id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
2mg0ce | At what point does someone stop sleeping and start being in a coma? | [
{
"answer": "A person is considered to be *comatose* if they, for a period lasting **longer than six hours**, cannot be awakened, don't respond to external stimuli, lack a normal sleep-wake cycle and do not act voluntarily.\n\n(source: Weyhenmyeye, James A.; Eve A. Gallman (2007). Rapid Review Neuroscience 1st ... | null |
21irdh | From an evolutionary standpoint, what is the advantage for trees that have fruit that is sour, like the Lemon, or even poisonous, like the Manchineel? I thought animals eating fruit and defecating the seeds was an important part of plant reproduction. | [
{
"answer": "I can't answer about the fruits you mentioned, but in general, the flavor of the fruit matches the tastes of the animals that carry it.\n\nFor example, chili peppers contain capsaicin, which makes them spicy. mammals generally avoid eating the peppers. Birds can't taste the capsaicin, so they do ea... | null |
630hs7 | when jumpstarting your car, why do you connect the black cable to the engine block instead of the black/negative terminal? | [
{
"answer": "Sparks near the battery can cause hydrogen fires. Sparks near the engine block are much safer. That said, modern batteries are sealed and pretty safe, but safer is always better.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "5222415",
... | null |
1jk2zr | Which non-military event had the biggest impact on the course of World War II? | [
{
"answer": "Weather could have an effect. Operation Overlord was postponed due to the weather. Because the Allies had weather stations in the Atlantic, and the Germans didn't, the Allies knew that there would be a break in the weather on the 6th of June. The Germans though did not and so the Germans didn't ... | null |
1p23vj | To what degree (if any) do personal habits (e.g. slouching) attribute to scoliosis, torticollis, etc.? | [
{
"answer": "I'm an instructor for musculoskeletal anatomy, so this question caught my eye! Personal habits such as slouching, leaning, and poor posture in general can most definitely lead to abnormal positioning of the spine/neck/head. In a small percentage of cases, scoliosis, torticollis, kyphosis, lordosis ... | null |
2unth9 | Can wifi ever be as fast as fiber? | [
{
"answer": "Fiber has a few advantages over wireless (I'll lump more RF technologies with WiFi, as WiFI is really more intended for local communications) it is not just about speed: \n\nRange- With fiber a 10 miles is no big deal, longer transmission is not much harder although the optics are more expensive. ... | null |
x0r4l | What psychological techniques can be used to counteract procrastination? | [
{
"answer": "Everything you want to know is in this previously, exhaustively explored thread: [Why do humans procrastinate and how can it be beat?](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Pick a big project that you will never realistically get to and focus your attention on getting that proje... | null |
2fwhvf | Why is the Great Leap Forward considered the biggest famine of all time? | [
{
"answer": "You are suffering from a strong mathematical fallacy, based on notation. Rate is the _portion_ of the inititial population that expired from famine. When you use the phrase 'biggest famine' you are talking about raw death _counts_, not the death _rate_. If the only two people on a deserted islan... | null |
flagvh | How close was Japan to cracking Navajo code talkers? Was Japan aware Americans were using a Native American language as code? | [
{
"answer": "I did a research project with Navajo sources on this. It sadly never was finished and published, but I was able to use local archives, talk to members of the Navajo community about their verbal histories and study the US military documents regarding the code. I was also studying Navajo Language at ... | null |
2ee74y | why do i sometimes see ads for the service i'm using to see the ad? | [
{
"answer": "Because self-promotion is a way to retain customers. Also, they're usually ads for Pandora's premium service right?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Pandora could be used in a restaurant or office to play music for everyone; while the company might be using it, the people listening ... | null |
3j0fzd | why isn't the remote finder feature common on tvs? | [
{
"answer": "Most TVs use IR (infrared), which require line of sight to the TV - (the remote sends a series of invisible 'blinks', like morse code). \n\nThe TV doesn't have a way to send a blink out, and even if it could, the remote is probably lodged inside a couch saying \"screw you hippy i'm taking a nap, c... | null |
26n29r | how on earth is it a good idea to cross lanes of traffic like this on an overpass? | [
{
"answer": "First, what makes you think it's bad? Traffic is separated. It looks a lot less confusing from the ground than it does from the air, because you only see what's in front of you. \n\nSecond, it's better because traffic entering the onramps from either a left or right turn don't have to wait for onco... | null |
5wsjxj | Did America's founding fathers believe the country would become a super power of the world in the next centuries? | [
{
