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2018-01369
if light travels at a constant speed what does it mean when they say that physicists were able to slow light down to 38 mph and more recently all the way to a standstill?
Light travels at a constant speed in a vacuum. In other things, like glass, it has a different speed. Exotic materials can make the speed even lower.
[ "The simplest picture of light given by classical physics is of a wave or disturbance in the electromagnetic field. In a vacuum, Maxwell's equations predict that these disturbances will travel at a specific speed, denoted by the symbol . This well-known physical constant is commonly referred to as the speed of ligh...
[ "Light travels at a constant speed always." ]
[ "Light only travels at a constant speed in a vacuum. In any other medium it is slowed down. " ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Light travels at a constant speed always." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Light only travels at a constant speed in a vacuum. In any other medium it is slowed down. " ]
2018-01820
How do albums get leaked before the release date?
There are numerous people that hear a band's songs and have access to their raw files long before a record is released. If you are on a major label, there are likely dozens of people with the songs, from your R & D manager to the team doing the mastering, not to mention the interns who might've been responsible for get...
[ "\"It was really immediate; that's why we loved putting out singles early on. We recorded some songs for Sympathy for the Record Industry, and two weeks later, we had some finished copies of them. The turnaround time was amazing. And by the time people were able to get them, it was still under a month. They're hear...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal" ]
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2018-22176
Why do baby animals have different fur than adults do?
The smaller animal has a higher surface area to volume ratio so would lose more heat and possibly needs better insulation. It also probably doesn't need the sort of tough fur able to withstand hunting prey through undergrowth etc. Adult animals still have soft fur layers for insulation but more durable hairs growing th...
[ "Another aspect of the Woodlark cuscus' metatherian identity can be seen the composition of the mother's milk. As the young grow, the carbohydrate, lipid, and protein compositions in the mother's milk fluctuates in accordance to the stage the young \"Phalanger lullulae\" is in as it grows. The tiny young will feed ...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal" ]
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2018-01426
Why do needles only sometimes cause bruising?
The smaller injections most likely didn’t hit a vein, so you won’t get much bruising from those. The blood draw and IV lines do hit veins, so there’s always the possibility of blood leaking out of the veins into the surrounding tissue and causing a bruise. As far as why one bruised and the other didn’t, there could be ...
[ "A needlestick injury is the penetration of the skin by a hypodermic needle or other sharp object, which has been in contact with blood, tissue or other body fluids before the exposure. Even though the acute physiological effects of a needlestick injury are generally negligible, these injuries can lead to transmiss...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
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2018-03771
Does bleach added to soil eventually break down into harmless substances?
[After use in household cleaning or laundry, sodium hypochlorite breaks down into 95–98% salt and water. The remaining 3–5% is easily handled/removed by either sewage treatment or a septic tank where it degrades like starting soil. Further, no liquid bleach enters the environment as it reacts with organic loads in pipe...
[ "US Government regulations (21 CFR Part 178) allow food processing equipment and food contact surfaces to be sanitized with solutions containing bleach, provided that the solution is allowed to drain adequately before contact with food, and that the solutions do not exceed 200 parts per million (ppm) available chlo...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-03799
What is Cannibidiol (CBD) and why is it seemingly coming out of nowhere as an exceptional drug for many diseases and chronic illnesses, as well as improving all around focus and decreasing anxiety?
I probably would not explain anything about marijuana to a five year old, but, it's a component of marijuana. There are two "main" parts, THC and CBD. THC is the "weed high" portion and CBD is the medical stuff you mentioned, in a very general sense. An older-than-5 explanation (that I yanked from Google for you): URL_...
[ "Cannabidiol\n\nCannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of some 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. In 2018, clinical research on cannabidiol included preliminary studies of anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain.\...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-03536
Why do trucks always say that they take wide rights, but not lefts?
If you drive on the right, as in the us, turning right normally will make you go over the curb. Left, there is a lane there, no curb to hit
[ "For regulatory reasons, generally only licensed carriers are allowed access to support structures, and to municipal rights of way.\n", "The doctrine was set forth by the United States Supreme Court in \"Eastern Railroad Presidents Conference v. Noerr Motor Freight, Inc.\" and \"United Mine Workers v. Pennington\...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-02371
Why sweetcorn stays primarily intact during the digestion process
It doesn't. Only the outside shell remains partially intact. This is because the shell is made of cellulose, a type of polysaccharide that our bodies lack the proper enzymes to digest.
[ "Section::::Production.\n\nThe process by which cecotropes are produced is called \"hindgut fermentation\". Food passes through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, where nutrients are initially absorbed ineffectively, and then into the colon. Through reverse peristalsis, the food is forced back into the cecum ...
[ "Sweetcorn stays intact during digestion." ]
[ "It doesn't stay intact, the shell stays intact and the inside is digested. " ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Sweetcorn stays intact during digestion." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "It doesn't stay intact, the shell stays intact and the inside is digested. " ]
2018-20895
What does higher grade gas actually do to your car? Should I enter 93 octane into my Honda Civic, or stick to 87? Does it really matter?
Higher octane ratings burn slower and are used to prevent engine knock in cars that reach higher RPMs. You shouldn't have any adverse effects on your car by using high-octane fuel, but if the owner's manual doesn't call for high octane fuel, it won't actually help any either, and you're essentially just wasting money.
[ "That practice can be fine for \"cruising\" straight and level and in smooth air, but in case of the need to rapidly add power (sudden climb, headwind, etc), the additional \"insurance policy\" of excess octane in avgas helps prevent dangerously lean fuel-air mixtures from rapidly melting and physically \"burning\"...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-07251
Why is the urge to breathe based around CO2 and not oxygen?
> Since oxygen levels are what we need to stay alive, why aren't our bodies' reflexes based around that? Because evolution simply finds a solution that works well enough to let you reproduce. Not always the best one.
[ "Levels of CO rise in the blood when the metabolic use of O, and the production of CO is increased during, for example, exercise. The CO in the blood is transported largely as bicarbonate (HCO) ions, by conversion first to carbonic acid (HCO), by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, and then by disassociation of this aci...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-00610
Why do clothes and towels smell bad when they 're left to dry crumpled up, but fine when hung or dried in a dryer?
The bad smell you are referring to comes from bacteria on the towel. Those bacteria thrive and reproduce more on a wet towel, than a dry towel. The more bacteria on the towel, the more it will smell. So the difference is that a crumpled towel has less surface area exposed to the air, and therefore less water evaporatin...
[ "Environmental effects of laundry wastewater\n\nWastewater comes out of the laundry process with additional energy (heat), lint, soil, dyes, finishing agents, and other chemicals from detergents. Some laundry wastewater goes directly into the environment, due to the flaws of water infrastructure. The majority goes ...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-15867
How did humans discover music? Or is there music among animals as well?
"Or is there music among animals as well?" You - you've never heard of a bird?
[ "History of music\n\nMusic is found in every known culture, past and present, varying widely between times and places. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, it may be concluded that music is likely to have been present in the ancestral population prior to th...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-03592
Why do ducks and some other birds fly in patterns?
V-shape formations are more aerodynamically efficient for the group. The air directly behind a wing is pushed downwards (called downwash), and the air behind and to the side of a wing is pushed upwards (upwash). This is due to the vorticies formed on the wing tips. Flying in the downwash is harder, and flying in the up...
[ "The standardwing was filmed for the first time in 1986 for the BBC nature documentary \"Birds for all Seasons\", when a cameraman Michael W Richards stationed in the canopy captured footage of a male bird displaying. Ten years later, David Attenborough observed a mass display of dozens of males for the BBC \"Natur...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-07109
why does ones eyes tear up when getting hit on the nose?
My thoughts are that it's because our eyes, ears and nose are all connected. We hold our nose and blow to equalise the air pressure in our ears. Eating spicy food makes our eyes and nose water. When we blow our nose hard our eyes will be affected and may tear up.
[ "Nerves and muscles may be trapped by broken bones; in these cases the bones need to be put back into their proper places quickly. For example, fractures of the orbital floor or medial orbital wall of the eye can entrap the medial rectus or inferior rectus muscles. In facial wounds, tear ducts and nerves of the fac...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-24401
Is it just humans that have such a hard time giving birth or is it just because we can Express it?
