id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
30r0so | what is the rationale for why we need to increase defense spending? | [
{
"answer": "Because defense contractors get their profits from selling bullets, bombs, building cities, yada yada from the war effort. You really didn't know that?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I find it a little obnoxious that you just say 'we' like only Americans use Reddit",
"provena... | null |
963ytn | if every living human body disappeared off the face of the earth all at once, would anything happen to the planet's orbit? | [
{
"answer": "Yes! There would be change in the orbit of the Earth.\n\nThe Earth does not technically orbit the Sun, rather, the two objects orbit a common point in space, called the barycenter, about 450km from the center of the Sun. (still *well* within the Sun, but the Earth causes a 450km \"wobble\" of the ... | null |
3e7tl5 | Did Otto von Bismarck really make the anti-war quote that's attributed to him? | [
{
"answer": "That quote comes from his speech against Prussia going to war with the then weakened Austria. It had nothing to do with the \"evil of war\", he said it because Prussia's army wasn't anywhere near as strong as his colleagues thought it was at the time. The only people arguing for caution were the ki... | null |
bu53a6 | what, exactly, happens to the body of the climbers in "the death zone" (i.e. on mount everest) that causes their death? | [
{
"answer": "There is not enough oxygen in the air at that altitude to keep a human alive. Climbers carry oxygen in bottles, to supplement the air they breathe. Without enough bottled oxygen, they suffocate.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Some of the biggest factors are called HACE and HAPE;... | null |
l3m28 | what do these things do individually in our bodies? | [
{
"answer": "I am far from an expert, but hopefully this will suffice.\n\nCarbohydrates are metabolized into simpler carbohydrates through a process called [hydrolysis](_URL_0_) as your body needs energy. These simple carbohydrates are then converted into even simpler organic molecules, \"releasing\" energy for... | null |
c3uuia | It's not uncommon to see people wearing facemasks to prevent getting sick in part of Asia such as Japan, Korea, China etc. What historically is/are the reason(s) behind this cultural difference, and why did it never catch on in "western" cultures? | [
{
"answer": "The practice of face mask use in Japan originated from when the Spanish Flu epidemic hit Japan. A decent article on the topic is \"Pandemic Influenza in Japan, 1918-19: Mortality Patterns and Official Responses\" by Geoffrey W. Rice and Edwina Palmer. To what extent this was a uniquely Japanese aff... | null |
81ua6f | Why do hurricanes weaken over land, while incredibly strong and violent tornadoes can form and sustain themselves entirely over land? | [
{
"answer": "Tornadoes are localized wind vortices that form around storms or weather fronts. Hurricanes are weather systems that increase in intensity when warm most air rising off of a body of water strengthens the convection within it. Land does not provide that warm most air. ",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
dcww60 | Why can't we solve for the wave function of another element than hydrogen? | [
{
"answer": "The Hamiltonian for a one-electron atom in the center-of-mass frame is\n\nH*_1_* = **p**^(2)/(2m) - Ze^(2)k/r.\n\nYou can solve this system analytically for its eigenvalues and eigenstates (see the Wikipedia article on then hydrogen atom, for example).\n\nNow, this is the Hamiltonian for a two-elec... | null |
1qzat8 | why does kissing make us... horny? | [
{
"answer": "Your lips are very sensitive to fine touch, and for a lot of people, they are erogenous zones, meaning that certain stimulation can turn you on. It's the same reason why some people are sensitive to things like sucking on earlobes.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Your body reacts b... | null |
3brdv3 | What impact (if any) will the new higher threshold for overtime pay have on postdocs, lab techs, and other grant funded research positions? | [
{
"answer": "Postdoc and other grant funded positions are salaried, not hourly. There would be no effect. However, there has been an NIH budget increase next year for the first time in a while. That may have an effect. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"w... | null |
9q3czt | how is the country (united states) with the largest deficit also the world's largest "super power"? | [
{
"answer": "Superpower refers to military strength. \n\nI think you mean debt instead of deficit (correct me if I’m wrong). Even though our debt is high, our GDP is massive. As producers and consumers, the US still dwarfs other nations. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": ... | null |
a2wrpu | why do helium-3 and deuterium in nuclear fusion produce 1 helium and an extra proton, instead of lithium which has 3 protons | [
{
"answer": "It will form Lithium-5 initially, but Lithium-5 is exceptionally unstable with a half life on the order of 10^-24 seconds. All the lithium-5 that is formed quickly releases a proton and decays to stable Helium-4",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