"answer": "It depends. More than likely, no. The thing about the founding fathers is that none of them ever agreed on anything. George Washington was an adamant isolationist, which is why the US broke their treaty with France to help them during their revolution like they did for us.\n\nAfter the US gained... | null |
debo8x | if cancer is basically a clump of cells that dont want to die, why/how do things like cigarettes, asbestos, and the literal sun trigger it? | [
{
"answer": "Cancer cells result from mutations that disable the things that keep cell growth in check. Those mutations come from incorrect repairs to cell DNA, and those errors happen more frequently the more repairs take place.\n\nTherefore things that cause damage that requires repairs increase the chances o... | null |
5shom0 | how is it that the president can have the authority to authorize a nuclear attack but not a travel ban? | [
{
"answer": "Immigrants to the US, and especially US residents, have a lot more rights under the Constitution than random foreigners who may be nuked.\n\nNuking Americans would be a constitutional issue, and would be within the jurisdiction of US courts. Nuking Russians is not a constitutional issue.",
"pro... | null |
rrftj | Plasma Gasification? Thoughts Please | [
{
"answer": "From a chemical standpoint, the biggest problem with plasma gasification is that it makes big assumptions as to the chemical composition of the input waste (i.e. it's not energy-generating if you \"feed\" it the wrong things.) Beyond that, they are complicated and rely on high temperatures, which m... | null |
jxa1q | can somebody please explain cosmic microwave backgorund radiation? | [
{
"answer": "When the universe was very young—as in, less than 400,000 years old—it was very, very hot. It was so hot, in fact, that matter couldn't exist except in a form called \"plasma\". This is the kind of stuff the sun is made out of, except the plasma at that time was much hotter than the sun. One of the... | null |
9rl9oj | why did pilgrims wear buckles on their hats? | [
{
"answer": "Contrary to popular myth, capotains never included buckles on the front of them; this image was created in the 19th century.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They didn't. That style of hat came after the Pilgrims left England and had established themselves in the New World. The buck... | null |
7k0ppd | how is fm radio still thriving as much as it supposedly is as a media source? | [
{
"answer": "digital radio is becoming more common, but it still pales in comparison to the number of cars that have a plain old FM radio receiver. \n\nMy cars aren't exactly new, they're both about ten years old (but this is still only going back to 2008 remember) and they have standard FM/AM radio receivers, ... | null |
rzgn5 | Double slit experiment: what happens if you move the slits further apart? | [
{
"answer": "Diffraction only happens when the gap is roughly equal to the wavelength of the wave passing through it. If you increase the size of the gap, diffraction just won't happen and the wave would pass through it like it would a doorway.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "**The short versi... | null |
2vujxd | Does a galaxy receding from us at close to the speed of light due to the expansion of space experience time dilation and length contraction from our perspective? | [
{
"answer": "I don't know if it's appropriate to post this here, but I asked a similar question recently and got no love:\n\nDoes relativistic length contraction apply to objects that are only moving away from us due to the expansion of space?\n_URL_0_\n\nI'd be happy to see _any_ discussion on this topic!",
... | null |
j2thn | can someone explain how to start your own company? | [
{
"answer": "I regrettably don't have any first-hand experience, and I also would like to know more about this question, but I can offer what I witnessed from my mother starting her own company:\n\nKnow your shit. There's a lot of legal aspects to starting your own business (licensure, permits, documentation, e... | null |
1vf727 | What are some real world applications of the infinite sum of natural numbers? (1+2+3+...=-1/12) | [
{
"answer": "I don't know if you could call it a practical application, but this sum and regularization technique appear in the theory for the Casimir force, which is an attraction between very close uncharged objects, and is something that actually exists and is relevant for designing very very small machines.... | null |
2qsf23 | why do some radios only come with the fm station and not the am | [
{
"answer": "AM (_URL_1_) and FM (_URL_0_) radio are two different ways of encoding audio in a radio signal. the actual mechanics of converting the radio signal into audio you can hear are different, and the two different method require different circuitry or software to decode the signal. \n\nbecause of it's p... | null |
1ah4r1 | Why have so few transdermal medication patches been developed? | [
{
"answer": "This doesn't completely address the question, but transdermal medications can have variable efficacy in elderly patients, as their absorption through the skin is often dependent upon hypodermal fat. As people age, this fatty layer decreases. Considering a bulk of pharmaceutical use is among the eld... | null |