Childbirth for women has higher death rates by far than animals. It’s a price that is paid for walking upright which narrows the path of the birth canal. Evolution dictated that the benefits derived from being able to walk upright outweighed the higher mortality rate of a more difficult birth
[ "Human infants are also almost always born with assistance from other humans because of the way that the pelvis is shaped. Since the pelvis and opening of birth canal face backwards, humans have difficulty giving birth themselves because they cannot guide the baby out of the canal. Non-human primates seek seclusion...
[ "Humans are perceived to have a hard time giving birth because they are verbal about it." ]
[ "Childbirth for women has higher death rates by far than animals." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Humans are perceived to have a hard time giving birth because they are verbal about it.", "Humans are perceived to have a hard time giving birth because they are verbal about it." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Childbirth for women has higher death rates by far than animals.", "Childbirth for women has higher death rates by far than animals." ]
2018-00580
How were wooden ships made waterproof in ancient times?
Caulking such as horse hair, clay or cloth was poked between the wooden planks to fill gaps. Pitch or tar was applied to the outside to help waterproofing. Also boats then, like now, aren't water tight. The bilges would always collect some water. Bailers would use buckets to bail out the bilge water. Today this is done...
[ "Section::::Evidence in Europe.\n\nShip armour is to be distinguished from the practice of hull sheathing for preservational reasons, namely the protection against marine wood-boring worms. Greek merchantmen were fitted with lead sheets for that purpose by the 5th century BCE. A notable Roman example were the excav...
[ "Wooden ships in ancient times were waterproof" ]
[ "Boats then, like now, aren't water tight." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Wooden ships in ancient times were waterproof" ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Boats then, like now, aren't water tight." ]
2018-02489
Why do cattle get nutrients from grass, but humans do not?
Because we dont have the digestive enzymes in our gut system to breakdown grass into nutrients while cattle do
[ "Commonly, CAFO wastewater and manure nutrients are applied to land at agronomic rates for use by forages or crops, and it is often assumed that various constituents of wastewater and manure, e.g. organic contaminants and pathogens, will be retained, inactivated or degraded on the land with application at such rate...
[ "If cattle are able to get nutrients from grass, humans should be able to also. " ]
[ "Humans don't possess the digestive enzymes to break down grass into nutrients like cattle do, therefore they can't obtain the same nutrients." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "If cattle are able to get nutrients from grass, humans should be able to also. ", "If cattle are able to get nutrients from grass, humans should be able to also. " ]
[ "normal", "false presupposition" ]
[ "Humans don't possess the digestive enzymes to break down grass into nutrients like cattle do, therefore they can't obtain the same nutrients.", "Humans don't possess the digestive enzymes to break down grass into nutrients like cattle do, therefore they can't obtain the same nutrients." ]
2018-15466
Could someone explain Godel's incompleteness theorem to me?
As a preface, he actually had several incompleteness theorems, all of them interrelated. Also, part of the profound triumph of his work is the formal structures he created (discovered? 😏) to describe his theorems. I won’t be able to do it justice in an ELI5, but hopefully I can at least convey the big ideas. “Incomple...
[ "Section::::Formal systems: completeness, consistency, and effective axiomatization.:Completeness.\n", "Section::::The provability relation.\n", "Section::::First incompleteness theorem.:Truth of the Gödel sentence.\n", "Compared to the theorems stated in Gödel's 1931 paper, many contemporary statements of th...
[ "There is only one Godel's incompleteness theorem to be explained." ]
[ "There are several Godel's incompleteness theorems that are interrelated which can be explained." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "There is only one Godel's incompleteness theorem to be explained.", "There is only one Godel's incompleteness theorem." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "There are several Godel's incompleteness theorems that are interrelated which can be explained.", "There are several Godel's incompleteness theorems" ]
2018-01114
Why does Google maps sometimes suggest a slower route as the first preference?
I am guessing, that other than the obvious stuff like tolls and/or bridges etc... It might be making traffic predictions that there MIGHT be traffic during the trip, so it avoids the route.
[ "BULLET::::- In early test versions of Google Maps, searching for a route between locations separated by expanses of water (for example, Paris and New York City) provided road directions to the coast of the embarkation country (in this case, the west coast of France) before suggesting \"Swim the Atlantic Ocean (3,5...
[ "Google is suggesting a slower route." ]
[ "Google is predicting traffic in the future based on historical data. The predictions lead to choosing a different route." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Google is suggesting a slower route." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Google is predicting traffic in the future based on historical data. The predictions lead to choosing a different route." ]
2018-01923
How were scientists able to take a photo of an atom?
the atom is being held in place by a magnetic field, also the element chosen has light emitting properties. Without the light from inside the atom itself(absorbed from a high powered laser focused directly on it and set to our visible spectrum) it would not be visible, that's my basic understanding.
[ "The first photographed atom was discovered in 2012 by physicists at Griffith University, Australia. They used an electric field to trap an \"Ion\" of the element, Ytterbium. The image was recorded on a CCD, an electronic photographic film.\n\nSection::::Social and cultural implications.\n", "Around the beginning...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal" ]
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2018-01922
why are those infrared lasers in movies that guard things/areas arranged in a seemingly random pattern that people are capable of maneuvering through? Why wouldn't you design an impenetrable laser field that Catherine Zeta Jones could not sexy her way through?
Because otherwise the hero wouldn't be able to sneak through. Movies are not reality. They're written in a way so it works out exactly the way the writer wants it to.
[ "Before Grant started the myth, he stated that he found that the highly visible, brightly colored light beams seen in movies do not exist in the real world, as not only would it defeat the purpose of making the laser system hard to get around, but real light moves far too quickly to be seen by the naked eye, thereb...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[ "Movies should be logical and not allow for people to slip through laser defenses." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Movies are made to work perfectly for the story. That involves putting logic to the side sometimes. " ]
2018-04199
What’s happening when computers “freeze”? (Non internet related)
A program will attempt to do something, and it cannot. Its looking for information but it simply is not there, or it is there but is in a form that makes no sense to it. It doesn't know what to do and has no way to continue running with the problem, to the point that it can't even close itself. so it just stops.
[ "BULLET::::- Computer security researchers at Graz University of Technology and Catholic University of Leuven, in a coordinated disclosure with Intel, announce the discovery of a group of Microarchitectural Data Sampling vulnerabilities, affecting millions of Intel microprocessors, which they named Fallout, RIDL (R...
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-01172
Why do so many African Americans have Welsh surnames?
That former slaves took on their previous owners' surnames is a widespread myth: the one thing they didn't often do was to assume the names of their former oppressors. They usually named themselves after other famous Americans, especially those they regarded as heroes of the anti-slavery movement: thus African American...
[ "In 2016, an analysis of the geography of Welsh surnames commissioned by the Welsh Government found that 718,000 people (nearly 35% of the Welsh population) have a family name of Welsh origin, compared with 5.3% in the rest of the United Kingdom, 4.7% in New Zealand, 4.1% in Australia, and 3.8% in the United States...
[ "Welsh surnames are common in African Americans." ]
[ "Welsh surnames are not that common to African Americans. " ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Welsh surnames are common in African Americans." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Welsh surnames are not that common to African Americans. " ]
2018-04023
Why is medicine dosage measured in half-life if half the medicine is still in the body?
It's not used to purely say when a patient has "0" of any drug in their system, it's more to help when giving "Top Up" doses, say you have a patient on Morphine that needs an extra dose, knowing the half life helps Doctors/Nurses decide of they're able to give them a slight dose if they need it. It's also used when cal...
[ "The half-life of the drug refers to the drug's elimination from the bloodstream which can be caused by metabolism, urine, and other forms of excretion. If the active compound has a long half-life (over 6 hours), it is sustained on its own. If the active compound has a short half-life, it would require a large amou...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-00624
Why do things taste different when I'm sick?
The tastebuds do an angry. Actually it has to do with your sense of smell being impaired by mucous buildup and clogged sinuses. (I think)
[ "BULLET::::4. Owing to the \"circumstances, conditions or dispositions,\" the same objects appear different. The same temperature, as established by instrument, feels very different after an extended period of cold winter weather (it feels warm) than after mild weather in the autumn (it feels cold). Time appears sl...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-11391
Why we often say that it is harmful to eyes if you watch TV in a dark room but not the same case if you watch movie in a dark theater?