... | null |
1j2m52 | why is russia divided into several oblasts, krai, and republics instead of just states or provinces, and what is the difference between a krai and oblast? | [
{
"answer": "It's just the Russian equivalent of a State or Providence. They can be used interchangeably. \n\nMany people do that realize this but many American states are legally called commonwealths. A commonwealth is no different than a state but the name was chosen to be used in place of state. For example ... | null |
1080q3 | What were some pre-modern weapons that were considered "too cruel" to use in combat? | [
{
"answer": "Assassins weren't hugely popular between states. Likewise, spies were hung or shot without trial. Kidnap and ransom of one's family was frowned upon but people still did it. Scorched earth policies are horrendously cruel to their victims but that's never stopped Tilly (30 Years War), the English (P... | null |
1jgon9 | Nearsightedness and window screens. Something that has made me wonder for years. | [
{
"answer": "That's just focussing. You don't have to be near-sighted for that to occur. Your eyes need to adjust their focus for short and long distance vision. If I remember correctly, your eyes have two \"modes,\" one corresponding to close things (I think within about 20-40 feet away), and one corresponding... | null |
628vi5 | why is it easy to tear paper in half but not to pull it apart? | [
{
"answer": "You've stumbled onto a key concept in engineering, which is the difference between [normal stress](_URL_1_) and [shear stress](_URL_0_).\n\nIn normal stress (tension or compression), you're pushing or pulling in line with the atomic bonds, like pushing/pulling on a spring. In shear stress, you're ... | null |
2ucnh3 | Where does the material for different geological strata come from? | [
{
"answer": "Yes and yes. Water, wind, and gravity erode rock into sediment which is carried to the sea (or lakes) where it is deposited. Sediment is always \"trying\" to reach sea level.\n\nJames Hutton, the father of modern geology, noticed this back in the mid-1700s and realized that without some form of r... | null |
ncdx6 | Someone please explain to me why this happens. | [
{
"answer": "There are two factors at play here: At low temperatures, metals become brittle and hence less able to resist fracture. At high temperatures, they become softer (closer to melting) and hence also weaker. There will be some optimal temperature that maximises the strength of each metal or alloy (the p... | null |
2vfch4 | Is the beginning of bartering seen as the start of economics or is the starting of using coins? | [
{
"answer": "I would recommend that you ask this on [/r/AskAnthropology](_URL_0_). They will better be able to help you. Historians only use available records to make a argument about how something occurred or why it occurred. Since agricultural societies predate written records, it is prehistoric (meaning that... | null |
23hi72 | why aren't all dreams lucid? | [
{
"answer": "Because the part of the brain that controls logic is pretty much off. If it was on all the time we would realize how odd it is to be flying or whatever. It's when we become aware of the bizarre that we stop and think, \"I must be dreaming\". ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I need... | null |
3426we | why do we have a saying for when someone sneezes, but not for when someone hiccups? | [
{
"answer": "Hiccups have never been an indication of impending death, a sneeze has, though. There was a time when plagues and diseases were ravaging whole countries and killing millions. A sneeze was not only an indication of possible sickness but even death. God bless you really does go back that far.",
"... | null |
afiu7v | what exactly is the difference between chilblains and frostnip? | [
{
"answer": "Frostnip is a precursor to frostbite and is caused by ice crystals forming under the skin.\n\nChillblains are caused by a circulation problem in small capillaries due to cold but not necessarily freezing temperatures.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{... | null |
4fppjf | how do the deaf understand techno? | [
{
"answer": "Loud music, particularly bassy loud music creates waves in the air that can be felt, rumbles in the floor, etc. Raves also have lots of interesting lighting and people. They think it's fun and interesting. What greater \"understanding\" of techno do you think there is?",
"provenance": null
... | null |
bnu2s4 | how skyscrapers are built | [
{
"answer": "You dig a deep pit until you hit bedrock, form the substructure of the skyscraper using beams and build the structure of the rest of the skeleton. Generally they will have a single core for the building made of reinforced concrete with thick steel beams and girders. \n\nFrom the core you will brace... | null |
1yd8zc | why can't other large companies set up their own internet service that is wifi based? | [
{
"answer": "* That's not what their business is\n\n* It's a MASSIVE investment for a comparatively small return\n\n* Even if you are able to solve all the current problems with long-distance WiFi connections (Look at LTE. It's the best we've got right now and I still wouldn't trust it for all the internet usag... | null |