ae5i7x | why are all podcast ads for subscription services? | [
{
"answer": "Subscription services are just a very popular startup business model currently, it’s a really successful one as subscription services generate good, solid, predictable, and real cash flows (of course only for those that succeed). Subscriptions are an amazing business to be in for most any company o... | null |
5sdope | is it cheaper to automate processes than to outsource them to cheap labour? | [
{
"answer": "In my experience it is enormously cheaper to outsource because there is zero investment. To automate requires capital investment for machines and time to switch over which is itself downtime. There are still vast populations willing to work for peanuts compared to Americans.",
"provenance": nul... | null |
486r73 | How does heat travel at an atomic level? | [
{
"answer": "Temperature is a bulk property of matter- it doesn't make sense to talk about a \"hot\" atom or a \"cold\" atom- only large collections of atoms have a defined temperature. So, it doesn't really make sense about a \"hot\" atom coming into contact with a \"cold\" one. \n\nIn general though, when hea... | null |
1cyd6e | Why exactly do teeth have nerves? | [
{
"answer": "Your jaw is extremely powerful and if you exerted its full force on your teeth you could shatter them. The nerves give you some indication of the pressure you're applying.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Keep in mind that evolution occurs slowly. A high sugar diet and the current... | null |
5hdrzx | how does a heat pump work? | [
{
"answer": "Sorry, can't flair. On mobile. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's basically an air conditioner that can be turned around. When it's an AC it blows cold air and hot air is pumped outside. When it's a heater it blows hot air and cold air is pumped outside. \n \nDon't know what s... | null |
92nx00 | What happens to the mitochondria as an animal ages? Are their fewer per cell? Are mitochondria less efficient? | [
{
"answer": "I would research this more using google, but from the literature that I’ve read, it appears that mitochondrial dysfunction occurs over time, and more mitochondria exist in cells that do not replicate (in G0, so muscle cells for example) as time progresses. \nNot sure what the implications for this ... | null |
1tk0dd | what is happening when i turn off the television and the lights, and the television still looks to be dimly lit? | [
{
"answer": "You mean old CRT TVs? The way those work is the back side of the screen is coated in phosphor. The TV makes images by firing a beam of electrons at the phosphor coating, making it glow. The beam moves from left-to-right and top-to-bottom, redrawing the entire screen many times a second.\n\nWhen the... | null |
6v7gcv | does a baby smell like s mix of its parents or a new smell to an animal with a more sensitive ability to detect odor? | [
{
"answer": "Seems like it would be almost impossible for a baby to NOT smell like its parents since they come into so much daily and repeated skin to skin contact with the child. Is it inborn? Prob not but they most likely smell like the parent from repeated close contact. Who has a baby they dont touch 100X p... | null |
2lnj0d | the marvel cinematic universe and the film rights to their respective characters in the marvel comic universe. more specifically, quicksilver & scarlet witch. | [
{
"answer": "Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch occupy a weird little grey area in the usage rights that Marvel licensed to Fox. They're mutants, children of Magneto, so they're part of the X-Men franchise. So Fox can use them. However, they're *also* long-term Avengers, and -- unlike Spider-Man and Wolverine -- mos... | null |
1j4u16 | Does hair grow at a constant rate or in bursts? | [
{
"answer": "Generally our hair grows fastest in the summer and it is more productive when people reach 15-30 years. After this period, as we become older, the natural hair growth process slows down considerably.\n\nStress is a major cause of countless health problems and hair is no exception. Constant stress c... | null |
8co2io | Katyn Massacre and Nazis | [
{
"answer": "Although only focused specifically on Katyn for a small portion, [this](_URL_0_) will likely be of interest for you.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "7969401",
"title": "Katyn massacre",
"section": "",
... | null |
74532w | Why can't we capture carbon with trees or technology? | [
{
"answer": "Well, we can. And up to a point, we do.\n\nThe follow up question which will immediately pop up in your mind, is why it isn't a greater deal, and the short answer to that is that we've just begun looking into it, and of course cost and scale. Yes, it's expensive. And yes, people object to large-sca... | null |
1gh1n6 | why do people on reddit care so much about comment and link karma? | [
{
"answer": "Human brains love being rewarded, even if that reward is just positive feedback (in the form of an upvote or a comment agreeing) from other anonymous users. It creates pleasure to get link and comment karma and displeasure to lose it.\n\nAlso if you have low karma it makes it harder (slower) to use... | null |
18mlcx | why do i have to be 18 to buy a lighter? | [
{