It's a misconception, it's not true. Watching TV in a dark room won't hurt your eyes. Neither will watching a movie in a dark theater.
[ "Among others, Christopher Nolan has criticized the huge brightness loss: \"You're not that aware of it because once you're 'in that world,' your eye compensates, but having struggled for years to get theaters up to the proper brightness, we're not sticking polarized filters in everything.\"\n", "Medical research...
[ "It is harmful to eyes if you watch TV in a dark room.", "It is harmful to eyes to watch TV in a dark room." ]
[ "Watching TV in a dark room will not damage the human eye.", "It is not harmful to eyes to watch TV in a dark room." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "It is harmful to eyes if you watch TV in a dark room.", "It is harmful to eyes to watch TV in a dark room." ]
[ "false presupposition", "false presupposition" ]
[ "Watching TV in a dark room will not damage the human eye.", "It is not harmful to eyes to watch TV in a dark room." ]
2018-16019
How is a phone or portable charger or other device designed so that it knows how much it’s charged?
It doesn't know, it gives an estimate. There's several methods to ddetermine this estimate but most common is coulomb counting, which is very ELI5 in itself. It is literally counting the number of electrons that flow in the battery (charging) and then count the electrons that flow out. Now your device does not do this ...
[ "Once the simulated battery voltage is set, the user connects the charger to be tested to the input of the simulator. The charger will detect that a battery has been connected and the charging process will begin. The simulator keeps the voltage constant at the set value, while the analogue ammeter indicates the cha...
[ "A phone or portable or other device is designed to know how much it's charged.", "A charger knows how much is charged." ]
[ "Devices like cell phones and portable chargers do not know exactly how much they are charged, but they make an estimate, by coulomb counting for example.", "A charger only has an estimate of how much is charged." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "A phone or portable or other device is designed to know how much it's charged.", "A charger knows how much is charged." ]
[ "false presupposition", "false presupposition" ]
[ "Devices like cell phones and portable chargers do not know exactly how much they are charged, but they make an estimate, by coulomb counting for example.", "A charger only has an estimate of how much is charged." ]
2018-00649
How does the human brain makes a difference between when one's pretty close to remembering something and when one is probably not going to remember that something? Why does it 'feel' different?
The feeling of *not quite* being able to remember a word is called the "tip of the tongue" phenomenon. I'm just going to quote the [Wikipedia page]( URL_0 ) because there's no need to reinvent the wheel here. > People experiencing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon can often recall one or more features of the target word...
[ "Section::::Functional sensitivity.\n\nThe canonical characteristics described above of the Dm effect give a general description of the component; however, the strength, timing, topographical distribution and even whether or not the effect is seen is sensitive to a variety of experimental manipulations.\n\nSection:...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-03150
What exactly is happening when you stand up too fast or have a big stretch and your body feels like it's going to shut down?
The blood pressure in your body needs to readjust. When standing up too fast the blood rushes from your brain (where its doing some very vital work)
[ "Normally, the body compensates, but in the presence of other factors, e.g. hypovolemia, diseases and medications, this response may not be sufficient.\n\nThere are medications to treat hypotension. In addition, there are many lifestyle advices. Many of them, however, are specific for a certain cause of orthostatic...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-23464
Why does wine is used regularly in formal occasions?
> Why can't you drink vodka in a diplomatic party You kind of can. I'll explain what I mean. Wine is pretty difficult to cultivate. It's a high effort product. Takes years to get a plant to produce enough grape. Knowing which plant species works best in certain conditions. There is a trick and a lot of science in barre...
[ "With the advent of modern electric lights, tastevins have very little practical use, although sommeliers often wear them on a ribbon or chain around the neck as a nod to tradition.\n", "Wine is a popular and important drink that accompanies and enhances a wide range of cuisines, from the simple and traditional s...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-07675
How do we determine that an animal is as intelligent as a X year old child?
When babies are born, they are severely under developed. They can't control their muscles, and there is very little conscious control over the body. As the child develops, there are certain indicators to look for to see how they are coming along, and they usually arrive at a similar time for all children. For instance ...
[ "In the UK from 1993 to 2012, the common octopus (\"Octopus vulgaris\") was the only invertebrate protected under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.\n\nCephalopods are the only invertebrates protected under the 2010 European Union directive \"on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes\".\n...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-04694
how multimeters work
What part would you like to know more about? Voltage detection is pretty simple and can be accomplished digitally, albeit through a few voltage dividers to get the voltage into a range where the chip can read it. (Likely 0V-battery voltage) Inside the chip, it will compare the incoming voltage with a known voltage from...
[ "Section::::Power supply.\n", "Section::::Safety.\n", "The resolution of a multimeter is the smallest part of the scale which can be shown, which is scale dependent. On some digital multimeters it can be configured, with higher resolution measurements taking longer to complete. For example, a multimeter that ha...
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-04724
what happens to oils after they are absorbed by skin? Where does it go and how does it affect the body?
First comment is not true. Skin is not (just a little bit) permeable by water, but kind of permeable (a bit more) by fats. After absorbing with you skin it gets to the bloodstream and distributes through body. It also depends on the amounts of oil. If it is just a speckle, then it is likely to be consumed by skin cells...
[ "Section::::Factors influencing absorption.\n\nAlong with inhalation, ingestion and injection, dermal absorption is a route of exposure for bioactive substances including medications. Absorption of substances through the skin depends on a number of factors:\n\nBULLET::::- Concentration\n\nBULLET::::- Molecular Weig...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[ "Oils are absorbed by the skin and moves on to the body." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Not all oil is absorbed by the skin. Some oil that is absorbed by skin is used in skin cells." ]
2018-01427
How does hibernation work? Do they stay in the same position the entirety of winter? If so how do they recover so quickly and how is it different from sleep?
There are many forms of hibernation, so not every animal that hibernates does so in the exact same way. Some animals like bats for example sleep deeply and don't wake up during hibernation, others such as marmots get up from time to time. Also they don't sleep all the time, but wake up and then sleep again - they don't...
[ "Winter rest in an animal is different from true hibernation, since the metabolism is not reduced drastically. The body temperature is not significantly lowered, however the heart rate is reduced. This means that animals like the raccoon can quickly become active again if temperatures rise or the snow melts. Other ...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-04092
How come we get super sleepy in a hot car, but can't fall asleep if our bedrooms are hot?
The difference is your body temperature. Hot core+hot air=miserable. Cold air+cold core= freezing. Hot air+cold core= relaxing and cold air+hot core= refreshing. Your body prefers to sleep with a colder core and in a warmer environment.
[ "Miller and Rattner left from New York in October 1940, driving south towards Florida before heading west. Miller brought along a few of his favorite books, including \"Mysteries\" by Knut Hamsun and \"Leaves of Grass\" by Walt Whitman. Miller wrote to Nin that he let Rattner do most of the driving, despite the fac...
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-17060
Why don’t high performance cars put turbos on higher displacement engines and get much more power
The bigger the engine, the more fuel it burns at a given power setting. When you cram more air into the cylinders, you tend to lean out the mixture, which, on the severe end of the continuum, causes detonation (knocking) that *will* destroy your engine. To combat this, when adding a supercharger or turbosupercharger, t...
[ "BULLET::::2. Carbon build up behind the intake valves. Since fuel is directly injected inside the combustion chamber, it never gets a chance to wash any contaminants behind the valves. This results in excessive carbon build up over time, hindering performance. Some cars (like the Toyota 2GR-FSE engine in the Lexus...
[]
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-00955
Why do some foods put you at an increased risk for cancer?
The foods might contain tiny amounts of some kind of substance that is capable of disrupting DNA. [Smoked foods]( URL_1 ) are an example of this. From the smoke, they can contain carcinogenic (cancer causing) [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]( URL_0 ). These can cause cancer by breaking the DNA. Your cells are able to...
[ "Some specific foods are linked to specific cancers. A high-salt diet is linked to gastric cancer. Aflatoxin B1, a frequent food contaminant, causes liver cancer. Betel nut chewing can cause oral cancer. National differences in dietary practices may partly explain differences in cancer incidence. For example, gastr...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
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2018-00614
Why can't we recollect memories from what we did when we were babies?