3djjqb | what is the sputtering sound tractor trailers make when slowing down ? | [
{
"answer": "Engine braking. No fuel comes into the cylinders and the engine acts as a compressor. What you hear is the sound of air in the exhaust. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Possibly what you are hearing is jake braking or engine braking as its callex in some places. Its a way to slow d... | null |
7dv5vw | When did it become popular to use acronyms in the English language? And why? | [
{
"answer": "It might be worth cross-posting your question to r/linguistics.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "1052571",
"title": "Acronym",
"section": "Section::::Historical and current use.\n",
"start_paragraph_id... | null |
2i5ztf | why were hops ultimately chosen as the go-to beer "seasoning," now used almost exclusively instead of spice sachets, etc.? | [
{
"answer": "two main resons:\n\ntaste. people just like hops more than [Gruits](_URL_0_).\n\nhop is antiseptic, contrary to herbs, so you can eliminate some bacterias with it, what is especially important in non-pasteurized beers.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "This is blasphemy. \n\nSeriousl... | null |
2q0kmg | why does the nba have franchises in such odd locations, while mlb and nfl mostly cover the same cities? | [
{
"answer": "It has to do with the history of the NBA vs the ABA. NBA formed first, putting teams in the cities you'd expect. ABA formed second and put teams in places without teams already (by definition, *not* the typical cities to have teams). When the two leagues merged in the 70's, some ABA teams remained,... | null |
ao3rny | why do game developers always seem to overdo it when it comes to balancing games? | [
{
"answer": "with major changes, it pushes forward a new meta, new strategies, new ways to attack and defend. It the best weapon gets tweaked with just minor tweaks, people will most likely still use it in the same fashion, but if they nerf it to bits, suddenly people will actually have to go out and find new ... | null |
u3hjg | How much was known about radiation sickness before the United States dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. | [
{
"answer": "US knowledge of bomb effects is somewhat out of my expertise, but tangentially related, so here goes. They knew radiation poisoning was a thing, and that it was deadly. Long term effects of non-lethal doses, like cancer and birth defects were largely unknown.\n\nIt's not like everyone who gets ex... | null |
1limsi | why is syria potentially america's problem, and not the un's? | [
{
"answer": "It is quite possible that it is the other way around, i.e. America is the problem for Syria, not the opposite. \n\nBefore US started to train and finance insurgents the place was just another shitty dictatorship. It was even hoped that the proliferation of the internet and social media would increa... | null |
yuqs9 | starcraft and its culture | [
{
"answer": "By culture, I'm assuming you're referring to the growing e-sports movement that started in Korea and is now spreading over the world?\n\nEssentially, Korea at one point was in the middle of a great depression of its own. (You can google the Asian Financial Crisis for more). In the midst of this fin... | null |
253kmm | Why doe the Universe have so much angular momentum? | [
{
"answer": "I wouldn't say that the universe has angular momentum. But all the systems you mentioned started from very dispersed material gradually collecting in shallow gravity wells, which attract material around it (including material in other gravity wells). when two collections of material converge, the a... | null |
3ggv5g | What would happen to a human body if it was exposed to say 2000°C for just a 1000th of a second? | [
{
"answer": "It would have to do with what kind of medium the temperature was being carried through. That makes a difference because it'll determine how much energy is transferred to the body. Air wouldn't transfer very much because the thin layer of air next to the skin would transfer a little heat, then act a... | null |
1as5cj | So, if a visible star went supernova (in our reference of its light reaching Earth), how fast would be see it explode? | [
{
"answer": "There's a confusing typo in your question, but all visible stars are within our own galaxy and moving at velocities far less than the speed of light relative to earth. So we would see the supernova play out in approximately real time. This has happened in the past, and is the source of the word 'no... | null |
2o7m3i | What was the long-term aim of the alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan? Was it simply an alliance of convenience against Great Britain or was there some longer-term vision behind it? | [
{
"answer": "The intent of the Alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan was to squeeze *Russia*, not Great Britain. Or rather \"to squeeze the USSR\".\n\nBut let's back up. First we should *very quickly* talk about how unlikely the alliance is, on the face of it. Relations between the two powers histori... | null |
3gigmv | why can't hiv be treated with chemo therapy | [
