolerance is ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6efne8
{ "comment_author": "p3tunia", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1496248218, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1496280613, "comment_id": "di9zivv", "comment_score": 16044, "num_comments": 547, "post_author": "Addacus117", "post_created_utc": 1496244150, "post_edited": 0, ...
[ { "content": "ELI5: It's with a heavy heart that we have an announcement\n\nHello ELI5 family,\n\nIt is with a heavy heart and tears in our eyes that we have this announcement to make. We have been informed that moderator Eveanyn has passed away after a years long battle with cancer. We have her family in ou...
What a beautiful community and one of my favorite subs. I’m so sorry for the loss that her family and friends feel right now. Best wishes and blessings 🙏💙
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_1kfi9hn
{ "comment_author": "rsteppes", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1746468118, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "mqqvdo9", "comment_score": 711, "num_comments": 718, "post_author": "ntengineer", "post_created_utc": 1746467966, "post_edited": 1746500565, "...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How did we get to the point where laptops and smartphones are in the same price range?", "role": "system" } ]
The difference is that most people are buying the top spec smartphones ($1000+), but not nearly as many people buy top spec laptops ($2500+).
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_cxiwhl
{ "comment_author": "Jdog131313", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1567186765, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "eylks31", "comment_score": 17299, "num_comments": 3389, "post_author": "Bethelyhills", "post_created_utc": 1567180827, "post_edited": 0, "po...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Stock Market Megathread\n\nThere's a lot going on in the stock market this week and both ELI5 and Reddit in general are inundated with questions about it. This is an opportunity to ask for explanations for concepts related to the stock market. All other questions related to the stock market ...
Hopefully this is helpful. I work in the stock market and my little brother asked me to explain what was going on. Here was my response: Let’s say GameStop has 100 shares outstanding currently trading @ $20 per share (so if you own 1 share, you own 1%, 25 shares = 25% and so on) That’s it. There are only 100 shares...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_l7ckr5
{ "comment_author": "the_friendly_skeptic", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1611881019, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1611897236, "comment_id": "gl66bw7", "comment_score": 4945, "num_comments": 7941, "post_author": "ELI5_Modteam", "post_created_utc": 1611876924, "post...
[ { "content": "ELI5: So how does the the human brain ignore the second the?", "role": "system" } ]
We don't actually read every word in a sentence. Our brains pick up the patterns and fill in the blanks as we skim along the text, which greatly increases our reading speed while doing very little to reduce comprehension. We do it with just about all sensory input, as well. We blank out while driving but still reach o...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_g29knw
{ "comment_author": "Kotama", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1587019019, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1587020774, "comment_id": "fnk9cpm", "comment_score": 18792, "num_comments": 1410, "post_author": "saviounderscore", "post_created_utc": 1587018339, "post_edited": ...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why can people walk many miles without discomfort, but when they stand for more than 15 minutes or so, they get uncomfortable?", "role": "system" } ]
I work at a vein surgeon's office. I actually asked him this. Basically, when you are standing, blood flow slows and "pools" in your legs due to gravity. But when you walk, your muscles contract and push the blood in your veins and vessels back up into your upper body. On the side note, seasoned military personnels ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6joszt
{ "comment_author": "[deleted]", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1498528443, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1498575545, "comment_id": "djg1vjr", "comment_score": 28604, "num_comments": 1338, "post_author": "mynameispineapplejoe", "post_created_utc": 1498519377, "post_e...
[ { "content": "ELI5: There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There are also infinite numbers between 0 and 2. There would more numbers between 0 and 2. How can a set of infinite numbers be bigger than another infinite set?", "role": "system" } ]
I think the problem is you are thinking of "infinite" to be "a very big number". It is not a very big number, it's a different kind of thing. A similar problem exists with zero, in that it's not just "a really small number", it's actually zero. For example if I take a really small number like 0.0000001 and double it...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_h9yh9l
{ "comment_author": "BobbyP27", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1592294236, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1592322801, "comment_id": "fuzp5fl", "comment_score": 19714, "num_comments": 3684, "post_author": "YeetandMeme", "post_created_utc": 1592289857, "post_edited": 0,...