It's called [childhood amnesia]( URL_0 ) and the answer is "we don't know", just like with almost everything relating to intelligence and sentience.
[ "Results from another recent study suggest that fetuses were able to form both short and long term memories. This conclusion was drawn from the fact that habituation rates (number of stimuli needed to habituate) were higher in babies in the neonatal stage that had not previously undergone fetal stimulations when co...
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-01742
Why can't light penetrate walls but radio waves can?
It has to do with how EM radiation interacts with materials, and on how that depends on wavelength/frequency/energy of it. Quick little excursion into quantum mechanics. Photons come in discrete packets (quanta), and the energy of the photon determines its wavelength and frequency. The reverse statement is also true, i...
[ "Terahertz radiation can penetrate thin layers of materials but is blocked by thicker objects. THz beams transmitted through materials can be used for material characterization, layer inspection, and as an alternative to X-rays for producing high resolution images of the interior of solid objects.\n", "Most mater...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[ "Light cannot penetrate walls but radio waves can." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Radio waves are a form of light, just not on the visible spectrum. Therefore light can pass through walls, just not light in the visible spectrum. " ]
2018-20798
How does our sun work and why does it burn?
The Sun is a huge ball of mostly hydrogen. It's so big that the centre is under enormous pressure, so enormous that it squeezes the hydrogen atoms together to form helium. This process releases a huge amount of energy. That's where the heat and light comes from - it's not burning like a fire. To get an idea of the size...
[ "The Earth's mean distance from the Sun is approximately , though the distance varies as the Earth moves from perihelion in January to aphelion in July. At this average distance, light travels from the Sun to Earth in about 8 minutes, 19 seconds. The energy of this sunlight supports almost all life on Earth by phot...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-03695
– what are the causes of sudden nose bleed?
The main culprit is usually dry air. Dry air causes your nasal membranes to crust up pretty much in the same way skin gets dry too. The nasal membranes can crack when they're dry through some movement in the nose or even randomly, which causes the bleeding.
[ "Nosebleeds can occur due to a variety of reasons. Some of the most common causes include trauma from nose picking, blunt trauma (such as a motor vehicle accident), or insertion of a foreign object (more likely in children). Relative humidity (including centrally heated buildings), respiratory tract infections, chr...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-18307
Is the chance of getting food poisoning correlated with the amount of bad food eaten?
Yes. For example a contaminated food is essentially full of poison and the amount of exposure affects how badly the person will be impacted if at all. Dipping a toothpick into a spoiled food isn't the same as eating the entire thing of course.
[ "Section::::Regulations by jurisdiction and agency.:Australia.\n\nFood Standards Australia New Zealand requires all food businesses to implement food safety systems. These systems are designed to ensure food is safe to consume and halt the increasing incidence of food poisoning, and they include basic food safety t...
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-04761
How can 2 switches wired to the same light be able to turn it on and off no matter the state of the other switch?
In household electric wiring, a three-way switch setup (common term) often involves wiring two double-pole switches a line, with the power source connected to one and the lamp connected to each other. In this case, each switch has two positions, and the circuit can be completed [or broken] by moving by moving either sw...
[ "In the traveler system, also called the \"common\" system, the power line (hot, shown in red) is fed into the common terminal of one of the switches; the switches are then connected to each other by a pair of wires called \"travelers\" (or \"strappers\" in the UK), and the lamp is connected to the common line of t...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-06471
Why, in movie and TV credits, do "Casting" people always have letters after their name?
Because the person is a member of a casting guild or association. Like this one here in the United States URL_0
[ "An early last billing credit in a film's opening simply listed a question mark (?) as portraying the monster in the 1931 classic \"Frankenstein\", which still lists it that way today, although the reissued prints seen today add actor Boris Karloff to the end credit listings, as the film made him a huge star such t...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-19663
If turning your engine on consumes fuel, how does stop/start technology save fuel?
Modern engines can start very easily and also when they do the stop/start they are already warm so don't need the additional fuel a cold engine would need. With older engines and carburettor and early fuel injection systems it was harder to start them.
[ "In 2011, Mazda announced i-ELOOP, a system which uses a variable-voltage alternator to convert kinetic energy to electric power during deceleration. The energy stored in a double-layer capacitor, is used to supply power needed by vehicle electrical systems. When used in conjunction with Mazda’s start-stop system, ...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[ "Automobile stop/start technology may not save fuel." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Modern engines start very easily and they are already warm when using start/stop technology so they don't need the additional fuel that a cold engine would need." ]
2018-10651
Since oil & water don't mix, how are essential oil soaks helpful?
As far as I know there is no scientific proof that essential oils work anyway, but yes your skin can only absorb so much.
[ "GRAS Substances According to the FDA\n\nSection::::Dilution.\n\nEssential oils are usually lipophilic (literally: \"\"oil-loving\"\") compounds that usually are not miscible with water. They can be diluted in solvents like pure ethanol and polyethylene glycol.\n\nThe most common way to safely dilute essential oils...
[ "Oil isn't good for skin because oil and water don't mix" ]
[ "Oil can be absorbed into skin." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Oil isn't good for skin because oil and water don't mix", "Oil isn't good for skin because oil and water don't mix" ]
[ "normal", "false presupposition" ]
[ "Oil can be absorbed into skin.", "Oil can be absorbed into skin." ]
2018-01433
Why is there coconut oil AND coconut water?
Coconut water is as you've said; it's the liquid inside the cavity of the coconut. Coconut oil is pressed from the coconut meat (the white, edible stuff). Just as you're capable of secreting water and producing oil, so to can coconut.
[ "In Southeast Asia, coconut milk is used to make many traditional drinks. \"Cendol\" is a popular iced drink from this region containing chilled coconut milk and green jellies made of rice flour. Coconut milk is also used in hot drinks such as \"bandrek\" and \"bajigur\", two popular drinks from Indonesia. Sweetene...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-00933
How does your cars heat work?
Your car engine makes a lot of heat, that's why there is the big radiator up front. When the engine gets warm it opens a valve and starts the water pump so coolant flows through the engine and to radiator to move heat out of the engine The coolant also flows through a small radiator called the "heater core". When you w...
[ "Also known as a \"bogie hearth\", the car furnace is an extremely large batch furnace. The floor is constructed as an insulated movable car that is moved in and out of the furnace for loading and unloading. The car is usually sealed using sand seals or solid seals when in position. Due to the difficulty in getting...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-04873
Why is popping bubble wrap so satisfying?
well, the desire to pop, and sweet satisfaction of popping bubble wrap stems from something known as *instinctive ancestral addiction*. It has been suggested that doing a fiddly task triggers instinctual memories of repetitive grooming and insect-squishing performed by our ape ancestors. perhaps there is even something...
[ "Section::::Uses.\n\nThe \"Annual Bubble Wrap Competition For Young Inventors\" was hosted by Sealed Air from 2006 to 2008, in which children were encouraged to design products made out of bubble wrap that had uses outside of the packaging industry. Inventions included a \"Bubble Wrap Car Door Cover\", a \"Bubble W...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-18410
How are alcoholic drinks related abv wise?
So a bottle of beer at 10% ABV is on average around 350mL. The ABV stands for alcohol by volume, so 10% of that total volume is alcohol. In this case 350 (0.10) is 35 mL of alcohol. An average shot glass is around 40 mL depending where you are. 80 proof is equal to 40% ABV. So a 40mL shot of 80 proof bourbon contains 4...
[ "Wine is a fermented beverage produced from grapes and sometimes other fruits. Wine involves a longer fermentation process than beer and a long aging process (months or years), resulting in an alcohol content of 9%–16% ABV.\n\n\"Fruit wines\" are made from fruits other than grapes, such as plums, cherries, or apple...
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[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-04290
Why does laughing so much hurt?
The sound of joy and laughter is so sharp and alien that it bounces off of the dark, empty chasm inside of you causing reverberations, or echoes, that put tiny cracks in the cold mask you show the outside world. Or it could also be muscles and stuff contracting and causing lactic acid to build up not unlike doing a lot...