{
"answer": "I'm confused as to why you think it would be. The virus is still there. It would just attack the new T-cells. Chemotherapy specifically targets rapidly growing cells. Viruses are not cells and wouldn't be effected by a chemotherapy treatment.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
... | null |
fy3jx2 | what is the difference between a wet market and a farmer's market? | [
{
"answer": "A wet market is just slang for a market that sells perishable goods. When people say wet market they usually mean markets that sell live animals for food and either slaughter it for you or sell it to you live. Most farmer's markets just sell produce and meat.",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
18nmgj | How does light from the sun shining from behind and over my CRT monitor, but not shining on to the screen, produce glare? | [
{
"answer": "It's not producing glare, your eyes are adjusting to the bright light by reducing your sensitivity to light (like walking outside). Because your sensitivity is decreased, you can't see your relatively dim screen anymore.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
... | null |
vlpbp | why do some stalkers want to kill their idols that they love so much? | [
{
"answer": "There is probably a better explanation of it but it's sometimes something along the lines of \"If I can't have you then no one can\"",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They will be a part of the idol's history forever.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Sometimes, people... | null |
7f556h | what is the reason that some electrical devices with huge voltage ratings don't kill you, and what are the electrical properties that cause this? | [
{
"answer": "For an honest to God five year old, I'd say voltage is like the mass of the electricity moving, amps are the speed. If a semi truck bumps into you, you'll be fine, whereas a bullet that has orders of magnitudes less mass but plenty of speed will cause you trouble. I'm no electromagician though. ",
... | null |
3a62yx | why is everyone making such a big deal about hillary clinton's emails? | [
{
"answer": "Because she didn't do what she was supposed to, instead of using her government email account, she used her person email. A lot of people take that as she has things she wants to hid.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Edit: it was pointed out to me that at the time of Clinton's tenur... | null |
160vdn | When sneaking or trying to do something quiet, why do I unconsciously tighten my jaw muscles? | [
{
"answer": "Sneaking around is tense stuff. Do you tighten them in other tense situations? If so that may be a correlation.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "30707",
"title": "Temporomandibular joint dysfunction",
"section... | null |
pqmk5 | how could mj have been so broke if he owned the rights to all the beatles songs? | [
{
"answer": "Ridiculous purchases and not paying his debts. There's always going to be more and more ridiculous things to spend money on. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Being broke for fabulously wealthy people isn't always the same kind of being broke as it is for us commoners. Also, MJ wou... | null |
1ho7bc | why doesn't the radio work when you start the engine? | [
{
"answer": "The starter motor sucks up a great deal of current as it starts the engine. There isn't really any electricity to spare for the radio while the starter motor is drawing current.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Several circuits on key ignition. Crank diverts all power to starter an... | null |
cay1tq | why do cars take longer to start when in cold weather vs warm weather? | [
{
"answer": "Gasoline burns when it's a mixture of gasoline vapor and air. When it's cold it is harder to evaporate it",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The engine also needs to be lubricated by the engine oil to function correctly. Colder oil is more viscous i.e. it doesn't flow as easily. Wit... | null |
4unbjn | what is the "halting problem" in relation to something being turing complete? | [
{
"answer": "Halting problem means that\n\nIt's impossible to make a program that sees if another program runs indefinitely\n\nFor example this pseudo code would run forever\n\n 10 X = 0\n 20 PRINT \"Hello world\"\n 30 X = X + 1\n 40 IF X > 0 GO TO LINE 20\n\nX will never get 0 or under and so the... | null |
1j9b86 | Do all stars have sunspots? What would a sunspot on VY Canis Majoris be like? | [
{
"answer": "It's a very interesting question, actually. Very large stars have a very different [stellar structure](_URL_2_) than our Sun. Our Sun is [convective](_URL_3_) at the surface. A giant star would be [radiative](_URL_1_) at its surface.\n\nThe convection of the Sun is one of the major driving force... | null |
12gt3k | Is the Karrick process the best way to use coal? | [
{
"answer": "Offhand, there is the [Fischer-Tropsch](_URL_0_) process which converts a feedstock such as coal or biomass to synthetic fuel/oil and other byproducts. Some researchers at my university (Colorado School of Mines) are working on reactors to run a F-T process on combined coal-biomass feedstocks.",
... | null |