[ { "content": "ELI5 Why is 12 hour time even taught? Wouldn’t it just be easier to remember 13:00 instead of 1:00pm?", "role": "system" } ]
12 hour time is a *very* ancient system that traces back to the Mesopotamian empires. They had a cultural fixation on the number 12, used a base-12 numerical system, and divided up most things into 12ths whenever possible - including day and night. The 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night system spread throughout Eu...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_hsa8kn
{ "comment_author": "Lithuim", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1594908707, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "fy95rmb", "comment_score": 13853, "num_comments": 1669, "post_author": "GamerOfGods33", "post_created_utc": 1594908360, "post_edited": 0, "post...
[ { "content": "ELI5 remembers u/bossgalaga\n\nHi Everyone,\n\nWe have come to learn some very sad news recently, u/bossgalaga, the founder of r/Explainlikeimfive, has unfortunately passed away. In his honor we wanted to post the links of two charities that were dear to him:\n\n[The Immune Deficiency Foundation](...
RIP. This sub was one of the first I started reading on reddit way back when. He came up with a great idea that really showed how cool this website could be.
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_otzyon
{ "comment_author": "JasonBob", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1627575058, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "h6yyjv4", "comment_score": 5100, "num_comments": 794, "post_author": "ELI5_Modteam", "post_created_utc": 1627573368, "post_edited": 1627586184, ...
[ { "content": "ELI5 why do humans need to eat many different kind of foods to get their vitamins etc but large animals like cows only need grass to survive?", "role": "system" } ]
In addition to the 'efficiently breaking down grass' thing, and the 'they eat a variety of plants' thing, there's also the fact that species typically evolve the ability to make vitamins that they can't get easily in their diet. For example, humans make vitamin D because there aren't many food sources of it, but we can...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_il5ptb
{ "comment_author": "zapawu", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1599051907, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "g3pp9sp", "comment_score": 13892, "num_comments": 1670, "post_author": "halloichbins987", "post_created_utc": 1599049179, "post_edited": 0, "pos...
[ { "content": "ELI5 If diamonds and other gemstones can be lab created, and indistinguishable from their naturally mined counterparts, why are we still paying so much for these jewelry stones?\n\nEDIT: Holy cow!!! Didn’t expect my question to blow up with so many helpful answers. Thank you to everyone for taking...
Marketing and monopoly. Diamonds are not unique or rare on this planet. The DeBeers corporation has a long standing monopoly, and an incredible marketing campaign stressing that you should spend 2 months salary on a ring if you really love your future wife. Truth be told, lab grown diamonds are so perfect at this ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_kcpsov
{ "comment_author": "alek_hiddel", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1607917411, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "gfrzo3f", "comment_score": 19825, "num_comments": 4187, "post_author": "perpetuallypolite", "post_created_utc": 1607917275, "post_edited": 16...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How come you can be falling asleep watching TV, then wide awake when you go to bed five minutes later?", "role": "system" } ]
The brain is like a group of people talking to each other. When you're watching TV, the part of your brain that watches TV says "Shut up guys, I'm watching TV," so you can focus without thinking about cake or math. As a result, the others sit silent, grow bored, and fall asleep, until only the TV watcher part of the ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6iowpi
{ "comment_author": "Solid_Waste", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1498094566, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "dj88m8g", "comment_score": 27681, "num_comments": 1648, "post_author": "Bof_Waffletax", "post_created_utc": 1498080123, "post_edited": 160728...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How did Germany stop being Nazis after the end of WWII? Did everyone just \"snap out of it\" after Hitler's death?", "role": "system" } ]
There were a lot of politicians the Nazis had arrested or removed from office. The first leader of West Germany had spent time in a Nazi prison. The US and the Allies had a specific 'De-Nazification' program they used. It included things like forcing Germans to visit the death camps.
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_oekyts
{ "comment_author": "doowgad1", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1625535562, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "h46vu2r", "comment_score": 14507, "num_comments": 292, "post_author": "uniqueUsername_1024", "post_created_utc": 1625535244, "post_edited": 0, ...