[ "BULLET::::- At the end of the film \"Mary Poppins\", Mr. Dawes, Sr. is said to have died laughing after being told a joke. Unlike most examples, this is presented as a positive, his son stating that he \"had never look so happy in all his life.\"\n\nBULLET::::- In the musical and film \"Little Shop of Horrors\", a...
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[ "normal" ]
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[ "normal" ]
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2018-05242
how and why animals age differently to humans, and how we are able to calculate their age equivalence?
If by "Age equivalence" you mean something like "dog years" that's simply a rough approximation. If a human lives 10 times longer than a dog, on average, then 1 'human year' is 10 'dog years.' It really has no particular accuracy beyond a rough demonstration of lifespan, and tends to be wildly off on things like 'matur...
[ "In fact, the aging of a dog varies by breed (larger breeds tend to have shorter lifespans than small and medium-sized breeds); dogs also develop faster and have longer adulthoods relative to their total life span than humans. Most dogs are sexually mature by 1 year old, which corresponds to perhaps 13 years old in...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-01286
How do cables like HDMI and USB keep increasing data throughput regularly while keeping similar connectors?
The cables just carries patterns of electricity. The more important part is the stuff on the end that interprets the patterns. Newer standards can read shorter, more compressed signals. Think of it like writing on a piece of paper. With the same size paper, you could fit more data if the person writing could write very...
[ "According to a USB-IF chairman, \"at least 10 to 15 percent of the stated peak 60 MB/s (480 Mbit/s) of Hi-Speed USB goes to overhead—the communication protocol between the card and the peripheral. Overhead is a component of all connectivity standards\". Tables illustrating the transfer limits are shown in Chapter ...
[ "Cables are increasing throughput without changing size.", "If cables like USB and HDMI use similar connectors they should not be able to continously keep increasing data throughout regularly. " ]
[ "Software that encodes/decodes the data is getting better and allowing for more data to be transferred. ", "Newer standards can read shorter more compressed signals, whilst the cables just carry patterns of electricity." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Cables are increasing throughput without changing size.", "If cables like USB and HDMI use similar connectors they should not be able to continously keep increasing data throughout regularly. " ]
[ "false presupposition", "false presupposition" ]
[ "Software that encodes/decodes the data is getting better and allowing for more data to be transferred. ", "Newer standards can read shorter more compressed signals, whilst the cables just carry patterns of electricity." ]
2018-01127
After a long time of no use why does it take multiple pumps for anything to come out of a spray bottle?
Spray bottles have a pump at the top and a tube that extends to the bottom of the bottle. When you press the handle, the pump creates a vacuum that, after enough presses, sucks liquid to the top and eventually out the nozzle. In theory, the pump should be completely airtight, which would mean that when you're not using...
[ "While spray bottles existed long before the middle of the 20th century, they used a rubber bulb which was squeezed to produce the spray; the quickly-moving air siphoned fluid from the bottle. The rapid improvement in plastics after World War II increased the range of fluids that could be dispensed, and reduced the...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-04675
Does Gothic (as in clothing, rock, architecture, fonts etc.) come from the Gothic Tribes? Why/Why not?
Very indirectly. The Goth subculture ultimately derives its name from the Gothic literary movement of the 18th and 19th century, which was a darker offshoot of the Romantic movement (think *Frankenstein*, *The Legend of Sleepy Hollow*, and the works of Edgar Allen Poe). The literary genre takes its name from Gothic art...
[ "The words for \"to sacrifice\" and for \"sacrificer\" were \"blotan\" and \"blostreis\", used in Biblical Gothic in the sense of \"Christian worship\" and \"Christian priest\".\n", "The roots of the Gothic style lie in those towns that, since the 11th century, had been enjoying increased prosperity and growth al...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-24431
why do your head and lungs fill up with snot/flem when you get a chest and head cold, where does it all come from?
The phlegm and snot you feel is actually part of your body’s innate immune system. When a bacteria or a virus enters your body, your immune system secretes mucous from your nose and lungs that sticks to a lot of these pathogens. Your natural tendency is to swallow this mucous, sending the pathogens to your stomach wher...
[ "Increased mucus production in the respiratory tract is a symptom of many common illnesses, such as the common cold and influenza. \n\nSection::::Respiratory system.:Upper respiratory tract.\n", "Section::::Epidemiology.\n", "During cold, dry seasons, the mucus lining nasal passages tends to dry out, meaning th...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-14981
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)?
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...
[ "The glyphs of lower-case letters can resemble smaller forms of the upper-case glyphs restricted to the base band (e.g. \"C/c\" and \"S/s\", cf. small caps) or can look hardly related (e.g. \"D/d\" and \"G/g\"). Here is a comparison of the upper and lower case variants of each letter included in the English alphabe...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-00948
Why does meat to stick to cooking surfaces?
Anything that goes from being viscous to being rigid will act like glue, because it'll first conform to whatever surface it's touching, getting into all the nooks and crannies. Once it hardens, it'll grab on to said nooks and crannies, and be more or less difficult to remove.
[ "When meat cooks, the proteins on the surface of the meat denature because of the heat. This means that many of the secondary bonds that give the proteins their shape are broken. The protein molecules want to reform those interactions to return to their most thermodynamically stable state. Two opportune locations f...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-22016
Why do the metal parts that plug into wall outlets have holes in them?
Assuming you are talking about the 120VAC American wall outlet plugs, then there are really two main reasons for the holes: 1) They are there to have a "bump wiper" fit into the hole. A bump wiper is usually a small, flexible copper conductor that has a small bump on the end which fits into the hole on the plug. When t...
[ "Section::::Fixed resistor.:Lead arrangements.\n\nThrough-hole components typically have \"leads\" (pronounced ) leaving the body \"axially,\" that is, on a line parallel with the part's longest axis. Others have leads coming off their body \"radially\" instead. Other components may be SMT (surface mount technology...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-21463
What difference in the sky causes hail instead of snow ?
When enough force of hot air rising meets the cold air, it's strong enough to keep rain particles from falling. This causes them to collect moisture and than freeze. Than come back down to collect more moisture than go up and freeze. They keep yo-yoing like that until they become too heavy for that hot air that's risin...
[ "Depths of up to have been reported. A landscape covered in accumulated hail generally resembles one covered in accumulated snow and any significant accumulation of hail has the same restrictive effects as snow accumulation, albeit over a smaller area, on transport and infrastructure. Accumulated hail can also caus...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-01960
How are people contagious with a virus or bacteria without having any symptoms?
For many diseases, symptoms come not from the infection itself, but from the immune system's attempts to stop the infection before it gets out of control. Some organisms have ways to evade the immune system, at least for a little while. If these organisms can grow while they're doing this, then they can be spread.
[ "Humans are the only known reservoirs of \"M. tuberculosis\". A misconception is that \"M. tuberculosis\" can be spread by shaking hands, making contact with toilet seats, sharing food or drink, sharing toothbrushes, or kissing. It can only be spread through air droplets originating from a person who has the diseas...
[ "Asymptomatic people should not be able to spread a virus or disease." ]
[ "An asymptomatic person with a disease or virus is carrying a virus that has gone undetected by the immune system, therefore it can be spread to others." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Asymptomatic people should not be able to spread a virus or disease.", "Asymptomatic people should not be able to spread a virus or disease." ]
[ "normal", "false presupposition" ]
[ "An asymptomatic person with a disease or virus is carrying a virus that has gone undetected by the immune system, therefore it can be spread to others.", "An asymptomatic person with a disease or virus is carrying a virus that has gone undetected by the immune system, therefore it can be spread to others." ]
2018-01498
Why do chicken cock-a-doodle-doo in the morning?
It happens in the morning because it's the first thing roosters do after they wake up. And then they keep doing it every 15 minutes all damn day. What I'm trying to say is that roosters are real annoying.
[ "In the laboratory, mummichogs have yielded clear examples of free-running circadian rhythms, in both body colour and swimming activity. For the latter, clear rhythms were obtained in single individuals as well as in groups of 5 or 25 individuals. Evidence of free-running semi-lunar rhythms have also been obtained ...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-06548
How did suffixes for differing nationalities come to be named as such (-ese, -ean, -ish)
This is only a partial answer, but you're actually correct about “French.” Around the time of the Holy Roman Empire, there was a group of people in France called the Franks, or *Frankish*, and in the year 800 AD the Pope crowned their king Charlemagne the first Holy Roman Emperor. Even in modern German the word for the...