25h8t0 | stack (programming) | [
{
"answer": "A stack is a data structure. Like a stack of plates, the last plate you put on the stack is the first one you take off. This is known as LIFO, last in first out. A stack is useful if you are working on a task A and get interrupted by task B. You put A on the stack and start to work on B. When ... | null |
bta8ce | how does anything live on islands where the max elevation is less than about 20 feet? | [
{
"answer": "The same waves typically peter out as the sea floor elevation rises towards the island.\n\nWhile it does happen, the waves produced out at sea dont carry the same force as a tidal wave, as only the surface water is raised (vs a tsunami in which the entire depth of the ocean is raised)",
"proven... | null |
2kcb15 | Has any country ever managed to wage a two or more front war and win? | [
{
"answer": "I'll go so far as to say that Israel's 1948, 1967 and 1973 wars are the quintessential examples of how to win a multi-front war. In all three, they leveraged superior air power to great effect and emphasized concentration of force, defeating enemies in turn. I suggest Michael Oren's *Six Days of Wa... | null |
fx31w0 | why does turning the music down in the car help you better find a parking spot | [
{
"answer": "Fewer senses are being overwhelmed. With lower volume you are focusing solely on seeing now.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Your brain finds it easier to process sounds so prioritises them.\n\nWhen you turn the music down it's got less work to do",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
16i9uc | the (arbitrary) difference between species and subspecies? | [
{
"answer": " > how is it decided that the variation within a species has become large enough to classify an animal as a different species altogether?\n\nWhen someone feels it is, but one of the criteria they're supposed to use is that the two groups can't (or don't) regularly interbreed. This usually is a goo... | null |
di6fhd | why does it look like time goes one second backwards when you look at an analog watch? | [
{
"answer": "The short version is your eyes are moving faster than your brain can deal with it, and you're experiencing lag. While your eyes are trying to focus on the new target (the watch), your brain isn't able to interpret the images for a short time. Once it \"catches up,\" the brain realizes it has a gap ... | null |
5p114k | why is the top of the wine cork smaller, thus easier to put its end first back into the bottle | [
{
"answer": "Not an expert but I'd assume expansion of the cork through absorption of wine/liquid on the bottom end due to its contact and proximity to the liquid within the bottle. This environment also ensures the bottle stays sealed after bottling. \n\n(Edited for spelling)",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
oecad | light years - light travel distance vs proper distance | [
{
"answer": "That's not why the universe is 14 billion years old. That would make it seem like Earth is the center of the universe. The observable universe is 46 billion light years in any direction, 93 as the diameter. The reason we can see them is because everything used to be much closer together, but everyt... | null |
145j2l | Considering the Higgs field permeates all of space how is it related to a vacuum? | [
{
"answer": "In field theory, we work with it being given that there are space and time. The *vacuum* is the field configuration that minimizes the energy. It turns out that it takes less energy to have a non-zero value of the Higgs field throughout space than it would to have no Higgs field. Thus the vacuum ... | null |
1ry1kt | veterinarians: How similar are the treatments for different animals? | [
{
"answer": "Former Vet-tech here.\n\nMost of the veterinarians I worked with only felt comfortable with dogs and cats. We had one Vet at the office who would do some exotics (mostly stuff like hamsters, but he would see the occasional reptile), but for the most part there are veterinarians who specialize in th... | null |
dp1wvc | how does a company actually go about planting 20 million trees? | [
{
"answer": "You plant whips; these are 12 - 36 month olds bare stems with root buds usually about a foot long. You can literally just stick them in the ground. This is regularly done on quite large scales and there are suppliers who grow and prep these. My father in law and his brother planted ~ 50 acres of... | null |
9dtn8m | How powerful are satellite signals? | [
{
"answer": "GPS satellites are supposed to be about the power of a car headlamp - imagine a 50 watt bulb illuminating a hemisphere of the globe! The signal is incredibly weak, about 400 times weaker than background noise. In fact the signal is so weak that you can't pick up the GPS signal unless you know what ... | null |
1tqsn6 | Driving in rural VT yesterday I noticed spiral icicles hanging from a few power lines along the road. One section had about 5 of them almost touching the ground (~20 ft.). Any idea what would cause this? More details inside. | [
{
"answer": "Here's a webpage from a Geologist who did some experiments with creating curling ice formations from steel pipes:\n\n[One](_URL_0_)\n\n[Two](_URL_1_)\n\nScroll down to \"Extruding Ice from Steel Structures\" on number two for details.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They're hanging... | null |