[ { "content": "ELI5: The Panama Papers\n\nPlease use this thread to ask any questions regarding the recent data leak.\n\nEither use this thread to provide general explanations as direct replies to the thread, or as a forum to pose specific questions and have them answered here.", "role": "system" } ]
When you get a quarter you put it in the piggy bank. The piggy bank is on a shelf in your closet. Your mom knows this and she checks on it every once in a while, so she knows when you put more money in or spend it. Now one day, you might decide "I don't want mom to look at my money." So you go over to Johnny's house ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_4d8rta
{ "comment_author": "DanGliesack", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1459739952, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1459740171, "comment_id": "d1owxn5", "comment_score": 39668, "num_comments": 2647, "post_author": "[deleted]", "post_created_utc": 1459730634, "post_edited": 0...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Addressing Concerns Regarding Reddit\n\nAllegations have come to light regarding the recently hired Reddit admin, who shall not be named, that she willingly associates with child abusers and rapists. Additionally, there is evidence that Reddit is abusing their platform to stifle legitimate d...
[https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/mcisdf/an\_update\_on\_the\_recent\_issues\_surrounding\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/mcisdf/an_update_on_the_recent_issues_surrounding_a/) Hi Everyone, mission accomplished, we will be unsticky-ing this post now
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_mchcni
{ "comment_author": "Petwins", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1616625901, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "gs3t8jl", "comment_score": 2241, "num_comments": 1, "post_author": "ELI5_Modteam", "post_created_utc": 1616621737, "post_edited": 1616622250, "...
[ { "content": "ELI5: If there is no cellphone signal, how does the \"emergency calls only\" mode works?", "role": "system" } ]
Your phone is allowed to use any network its physically capable of using for emergency calls, whereas normally it can only use networks you've paid to use E.G. signals from a Verizon tower. EDIT: Looks like I was partially wrong. Quoting /u/psfilmsbob "Every carrier has roaming deals with other carriers who use the...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_7mb35n
{ "comment_author": "billythewolf", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1514330398, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1514414529, "comment_id": "drsnag8", "comment_score": 24369, "num_comments": 2038, "post_author": "dcardeno", "post_created_utc": 1514329812, "post_edited": 0...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why is it, that you can eat a 2,000 calorie meal, and in theory, you shouldn't need calories again until the next day, but you can be hungry again 6-8 hours after you finish eating? Is your body just not capable of actually processing that many calories?\n\nI think the title kind of says it ...
Your body is like a steam engine. The fireman gets a load of coal (food) and either shovels it into the engine (your body's metabolism) or shovels it into the [tender](https://www.lionelstore.com/LionelStore%20Product%20Images/636847-1.jpg) (your fat reserves). Hunger is the fireman saying "hey, just so you know I'm n...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_ifgmcr
{ "comment_author": "Stargate525", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1598238558, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1598246352, "comment_id": "g2nl99u", "comment_score": 40066, "num_comments": 1815, "post_author": "cptmorgan1991", "post_created_utc": 1598236280, "post_edited...
[ { "content": "ELI5: what is the reason that almost every video game today has removed the ability for split screen, including ones that got famous and popular from having split screen?", "role": "system" } ]
3 Main reasons: 1. It takes a lot of extra processing power to generate the split screen aspect. 2. Its development work they would rather put towards their more lucrative multiplayer (usually with microtransactions) 3. they sell more copies of the games to groups of friends who want to play it. Now all of those ar...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6o4cgc
{ "comment_author": "Petwins", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1500418189, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1500432474, "comment_id": "dkehtvm", "comment_score": 16457, "num_comments": 3066, "post_author": "fantheories101", "post_created_utc": 1500417656, "post_edited": ...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How does your body burn 2000 calories a day, but you have to run a mile to burn 100 extra?\n\nBasically the title. I saw this thing about how much you have to exercise to burn off certain foods and was wondering how your body burns so many calories by doing nothing.", "role": "system" ...