[ "Adjectives ending \"-ish\" can be used as collective demonyms (e.g. \"the English, the Cornish\"). So can those ending in \"-ch\" / \"-tch\" (e.g. \"the French\", \"the Dutch\") provided they are pronounced with a 'ch' sound (e.g. the adjective \"Czech\" does not qualify).\n\nWhere an adjective is a link, the link...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
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2018-02634
Why do some genetic illness only show up when you're adult or middle aged?
Genes that severely impact your survival early in life tend to get bred out quickly, like many generations ago. Defects that show up after you've spawned offspring don't see the same editing process because you've passed your genes on before you have symptoms.
[ "Germ-line mutations are often at least in part the cause of disease onset at an earlier age. Though many germ-line mutations are deleterious, the genetic lens through which they may be viewed may provide insights to treatment, possibly through genetic counseling.\n", "Diseases are often categorized by their ages...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-04717
Kid shampoo are made to not sting in the eyes. But why isn't grown-up shampoo the same? It seems like something that would be beneficial for all ages.
From what I remember it's a mild detergent vs adult normal strength so it's about strength. You could always buy the kids stuff
[ "Shampoo for infants and young children is formulated so that it is less irritating and usually less prone to produce a stinging or burning sensation if it were to get into the eyes. For example, Johnson & Johnson advertises Johnson's baby Shampoo under the premise of \"No More Tears\". This is accomplished by one ...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-00621
why do things explode in a hydraulic press?
Explosions are just the result of pressure building up until an object can no longer contain them. Think about putting air into a balloon - at some point, it will pop because there's too much pressure. Everything has a breaking point at which it can no longer handle the stress placed on it. Frequently, when this breaki...
[ "Additionally, this might reduce the process speed and availability of process equipment. The main mechanical problem tends to be when foam enters the system as air is a poor lubricant, meaning metal to metal contact can occur.\n\nSection::::Industrial problems.:Mechanical problem factors.\n\nMechanical factors tha...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-05522
What causes a lake to freeze into icy scales like this?
Wind and waves break the ice as it forms. If the temperature is close enough to 0 (as it is in ontario right now), it won't flash freeze, its a slow process that can be broken by waves in the deeper water.
[ "A proliferation of supraglacial lakes preceded the collapse of the Antarctic Larsen B ice shelf in 2001, and may have been connected.\n\nSuch lakes are also prominent in Greenland, where they have recently been understood to contribute somewhat to ice movement.\n\nSection::::Sediments.\n", "When these crevasses ...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-14181
why concrete roads (and sidewalks) have seams but asphalt is laid in a seamless stretch?
Because asphalt is bendy and stretchy, elastic, so thermal expansion isn’t that much of an issue, but concrete is very brittle (breaks and cracks easily) so it needs expansion joints
[ "Contemporary sidewalks are most often made of concrete in North America, while tarmac, asphalt, brick, stone, slab and (increasingly) rubber are more common in Europe. Different materials are more or less friendly environmentally: pumice-based trass, for example, when used as an extender is less energy-intensive t...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-02449
How do spiders avoid getting stuck in their own webs?
Some spiders produce oil that makes their legs more slippery while at the same time they have small hairs that get smaller at the ends to allow for less surface adhesion. Other spiders it is still unknown. Technically, they do get stuck to their web but they can get unstuck kind of easy.
[ "Spiders do not usually adhere to their own webs, because they are able to spin both sticky and non-sticky types of silk, and are careful to travel across only non-sticky portions of the web. However, they are not immune to their own glue. Some of the strands of the web are sticky, and others are not. For example, ...
[ "Spiders should get stuck in their own web." ]
[ "Spiders produce an oil that makes their legs slippery." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Spiders should get stuck in their own web." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Spiders produce an oil that makes their legs slippery." ]
2018-02818
What is the fin-shaped object mid way up the proposed BFR Rocket design? Is it a form of fin or does it serve another purpose?
That's the second stage delta wing with split-flap. It's used for pitch and roll control of the second stage, like a directional spoiler. Probably also an awesome camera mounting location.
[ "In 2014, SpaceX tested grid fins on a first-stage demonstration test vehicle of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, and on December 21, 2015 they were used during the high-velocity atmospheric portion of the reentry to help guide a commercial Falcon 9 first stage back to land for the first successful orbital booster lan...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-03637
the difference between men's and women's deodorant, aside from price
> and thirdly, does that drive the price difference at all No. The price difference is almost entirely due to marketing. The main differences between mens and womens is the scent and the packaging. It's the packaging you're paying more for in womens deodorant.
[ "Early product innovations were driven by the principle that men and women may have different needs when it comes to odor protection, but women should never have to compromise on efficacy. The slogan “Strong Enough for a Man, Made for a Woman” was developed in the early 1970s and grew to become one of Secret’s most...
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[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-00248
Stainless Steel is hard. Meat is soft. You take a stainless steel knife that is very sharp and start to cut meat and the knife gets blunt very fast. Why? How can something so soft destroy the sharpness of stainless steel or other metals?
I sold cutco knives for a brief period of time so I actually know the answer to this. The answer is that very little food actually dulls your knife. It's usually your cutting board. Wood, plastic, stone, ceramic. All of these dull your knife edge very quickly. The "trick" to cutco knives is that the actually cutting pa...
[ "BULLET::::- Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, approximately 10–15% chromium, possibly nickel, and molybdenum, with only a small amount of carbon. Typical stainless steel knives are made of 420 stainless, a high-chromium stainless steel alloy often used in flatware. Stainless steel may be softer than carbon stee...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[ "Cutting meat makes knives dull." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "Hitting the cutting board makes knives dull." ]
2018-00037
Why were straws invented?
From what I'm aware of, straws were invented in order to avoid the residue at the bottom. They were first invented to drink beer (by the Sumerians I believe) - and used so that the consumer would not end up drinking the byproducts as well (which would accumulate at the bottom). The more modern straw was invented becaus...
[ "The drinking straw is a tube used for transferring a liquid to the mouth, usually a drink from one location to another. The first crude forms of drinking straws were made of dry, hollow, rye grass. Marvin Stone is the inventor of the drinking straw. Stone, who worked in a factory that made paper cigarette holders,...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-19985
Why are the Billboard Hot 100 so disconnected from other countries' record charts?
Generally speaking, other countries (particularly non English speaking) have a wider breadth of contemporary popular music in circulation than the US. This is because, aside from the US and UK music, these countries listen to local music, regional music, foreign music in their language and foreign music in other langua...
[ "BULLET::::- The first number one hit not to be sung in English was Falco's \"Rock Me Amadeus\" in 1986. In its original recording, the song's lyrics are entirely in German, though the show would sometimes play a mix that omitted the verses in favor of a timeline (narrated in English) of the life of Wolfgang Amadeu...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal", "normal" ]
[]
2018-02781
How are corrective lenses sometimes able to correct a lazy eye?
Often the reason for a lazy eye is that it is producing blurry or otherwise unusable images compared to the other, normally functioning eye. The brain recognizes that the input from that eye is not up to par and so it puts less effort into positioning it properly. This can be seen by blocking the vision of the good eye...
[ "Section::::Lens types.:Plano.\n\nA corrective lens with a power of zero is called a plano lens. These lenses are used when one or both eyes do not require correction of a refractive error. Some people with good natural eyesight like to wear eyeglasses as a style accessory, or want to change the appearance of their...
[]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
[ "normal" ]
[]
2018-20169
How are somatic cells turned back into pluripotent stem cells?
They don't because somatic cells are already differentiated. When you have somatic cells beginning to exhibit stem cell functions (independence from surrounding tissue) you have cancer. Is this question based off of something you have read recently? I'm interested.
[ "Another approach is the use of iPS cells derived from patients to identify therapeutic drugs able to rescue a phenotype. For instance, iPS cell lines derived from patients affected by ectodermal dysplasia syndrome (EEC), in which the p63 gene is mutated, display abnormal epithelial commitment that could be partial...