60hpsh | what "run as administrator" does to a software? | [
{
"answer": "Software runs on top of the operating system. Normally the software should not be altering the operating system that it's running on. Back in the 90s and early 2000s there were LOTS of problems with windows and viruses, mainly because Windows allowed any software to alter itself to whatever needs... | null |
fgy8xx | since we have invented the combined shampoo and conditioner in a bottle, why are we still persisting with one bottle for shampoo and one bottle for conditioner? | [
{
"answer": "The good stuff isn’t in a combination bottle. Also the ratio of shampoo to conditioner a person needs depends on that person.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Like most things that are two-in-one combined, it doesn't do a particularly good job at either. It's great to save time or i... | null |
bg7jc0 | It is common knowledge that Honeybees are disappearing in alarming numbers. But it is also known that all insects are disappearing in alarming numbers. Is there a connection? Are bees disappearing at the same rate as other insects? | [
{
"answer": "Honeybees are not disappearing in alarming numbers. Its a common misconception that they are. [USDA numbers for the past 3 years](_URL_1_). \n\nNumber of Honey bee colonies in the U.S.\n\n|Year|January|April|July|Oct|\n:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|\n|2018|2.63 million|2.69 milion|N/A|N/A|\n|2017|2.64 millio... | null |
6145hi | I'm a shipowner in Britain during WW1 and my ships are be requisitioned by the Navy. How am I compensated for my loss? | [
{
"answer": "Ships requistioned by the Royal Navy from British citizens during WWI fell into two main categories: liners requisitioned for use as Armed Merchant Cruisers (AMCs) and trawlers, yachts and drifters hired for patrol duties. The former category included several ships that had been built using money l... | null |
e5qevh | how can doctors a see a babies organs like their kidneys with ultrasound? | [
{
"answer": "Sound waves go through soft substances and reflect of surfaces where the density changes. Baby kidneys are a different density than the rest of the baby-inards (not a medical term). That change in density causes a reflection that the ultrasound processor can use to produce a display image.",
... | null |
2g1iih | Are extremophiles a relatively recent evolution, or does it appear that life on earth quickly spread to all available environments? | [
{
"answer": "There's good evidence that extremophile organisms are among the most ancient on the planet. Many archaeal species are often found in extreme environments (high pressure, high salinity, high heat, no sunlight etc...) and the archaea are likely to have branched from the last common ancestor of life v... | null |
lmbjg | No offence or racism intended, but is it possible that some African Americans are better at physical activities because they were selectively bred during slavery? | [
{
"answer": "While there is probably a better way to frame this question, and to not have it specific to African Americans, there is a theory that holds some weight.\n\n\nBlacks, in the Americas, have higher blood pressure on average than anyone else (in the Americas). Key genes for hypertension — supposedly — ... | null |
6dmi6k | how is it that being able to pass a top secret security clearance test isn't part of the process of running for president? | [
{
"answer": "In the United States, the authority of the federal government to classify material, and to issue security clearances, is granted by statute, specifically [50 USC Subchapter III.](_URL_1_)\n\nBy law, the president of the US holds the ultimate authority to make determinations regarding the classifica... | null |
6a1wpp | what's happening when i'm overthinking about something? | [
{
"answer": "\nSo, your question is a little bit broad, but the easiest way to explain it is, overthinking something is usually brought on by a stressful or potentially stressful situation. \n\nWith that being said, you can overthink any topic if you tried, and here is why. \n\nThough \"overthinking\" is a slan... | null |
6z9kby | why are we more sensitive to background noises when we have less sleep? wouldn't our senses be more dull without sleep causing us to hear less background noise? | [
{
"answer": "With better sleep, our brains are able to function more efficiently, allowing us to focus on tasks better and not be distracted as easily, even if we can sense things more easily as well.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "2339... | null |
4c6q2u | Does it get significantly harder to heat water another degree as temps go up? | [
{
"answer": "According to [this](_URL_0_) it stays pretty close to 4.2 J/kg K. Though once you get it to boiling, it will take a lot of energy to actually boil it. More than it takes to go from freezing to boiling.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "To add to what /u/DCarrier said, in practice it ... | null |
d0ssxo | Why was the USSR peace offer to Finland during the Winter War so generous, all things considered?? | [