You're not doing nothing. Your heart is beating, your brain is processing, your eyes and ears are collecting information, your muscle tissue is idling, awaiting command. You're maintaining a core temp of precisely 98.6F. None of this is free, you'll consume 1500-2500 calories a day simply keeping the biological ligh...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_eluost
{ "comment_author": "Lithuim", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1578499894, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "fdkaqgy", "comment_score": 19210, "num_comments": 3399, "post_author": "Owltimer", "post_created_utc": 1578499603, "post_edited": 0, "post_id":...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Went on vacation. Fridge died while I was gone. Came back to a freezer full of maggots. How do maggots get into a place like a freezer that's sealed air tight?", "role": "system" } ]
There was an egg on something before you even put it in there. Usually they just can't hatch because of the temp. At room temp they can hatch.
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6i881n
{ "comment_author": "slash178", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1497896074, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "dj46vog", "comment_score": 16864, "num_comments": 3292, "post_author": "Obi_Sean_Kenobi", "post_created_utc": 1497895988, "post_edited": 0, "p...
[ { "content": "Eli5: If ants love sugar, and bees make honey, why aren’t bee hives constantly attacked by ants?", "role": "system" } ]
Ants are constantly trying to attack beehives. Other bees and insects will also try to attack the beehives. This is why a large number of bees is dedicated to protecting their hives from these intruders.
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_kzrxay
{ "comment_author": "Gnonthgol", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1610965472, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "gjpio71", "comment_score": 10597, "num_comments": 1792, "post_author": "Dr_Shocktopuss", "post_created_utc": 1610964762, "post_edited": 0, "p...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why do traditional cars lack any decent ability to warn the driver that the battery is low or about to die?\n\nYou can test a battery if you go under the hood and connect up the right meter to measure the battery integrity but why can’t a modern car employ the technology easily? (Or maybe i...
The technical people answering are technically correct, that a voltmeter would indicate the voltage of a battery, but they’re missing what OP is after: when won’t a battery work anymore? In other words, they are wondering “why can’t I know the health of my battery?” With car batteries (the 12V lead acid type) the volt...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_jz2tg3
{ "comment_author": "logically_hindered", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1606094008, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1606143353, "comment_id": "gdaaff3", "comment_score": 4815, "num_comments": 1651, "post_author": "redol1963", "post_created_utc": 1606076845, "post_edit...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why aren't power lines in the US burried underground so that everyone doesn't lose power during hurricanes and other natural disasters?\n\nSeeing all of the convoys of power crews headed down to Florida made me wonder why we do this over and over and don't just bury the lines so trees and wi...
Hi! I'm actually an estimator for a large electrical contractor, so I think I can comment on this pretty accurately. In large cities you're correct, there's a reason you don't see power lines draped across buildings in Manhattan. And even more affluent neighborhoods will have the lines buried. But there's one enormou...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6zgo04
{ "comment_author": "SpectacularOcelot", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1505162158, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1505178239, "comment_id": "dmve8t0", "comment_score": 17066, "num_comments": 2015, "post_author": "[deleted]", "post_created_utc": 1505148944, "post_edit...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How can large chains (Target, Walmart, etc) produce store brand versions of nearly every product imaginable while industry manufacturers only really produce a single type of item?", "role": "system" } ]
Because they don't actually make it. Costco doesn't make "Coscto Whisky" Costco has a contract with (it's not but for ease of names) Jack Daniels. And again for ease I will use "Bottles" not "Barrels" If Jack Daniels sells their whisky for $20 a bottle, say it costs them $10 to produce. Costco says "We want to buy yo...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6p83n3
{ "comment_author": "Workacct1484", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1500902015, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "dknarx2", "comment_score": 13542, "num_comments": 2521, "post_author": "pillyg", "post_created_utc": 1500899995, "post_edited": 0, "post_i...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why does \"Hoo\" produce cold air but \"Haa\" produces hot air ?\n\nTried to figure it out in public and ended up looking like an absolute fool so imma need someone to explain this to me", "role": "system" } ]
When you do a "hoo", the air is coming out from a very small opening which gives it a higher chance to mix with the air around it and cool down. When you do a "haa", the air is coming out at a larger volume and needs more time to cool down. **Edit** Put your finger right in front your mouth when doing a "hoo" and you...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_d4j294
{ "comment_author": "nate1313", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1568546498, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1568551635, "comment_id": "f0cx6q2", "comment_score": 9550, "num_comments": 1037, "post_author": "respiration6868", "post_created_utc": 1568545398, "post_edited":...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why is it that Mandarin and Cantonese are considered dialects of Chinese but Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French are considered separate languages and not dialects of Latin?", "role": "system" } ]
There's a saying in linguistics: "A language is a dialect with a flag and an army." The field of Linguistics does not actually define what is a "language." Linguistics definitely has the concept of a dialect, and can discuss whether two groups of people speak the same dialect or different dialects. It has concepts of ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_bezewk
{ "comment_author": "throwaway_lmkg", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1555684044, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "el9ohwy", "comment_score": 15604, "num_comments": 2206, "post_author": "deliciouswaffle", "post_created_utc": 1555682368, "post_edited": 0...