[ "Somatic cells revert back into pluripotent stem cells." ]
[ "Somatic cells are already differentiated, therefore they don't revert back to stem cells. If they do, this would indicate the individual has cancer." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Somatic cells revert back into pluripotent stem cells." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Somatic cells are already differentiated, therefore they don't revert back to stem cells. If they do, this would indicate the individual has cancer." ]
2018-03559
How do insect and bug sprays kill insects but don't harm us
> How do insect and bug sprays kill insects but don't harm us Most insecticides target specific aspects of the insect nervous system which are different from those of humans and mammals in general. These neurotoxins have various different types so getting into the details can be quite complex, but the general idea is t...
[ "Section::::Chemical defenses.\n\nUnlike pheromones, allomones harm the receiver at the benefit of the producer. This grouping encompasses the chemical arsenal that numerous insects employ. Insects with chemical weaponry usually make their presence known through aposematism. Aposematism is utilized by non-palatable...
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2018-02668
Why scientists still couldn't figure out how trees turn co2 to oxygen?
Knowing how something works and being able to recreate it are not the same thing. See: Leonardo da Vinci.
[ "Research of artificial photosynthesis is experiencing a boom at the beginning of the 21st century. During 2000, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) researchers publicized their intent to emphasize carbon dioxide capture and its conversion to hydrocarbons. In 2003, the Brookhaven Na...
[ "Scientists can't figure out how trees turn c02 to oxygen." ]
[ "They have figured ouyt how it works, but that doesn't mean you can recreate it. " ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Scientists can't figure out how trees turn c02 to oxygen." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "They have figured ouyt how it works, but that doesn't mean you can recreate it. " ]
2018-03684
Why do documents/books have pages that are intentionally left blank?
It's for ease of printing and formatting. Each page isn't printed one by one, in consecutive order. The printer uses both front and back of a page, usually starting on an odd number. This means that at least one "page" has to be blank (because it's the back/front of Page1). After that, you've got formatting issues, whe...
[ "In digital documents, pages are intentionally left blank so that the document can be printed correctly in double-sided format, rather than have new chapters start on the backs of pages. Intentionally blank pages have also been used in documents distributed in ring binders. The intention is to leave room for expans...
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2018-04945
why are 1,080 vertical pixels considered to be HD?
Because that's the name the marketing people came up with. For the first fifty years or so of television, TV had 480 or 576 vertical pixels depending on which standard you were using. So when they came out with new TV standards that supported more pixels - 720 and 1080- they called them "high definition".
[ "Japan had the earliest working HDTV system, with design efforts going back to 1979. The country began broadcasting wideband analog high-definition video signals in the late 1980s using an interlaced resolution of 1035 or 1080-lines active (\"1035i\") or 1125-lines total supported by the Sony HDVS line of equipment...
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2018-04249
Why do oranges have / grow a smaller orange inside of them.
That's a navel orange, and no, it's not normal -- they're mutants, and the particular mutation only dates back to the early 1800s. They're popular because they have no seeds, but because of this, every navel orange tree has to be grown from cuttings and they're all genetically identical: URL_0
[ "In plants, the pectins form a unified and continuous layer between adjacent cells. Frequently, it is difficult to distinguish the middle lamella from the primary wall, especially in cells that develop thick secondary walls. In such cases, the two adjacent primary walls and the middle lamella, and perhaps the first...
[ "All oranges grow a smaller orange inside of them.", "Oranges grow smaller oranges inside of them." ]
[ "This is a mutation and is not normal.", "Not every single orange grows a smaller orange inside of it, organges that have an orange inside are considered mutant oranges." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "All oranges grow a smaller orange inside of them.", "Oranges grow smaller oranges inside of them." ]
[ "false presupposition", "false presupposition" ]
[ "This is a mutation and is not normal.", "Not every single orange grows a smaller orange inside of it, organges that have an orange inside are considered mutant oranges." ]
2018-04488
Might be a repost but - if heat denatures protein, why does over cooking meat make it tough and chewy
Here's a question for you. Can you rip the shirt you're wearing off of you? If you're wearing a cotton t-shirt, the answer is probably yes. The reason is that the shearing force relative to the fibrous density is high. Now imagine taking that same shirt and twisting it up before you try to rip it in two. It's significa...
[ "When food is cooked, some of its proteins become denatured. This is why boiled eggs become hard and cooked meat becomes firm.\n", "Toughness in meat is derived from several proteins, such as actin, myosin and collagen, that combined form the structure of the muscle tissue. Heating these proteins causes them to d...
[ "Meat is made up only of cells." ]
[ "Meat is made up of cells and stringy fibrous stroma." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Meat is made up only of cells." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Meat is made up of cells and stringy fibrous stroma." ]
2018-19063
If mobile processors are now (in some cases) overtaking laptop and desktop processors in terms of power why aren't they universally adopted into all laptops and you could make the battery last 10 times longer?
Your premise is wrong, mobile processors don't outperform desktop processors. Not by a long shot.
[ "BULLET::::- Security standards: When working mobile, one is dependent on public networks, requiring careful use of VPN. Security is a major concern while concerning the mobile computing standards on the fleet. One can easily attack the VPN through a huge number of networks interconnected through the line.\n\nBULLE...
[ "Mobile processors are overtaking laptop/desktop processors re: power." ]
[ "Mobile processors don't outperform desktop processors." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Mobile processors are overtaking laptop/desktop processors re: power." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "Mobile processors don't outperform desktop processors." ]
2018-03421
if it's possible to survive with only one half of the brain, why damaging it in other ways usually means instant death?
Think you may need to rephrase the question. There are specific areas of the brain responsible for specific functions. Also if you destroy half the brain at once there is no time to adapt. With slow or progressive damage, the brain has a limited ability to adapt by forging new pathways. There would be a difference in a...
[ "Due to the functional mapping of the corpus callosum, a partial callosotomy has less detrimental effects because it leaves parts of the corpus callosum intact. There is little functional plasticity observed in partial and complete callosotomies on adults, the most neuroplasticity is seen in young children but not ...
[ "You can survive with one half of the brain." ]
[ "The brain can adapt to slow or progressive damage but cannot adapt if half is destroyed at one time." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "You can survive with one half of the brain." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "The brain can adapt to slow or progressive damage but cannot adapt if half is destroyed at one time." ]
2018-20231
Why are public toilets so much harder to clog than private toilets?
Public toilets usually have access to much higher volume water supplies than at homes. This is due to the amount of people they are expected to be able to service; your home unit likely has a tank where water is stored for the next flush and is slowly replenished. But public toilets may need to be flushed often and wit...
[ "In some countries, clogging has become more frequent due to regulations that require the use of small-tanked low-flush toilets in attempt to conserve water. Sometimes, three to four flushes periodically during the use of a low-flush toilet may be required to prevent clogging, thus using more water than larger-tank...
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2018-02942
Why does changing the speed of audio affect the pitch too?
Pitch is a function of a soundwave's frequency as measured in hertz. Hertz is a measurement of cycles per second. If you take a soundwave of someone talking for 10 seconds and they are Ben Stein and talk in a monotone 150 hertz (I don't know if this is the frequency of Ben Stein's voice, but go with it) you have a soun...
[ "Temporal Theory posits that the cause is from looking at the phase locking to tell what the pitch is. This theory has a hard time explaining diplacusis. There are some examples of pitch which don’t have an \"edge\" on the basilar membrane, which this would account for—i.e. white noise, clicks, etc. (need a referen...
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2018-03383
How does climate control work in subway stations?
Honestly, it's probably just really good insulation. (I tried to look this up, I really did, but all google gave me was how badly NYC MTA failed on their promise for climate-controlled stations, so....) We all know that hot air rises and cold air sinks, and the cold that most of us feel doesn't come from temperature it...
[ "In August 2006, the MTA announced that all future subway stations, which include 34th Street–Hudson Yards, South Ferry, and all Second Avenue Subway stations, will have platforms outfitted with air-cooling systems. The existing Grand Central–42nd Street station also has these cooling systems; however, for the most...
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2018-18673
with how regularly electric toothbrushes get charged while wet, how is there never a short circuit?
Because they either use very low voltage (which doesn't transfer through water very well), or magnetic induction (which sends power right through air and plastic with no exposed metal places to get wet).