{
"answer": "As soon as the war began to turn sour for their German co-belligerents in 1943, Finland began to seek a graceful exit from the conflict. Secret negotiations were conducted by the Finnish government with the Allies in 1943 and 1944, but no conclusive agreements were ever reached. Meanwhile, the USSR... | null |
2rhvf0 | why are some people's voices much louder or softer than others? | [
{
"answer": "Vocal chords. Diaphragm. Breath control. Projecting. \n\nAnd that sprinkle of \"residual self-image.\" ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "695896",
"title": "Bone conduction",
"section": "Section::::Overview.\n... | null |
ay6rqm | How do fruits and vegetables stay "fresh" in their peels after they're picked? | [
{
"answer": "Peel is like a nutrition storage for the fruit and it provides nutrients to the fruit itself but once it's depleted it rots.peel also prevent fruit do come in contact with different gases in atmosphere which are harmful for it.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance":... | null |
3dunf9 | What kind of polarization does light have before it goes through a polarizing filter? | [
{
"answer": "It depends on the source of the light. For the most part, something like sunlight is unpolarized, meaning that it is comprised of a random assortment of all different polarizations. A polarizing filter blocks all the components of the light source that are not propagating in the right direction.\... | null |
30b9b0 | why does wine age in the bottle, beer goes skunky in the bottle, and whiskey doesn't change in the bottle? | [
{
"answer": "Beer goes skunky because there are certain flavor compounds from hops that break down when exposed to UV light, from sunlight or even in-store fluorescent lights. \n\nEven some beers age in the bottle. Sierra Nevada beers are often bottled early, and finish aging as they make their way from the bre... | null |
c4fp32 | if digestion takes 6-8 hours how do people experience diarhea symptoms in hours? | [
{
"answer": "Someone here will provide an answer soon. Just wanted to say, if you find this interesting you will probably love the book Gulp by Mary Roach. It goes into the entire digestive process in playful detail.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Diarrhea happens precisely because digestion... | null |
2muawt | why do some wwii-era propeller planes have a cable from near the cockpit to the tail/wings? | [
{
"answer": "its the antenna\n\nif im right older radio used lower frequencies which worked well with super long antennas",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "849",
"title": "Aircraft",
"section": "Section::::Propulsion.:Power... | null |
26eso3 | what exactly are complex numbers, how can someone just invent new numbers and expect other people to accept them? | [
{
"answer": "Complex numbers have a real and imaginary part. A real number is the kind of number we use all the time, like 1 or pi or 3457.\n\nAn imaginary number is a number that, if squared, gives you a negative (real) number. sqrt(-1) is an imaginary number, typically denoted as \"i.\"\n\nA complex number is... | null |
7axa8x | why does intermittent fasting lead to "longer living" and healthier aging? | [
{
"answer": "It is my understanding that it causes the body to go into more of a survival mode, rid itself of dead cells that were kind of hanging around not doing any good, and jump start creation of new stem cells. But the mechanism of action for this is still being studied and is not fully understood at this... | null |
sx19i | marijuana. | [
{
"answer": "Started out as good old racism/classism. Mexican immigrants brought the stuff across the border, and it's handy to have some convenient legal bludgeon with which to keep the darkies in their place. \n\nFrom there, mainly institutional inertia/ignorance. Nobody who wants any hope of being re-elected... | null |
3bdn6o | why does the word "smelly" carry a negative connotation? | [
{
"answer": "\"Smelly\", quite obviously, comes from the verb \"to smell\".\n\n\"Smell\" is an interesting word. The first recorded use of the word is from the late 12th century, when it appeared in Middle English (as smillen, smellen or smyllen). Some sources say there's no written record of it having been use... | null |
e872yh | Were there any major changes in the relations between England and its allies during and soon after the process of Oliver Cromwell becoming Lord Protector? | [
{
"answer": "I answered a similar question a few weeks ago which you might find relevant: \n\n [_URL_0_](_URL_1_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "22413",
"title": "Oliver Cromwell",
"section": "Section::::The Protectorate... | null |
5fnq1d | why are our heads propelled forwards rather than backwards when sneezing? | [
{
"answer": "A sneeze is made by contracting the abdominal muscles to forcefully expel air from the lungs. This also has the side effect of bending the torso.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "You mean you dont propell upwards? :/",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's easier to in... | null |
2u0k3m | mitochondrion. | [
{