[ { "content": "ELI5: If bacteria die from (for example, boiled water) where do their corpses go?", "role": "system" } ]
Hah! One of those things people don't think of! YES excellent question. Sorry, I work with medical devices, and this is a crucial issue. So lets say we have a scalpel, right? Simplest medical device there is. There's a number of ways to make it totally(ish) sterile- gases, steam, dry heat, gamma radiation. But ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_5640rc
{ "comment_author": "[deleted]", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1475735303, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1475795326, "comment_id": "d8g5638", "comment_score": 31244, "num_comments": 1087, "post_author": "DoItSarahLee", "post_created_utc": 1475733527, "post_edited": ...
[ { "content": "ELI5: if fruit is sweet to encourage animals to eat it and carry the seeds away from the parent tree, how do lemons and limes fit into this mix?", "role": "system" } ]
**TL;DR**: *Because lemons and limes are crossbreeds that weren't actually a wild plant, and even if they weren't sweet, their ancestors still had sugars and that made them appealing for creatures to eat.* Most of the types of "citrus" plant that we grow and sell in produce sections now were crossbred from a mix of on...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_86u0qv
{ "comment_author": "the_original_Retro", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1521908804, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "dw7t9mc", "comment_score": 10934, "num_comments": 1560, "post_author": "LukeLooking", "post_created_utc": 1521908088, "post_edited": 0...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why does making a 3 degree difference in your homes thermostat feel like a huge change in temperature, but outdoors it feels like nothing?", "role": "system" } ]
Because outside you have multiple things that affects the way the temperature feels. A slight breeze or moment in the shade will feel cooler. Humidity or the sun shining on you will make it feel warmer. Inside you don’t feel these variables nearly as often.
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_ayshki
{ "comment_author": "Ctrlaltdelm8", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1552064713, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1552084838, "comment_id": "ei2x4ga", "comment_score": 9529, "num_comments": 1367, "post_author": "PeeB4uGoToBed", "post_created_utc": 1552064210, "post_edited...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why do you need a Master's Degree to become a librarian, especially when the median salary is barely above $50,000?\n\nOn Jeopardy tonight, one of the contestants stated that he obtained a Masters Degree online just to become a librarian.", "role": "system" } ]
It depends on what type of Librarian you are talking about. Librarians assistants are generally just the people who learn about librarian functions and are the people who put the books away, do general checkout functions, so on and so forth. Librarians, are generally like supervisors. They oversee the librarian's ass...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_60s6ct
{ "comment_author": "Uchihakengura42", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1490151847, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1490160943, "comment_id": "df8vzeq", "comment_score": 11343, "num_comments": 2150, "post_author": "[deleted]", "post_created_utc": 1490151052, "post_edited...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How come all those atomic bomb tests were conducted during 60s in deserts in Nevada without any serious consequences to environment and humans?", "role": "system" } ]
The simple answer is there were serious consequences to both the environment and human health. There were marked increases in cancer rates noted, not just in Nevada, but across the midwest. Test site workers and downwinders (communities down wind from the test site) sued the federal government. To date more than half a...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_i6gt8j
{ "comment_author": "PhyterNL", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1596967185, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "g0vn60x", "comment_score": 20593, "num_comments": 3136, "post_author": "lurkerdominus", "post_created_utc": 1596966639, "post_edited": 0, "pos...