[ "Modern electric toothbrushes run on low voltage, 12v or less. A few units use a step-down transformer to power the brush, but most use a battery, usually but not always rechargeable and non-replaceable, fitted inside the handle, which is hermetically sealed to prevent water damage. While early NiCd battery toothbr...
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2018-03872
Is there a legitimate reason that a police squad car will flash its lights for a second to get through a stop light and then turn them off immediately afterwards?
Yes, of course. Some responses are urgent, but don't require lights--or require that lights and sirens be kept off. Flashing your lights to go through the intersection allows them to quickly reach their destination without potentially warning someone that the cops are on their way. All of that said, though, that does n...
[ "Under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, police vehicles may display blue flashing lights to alert other road users to their presence or when the driver feels that the journey needs to be undertaken urgently. These lights are usually mounted on the roof and incorporated into the standard vehicle system of...
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2018-06181
Why are carbonated beverages so popular?
I think (opinion without backing here) that it's a texture thing. Taste is only half of the experience, food and drinks would be terrible without different textures. Think of the difference between a glass of water, a glass of milk, a delicious thick milkshake, and something carbonated - they feel very different on the...
[ "Carbonated water is a key ingredient in soft drinks: sweet beverages that typically consist of carbonated water, a sweetener and a flavoring, such as cola, root beer, or orange soda. Plain carbonated water is often consumed as an alternative to soft drinks; some brands, such as La Croix, produce unsweetened seltze...
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2018-18328
What is the difference between a bushing and a liner?
Above is correct. A bushing would be on something like a rotating object. A liner such as a cylinder liner protects the cylinder wall from up and down friction and gives the piston rings something to seal on.
[ "Drill bushings can generally be classified as: \"press fit\" bushings or \"renewable\" bushings. Other classification methods include by head type, by use, and by liner type (or lack thereof).\n\nSection::::Types.:Press-fit bushings.\n\nPress fit are available in two types with liners or without (\"wearing\" bushi...
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2018-04057
How is jumping of a bridge as suicide deadly, while many divers jump from even higher than most bridges?
It’s about how you enter the water. From the heights we’re talking about you have to be very skilled to enter the water in a straight-on dive so as not to hurt yourself or die from impact.
[ "The presence of a combination of several hazards simultaneously is common in diving, and the effect is generally increased risk to the diver, particularly where the occurrence of an incident due to one hazard triggers other hazards with a resulting cascade of incidents. Many diving fatalities are the result of a c...
[ "If divers dive from much higher heights than bridges and survive, then jumping from a bridge should not be considered suicidal." ]
[ "Professional divers are very well skilled and know how to dive into the water at extreme heights without causing damage to themselves." ]
[ "false presupposition" ]
[ "If divers dive from much higher heights than bridges and survive, then jumping from a bridge should not be considered suicidal.", "If divers dive from much higher heights than bridges and survive, then jumping from a bridge should not be considered suicidal." ]
[ "normal", "false presupposition" ]
[ "Professional divers are very well skilled and know how to dive into the water at extreme heights without causing damage to themselves.", "Professional divers are very well skilled and know how to dive into the water at extreme heights without causing damage to themselves." ]
2018-17286
What makes an isotope stable, and what determines which subatomic particle they lose?
The nucleus of an atom is held together by the **strong nuclear force**. Without this force, there would be no atoms as [all the protons in the nucleus repel each other.]( URL_0 ) Now, the strong nuclear force is very strong, but only works on small scales. This means that atoms with large nuclei are inherently less st...
[ "Stability of isotopes is affected by the ratio of protons to neutrons, and also by presence of certain magic numbers of neutrons or protons which represent closed and filled quantum shells. These quantum shells correspond to a set of energy levels within the shell model of the nucleus; filled shells, such as the f...
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2018-01207
Why is it bad to pop zits? Isn't better to get the pus and nasty stuff out rather than keep it in your skin?
I was troubled with zits from early pubescent childhood. Like really bad. And through my aprox 15 years of popping zits like Mike Tyson, I’ve gathered a pretty good recipe on how to, if possible, get rid of them with them efficiently. Zits may sometime go away on their own, but big ones that are aching on your skin and...
[ "The standard treatment for an uncomplicated skin or soft tissue abscess is opening and draining. There does not appear to be any benefit from also using antibiotics in most cases. A small amount of evidence did not find benefit from packing the abscess with gauze.\n\nSection::::Treatment.:Incision and drainage.\n\...
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[ "normal" ]
[ "Bad to pop zits." ]
[ "false presupposition", "normal" ]
[ "It can be ok to pop zits if you do it cleanly and when it is ready. " ]
2018-03262
Does a bullet shot up in the air maintain its lethality when falling down?
If it's fired straight upwards (or close to it) then it will generally end up stopping and start tumbling. You'd definitely feel it hit you, but it wouldn't really cause any real injury. If you fire it at an angle, then it can maintain lethal velocity and spin and can kill someone if it strikes them.
[ "Higher speeds can be attained if the skydiver pulls in his or her limbs (see also freeflying). In this case, the terminal velocity increases to about 320 km/h (200 mph or 90 m/s), which is almost the terminal velocity of the peregrine falcon diving down on its prey. The same terminal velocity is reached for a typi...
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2018-03059
are all planets in our solar system orbiting on the same plane (more or less)? Why?
It's not exactly the same plane but it is quite flat. Most orbits in our solar system are within 2.5 degrees of the Earth's; Mercury's is the furthest off at about 7 degrees. As for why, I recommend [this video]( URL_0 ) because it's a hard thing to explain without a visual aid.
[ "BULLET::::- For an orbit outside the Solar System, the plane through the primary perpendicular to a line through the observer and the primary (called the \"plane of the sky\").\n\nSection::::Node distinction.\n", "In most cases, the Laplace plane is very close to the equatorial plane of its primary planet (if th...
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2018-08798
How does the human body prevent bacteria in feces from infecting the colon and spreading throughout the body?
(this explanation is better with the music from Ocean's 11, URL_1 ) The gut has defenses that make Fort Knox look like a piggy bank. If you want in, listen up. First, you go towards the gut wall. Strike one--you're stuck in mucus up to the waist. Get past that, and you're at the gut wall. Not only is it solid, the door...
[ "Soon after birth, the gastrointestinal tract is colonized with bacteria, which, on the basis of models with animals raised in a germ-free environment, have beneficial effects on function of the gastrointestinal tract. There are 500-1000 different species of bacteria that reside in the bowel. However, if the flora ...
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2018-01078
Why is it more tiresome to climb up stairs than walk the same distance?
You have to do work to push your body up stairs because you're gaining energy from your increased height. No slope, you don't have to do all that work.
[ "On average in this study, infants learned to crawl and cruise before learning to ascend stairs independently. Infants were able to climb up the stairs before they could walk, but walking tended to come before independent stair descent. While most of the infants had prior stair experience, the presence or absence o...
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2018-00094
Why do kids' shows frequently have an "ask and response" component (ie Dora the Explorer)? Do the kids believe the characters understand them?
Very young children have an under-developed model of how the world works. In some cases they may literally believe they are heard. In other cases they may simply enjoy playing along *as if* they are being heard -- a game.
[ "BULLET::::- Dutch – The Dutch language version broadcasts on Nickelodeon and Nick. Jr, It is presented in Dutch-English. The voice actors are Lottie Hellingman as Dora and Dieter Jansen as Boots.\n\nBULLET::::- French – The French language version, \"Dora l'exploratrice\", broadcasts on TF1 in France and Télé-Québ...
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2018-01428
How does Hyperkalemia cause bradycardia and Hypokalemia cause Arrythmias?
Part of the mechanism that allows contractions to occur is caused by the movement of positively charged potassium ions out of the cell thereby depolarising the interior of the cell. In a case of Hyperkalemia there are already lots of potassium ions outside the cell and so more work needs to be done to move potassium io...
[ "Metabolic acidosis is a cause of hyperkalemia because increase in hydrogen ions in the cells can displace potassium out of the cells, causing a rise of serum potassium levels. However, in organic acidosis such as lactic acidosis, ketoacidosis, the effect on serum potassium levels are absent possibly because of the...
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