"answer": "Mitochondria are responsible for aerobic respiration, which is an extremely efficient process for getting useable chemical energy (in the form of ATP) from the breakdown of glucose. \nATP is a useable form of chemical energy that many processes in your body require to carry out your functions, incl... | null |
1z8x10 | why is a sawed off shotgun more deadly than a regular one? | [
{
"answer": "It's not any more deadly. The main issue is that they're much easier to conceal.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Sawed off shotguns are not more deadly, they're easier to conceal. They're generally illegal because they don't really have a purpose outside of surprising people & ... | null |
15oo7g | (or slightly older) - what is the relationship between the us dollar and middle eastern oil? | [
{
"answer": "I can answer 1 and 3. I don't know anything about 2.\n\n1) Other countries have to buy US dollars in order to buy oil. Depending on how favorable the exchange rate is for their home currency that day this could cost them more or less. The US doesn't have to go through the extra step of converting o... | null |
ki12o | Travel experience at light speed? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, at the speed of light, no time passes. \n\n However, keep in mind that this means you can't do anything to slow down again (except run into something) because you can't take any actions. So getting *close* to lightspeed is a better bet.\n\nAlso, I think the amount of energy needed to accelerat... | null |
2hu72f | if the illuminati is such a huge conspiracy and such a huge group, why do we have so little information about them? | [
{
"answer": "They don't actually exist.\n\nYou can't find concrete information about a phantom.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "8295950",
"title": "Illuminati",
"section": "Section::::Legacy.:In conspiracy theories.\n",
... | null |
6f58ay | how does walmart know what i've bought in store? | [
{
"answer": "If she used a credit card or a debit card your name is on those accounts and they know who you are. So if she bought with cash this is creepy, but all other payment methods has a link to her account in some manner. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Did she use a credit card for thos... | null |
1yzcwe | How would an army attack a castle in medieval Japan? | [
{
"answer": "This gets into generalization, but I don't think the overall concept of a seige would vary much because of how a castle was designed. Specific tactics might vary a lot based on specific layouts, but the overall concepts are pretty much the same. \n\nCastles work (or \"worked) because it is diffi... | null |
b80rbb | why does asphalt on the highway sound different on different sections of road? | [
{
"answer": "Higher air voids in the asphalt mix make it quieter to ride on as the air is not forced through the tire thread. This is a function of the different aggregate sizes and % of those sizes in the mix \n\nIn contrast, concrete is pretty much solid and is very loud ",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
by1h4p | why are we still using inflatable tires on our vehicles? | [
{
"answer": "As compared to what alternative?\n\nAir filled tires are a relatively simple invention that lacks a more complex but better alternative.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Because they have the right combination of load bearing capacity, bump cushioning, decent life, low mass and reas... | null |
34fesp | Does the pull strength of a magnet lowers when it is pulling multiple objects versus one heavy object? | [
{
"answer": "If I understand correctly- you're basically asking if the magnetic attraction is a fixed amount that needs to be spread out to everything near it, or if it pulls them all seperately and equally.\n\nIf that's a misinterpretation, sorry and lemme know how to fix it!!\n\nIf that's your question, then ... | null |
fetq0k | what is the purpose of those "safe/supervised injection sites" and how are they better than just trying to stop drug use? | [
{
"answer": "The theory is that some people are going to use no matter what, so you might as well give them clean needles and the like. I've never heard of a proponent of such sites saying we should stop trying to curb drug use; they just claim that drug use won't go away entirely.",
"provenance": null
},... | null |
1n0mtr | if you gave everyone in your country one billion dollars what would happen to the economy? | [
{
"answer": "In the spirit of ELI5, let's pretend that the country we're talking about has 100 people in it.\n\nLet's say that, right now, the total amount of currency that this country has is one million dollars.\n\nDivided by one hundred people, the average amount of wealth is $10,000 per person.\n\nIf you su... | null |
5ga863 | how is water from a well potable? | [
{
"answer": "the way water flows down into ground reserves acts as a natural purification process. most often well water is naturally clean enough, but modern day wells is treated as a precaution, but prior to this, people regularly drank well water untreated. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I... | null |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.