[ { "content": "ELI5: NASA Engineers just communicated with Voyager 1 which is 21 BILLION kilometers away (and out of our solar system) and it communicated back. How is this possible?\n\nSeriously.... wouldn't this take an enormous amount of power? Half the time I can't get a decent cell phone signal and these gu...
>I can't get a decent cell phone signal and these guys are communicating on an Interstellar level. [...quoted text...] Mobile phones work off UHF (Ultra High Frequency), so the range is very short. There are usually signal repeaters across a country, so it gives the impression mobiles work everywhere. >wouldn't this...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_7h2rfn
{ "comment_author": "nated0ge", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1512225453, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1512250285, "comment_id": "dqno2lo", "comment_score": 11639, "num_comments": 1091, "post_author": "DaveDoesLife", "post_created_utc": 1512223260, "post_edited": 0...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why do \"bad smells\" like smoke and rotting food linger longer and are harder to neutralize than \"good smells\" like flowers or perfume?", "role": "system" } ]
They dont really; but you're keyed to be more sensitive to rotting food scents and other bad smells. Theres usually a survival reason behind it, and over time we developed a sensitivity to those scents. Smoke is an exception; that actually does have more particles in the air that can stick to things and smell longer ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_hth74o
{ "comment_author": "Darth_Mufasa", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1595081952, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "fygpq2f", "comment_score": 15556, "num_comments": 1119, "post_author": "bigdipper80", "post_created_utc": 1595081399, "post_edited": 0, "p...
[ { "content": "ELI5: What did Edward Snowden actually reveal abot the U.S Government?\n\nI just keep hearing \"they have all your data\" and I don't know what that's supposed to mean.\n\n​\n\nEdit: thanks to everyone whos contributed, although I still remain confused and in disbelief over some of the things in t...
In a nutshell he revealed data that showed that the US government, and multiple allied governments had the ability to do things like listen to everyone's phone calls, read their texts, their emails, follow their internet searches, track their locations (via GPS in phones) and also remotely activate people's cell phone ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_ue0par
{ "comment_author": "Spiritual_Jaguar4685", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1651168247, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "i6k6v8u", "comment_score": 23347, "num_comments": 1521, "post_author": "berneraccount39", "post_created_utc": 1651167800, "post_edit...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How can nothing be faster than light when speed is only relative?\n\nYou always come across this phrase when there's something about astrophysics 'Nothing can move faster than light'. But speed is only relative. How can this be true if speed can only be experienced/measured relative to somet...
This is a brilliant question. It is the question the led to special relativity! Motion is relative: the velocity of an object depends on the velocity of the thing measuring it. Speed of light is not relative: everything measures speed of light the same. That is the paradox. The universe tells us that is the way it ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_meazfx
{ "comment_author": "Fe1406", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1616842225, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "gsfb7hk", "comment_score": 13205, "num_comments": 3568, "post_author": "Ruby766", "post_created_utc": 1616839924, "post_edited": 1657967544, "po...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why is W called \"double U\" when it is clearly \"double V\"?", "role": "system" } ]
When Old English was written, it used a mixture of Latin letters and older runes. One of these runes was Wynn, which was used to represent the wound that w gives today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynn That runes was sometimes replaced by the combination uu - a double u - for the same sound. In german, the letter ...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_5wvocj
{ "comment_author": "kf97mopa", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1488381159, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "dedb0e2", "comment_score": 12042, "num_comments": 1895, "post_author": "therap321", "post_created_utc": 1488374079, "post_edited": 0, "post_id...
[ { "content": "ELI5: How, at 93 million miles away, does the sun feel so warm, yet when a simple cloud passes over it the warmth is incredibly dampened?", "role": "system" } ]
So when you feel the sun's warmth, you're not feeling heat coming from the sun. You're instead feeling heat created *on your skin* by the sun's light. Light carries energy. Things with colour, like your skin, absorb light. When they do, the atoms that make them up get 'excited'. Depending on the atom, and what state i...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_bnajh3
{ "comment_author": "crashlanding87", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1557575394, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1557595577, "comment_id": "en40m01", "comment_score": 18552, "num_comments": 1216, "post_author": "[deleted]", "post_created_utc": 1557569629, "post_edited"...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why do some animals (like spiders or lizards) spend so much time just doing nothing? What is happening and why?", "role": "system" } ]
Most organisms are in a constant struggle for energy. Obtaining energy is dangerous, you have to leave your save burrow or go risk injury in a hunt. That's why many organisms develop strategies for minimising the risks they need to take. And one of the most popular strategies is simply having simple, low demand physio...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_kecv94
{ "comment_author": "[deleted]", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1608140223, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "gg1tgr2", "comment_score": 18730, "num_comments": 1724, "post_author": "Brrr_ItsTrue", "post_created_utc": 1608137655, "post_edited": 0, "pos...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why do some letters have a completely different character when written in uppercase (A/a, R/r, E/e, etc), whereas others simply have a larger version of themselves (S/s, P/p, W/w, etc)?", "role": "system" } ]
First of all, let's talk about the words 'uppercase' and 'lowercase'. These words come from the early history of printing, when a person called a *typesetter* would assemble each page of a book letter by letter. Each letter was a profile on a piece of lead, called a *sort*. The sorts were kept in boxes called [*typecas...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_99bprm
{ "comment_author": "Shmiggles", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1534936632, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "e4mirn3", "comment_score": 15052, "num_comments": 1225, "post_author": "TheGrog1603", "post_created_utc": 1534928160, "post_edited": 0, "post...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why does hearing yourself speak with a few seconds of delay, completely crash your brain?", "role": "system" } ]
We subconsciously use our own voices to make sure our mouth is making the noises we want it to. The brain can’t figure out what’s wrong but still tries to correct itself
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_mhqeim
{ "comment_author": "His_Mom___", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1617264860, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "gt0b915", "comment_score": 10683, "num_comments": 1197, "post_author": "Nazamroth", "post_created_utc": 1617263624, "post_edited": 0, "post_...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why were ridiculously fast planes like the SR-71 built, and why hasn't it speed record been broken for 50 years?", "role": "system" } ]
Before we could use satellites to take pictures from space, if we wanted to see what was going on in enemy territory, we had to take pictures from a plane. Enemies didn't want us taking pictures so they would try to stop the plane - usually by blowing it up with missiles. We didn't have "stealth" technology y...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_ircby5
{ "comment_author": "keplar", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1599916910, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1599919983, "comment_id": "g4xdqs2", "comment_score": 21814, "num_comments": 1655, "post_author": "[deleted]", "post_created_utc": 1599916222, "post_edited": 0, "...
[ { "content": "Eli5: Caffeine has almost no calories, but seems to give us a burst of energy on its own. Where does the body get this energy from? Is caffeine forcing the body to use stored fat?", "role": "system" } ]
Caffeine works in two ways to make you feel that way. First it prevents the brain from telling you that you are tired. You can think of your brain as a bunch of locked boxes with different things inside of them. Some of these boxes have things that make you happy, others make you sad. Some have things that tell you i...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_9durlp
{ "comment_author": "SeattleBattles", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1536333250, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 0, "comment_id": "e5k5np8", "comment_score": 43226, "num_comments": 1746, "post_author": "hellblazer153", "post_created_utc": 1536329900, "post_edited": 0, ...
[ { "content": "ELI5: Why does your body feel physically ill after experiencing emotional trauma?", "role": "system" } ]
The limbic system is responsible for this feeling! The limbic system is the emotion and memory part of your brain, and is hugely important for how you experience and perceive things. The limbic system has a direct impact on the autonomic nervous system. If you perceive that you're in a calm situation, your limbic syste...
r/explainlikeimfive
t3_6y9qw9
{ "comment_author": "debman", "comment_controversiality": 0, "comment_created_utc": 1504639911, "comment_depth": 0, "comment_edited": 1504641060, "comment_id": "dmlsnyl", "comment_score": 8626, "num_comments": 1068, "post_author": "Bridgeface87", "post_created_utc": 1504634429, "post_edited": 0, ...