"answer": "Because that's the legal age to buy tobacco and tobacco paraphernalia? ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "2608486",
"title": "Childproofing",
"section": "Section::::Fire safety.\n",
"start_paragraph_id"... | null |
1rgzjd | Dual pregnancy by two different men? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, it's possible to have multiple ova fertilized by sperm from different men. Sperm can live for several days, and multiple ova can be released over the course of several days in a single ovulation cycle. That means it's possible for more than one ovum to be fertilized and implant, resulting in a... | null |
1lhr0d | What is the precedent for the 'one phone call' if you are arrested? | [
{
"answer": "Turns out it's just a Hollywood invention, in real life if you're arrested it looks like in some places they aren't even required to grant you a single phone call, and in others it's stipulated as a \"reasonable\" amount of calls. If you'd like to read more - _URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},... | null |
rrgct | buddism | [
{
"answer": "I'm no good at ELI5, but...\n\nIt's easier to understand if you take a secular, non-spiritual viewpoint on the subject. \n\nBuddhism is a method by which *you learn to take command over your emotions, rather than having your emotions command you. It uses some basic instruction and regular practic... | null |
1wpe69 | Are any of our direct (evolutionary) ancestors alive today? And if so, which is the one that is closest to us? | [
{
"answer": "Your closest evolutionary ancestors are your parents :)\n\nOkay, all kidding aside, it looks like the answer is no. Diagram [here](_URL_0_). Our direct evolutionary ancestors *H. heidelbergensis* died a while ago, and we helped to kill off the *H. neanderthalis* subspecies, so.\n\nHonestly, it isn'... | null |
40t209 | why is the force of gravity lower in water then on land? | [
{
"answer": "It's not less, it's exactly the same.\n\nThere's just a new force involved, bouncy, that's pushing you up while gravity is pulling you down. It could be argues that bouncy is simply the force of gravity applied differently, but that's not really important for this argument.\n\n",
"provenance": ... | null |
1xe2fi | Why is it apparently accepted that different breeds of cats and dogs have certain personalities, abilities, and levels of aggressiveness, but not different races of humans? | [
{
"answer": "This is really a snakepit of a question and I don't know how to answer it completely.\n\nIt's important to note, though, that dog and cat breeds are extensively inbred compared to human races, and are much less genetically diverse. This makes it a lot easier to predict how a puppy will turn out tha... | null |
3im9dm | how is braille used/interpreted in cultures with complicated writing systems (arabic, japanese, etc.)? does each language have its own unique braille alphabet? | [
{
"answer": "For [Chinese braille](_URL_0_) see here. It uses \"multiple characters\" for one sign. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Generally, each language has it's own version of braille. Languages use the Latin alphabet mostly share the same basic characters, with different contractions. Ot... | null |
9u915c | why does your brain automatically read words and why can’t you stop it from doing so? | [
{
"answer": "Our brains are wired to pattern match. By teaching kids to read, we shortcut the patterns at an early age, and it becomes habit. Try looking at a totally different language and you certainly won’t automatically read it.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
... | null |
1na4oe | Why do so many American suburbs have the word "Heights" in them? And why is this naming trend not present in other English-speaking countries? | [
{
"answer": "I am not an expert, but I believe it has to do with the fact that the wealthy use to have their homes built on the hills surrounding cities. These would often be called \"the heights\". So as suburbs developed to give an impression of wealth some would have \"heights\" in their names. \n\nIt could ... | null |
4igqsz | south atlantic anomaly | [
{
"answer": "The South Atlantic Anomaly is an area of low earth orbit where radiation is particularly high, due to the shape of Earth's magnetic field. This means that satellites pass through these areas are bombarded by high-energy particles, which cause cumulative damage to electronics.\n\nThis damage occurs ... | null |
9pswpm | why does the greenhouse effect doesn't work both ways? | [
{
"answer": "Perhaps because we arent talking reflection but absorption.\n\nGreen house gasses DO stop a lot of radiation from reaching \"the surface\" by absorbing the photons energy increasing its energy level. This increases its heat.\n\nThis heat is convected to other atoms near by, which convect it to othe... | null |
2ed926 | Why are haunted housed historically depicted as Victorian-style in pop culture? | [
{
"answer": "hi! not sure if you mean Victorian or rather Gothic architecture? If the latter, there was a thread not long ago on all things Goth and Gothic, including horror\n\n[Goths and The Goths](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The classic Hollywood haunted house from horror movies ... | null |
22axbl | How do interlocking basalt columns, such as those seen in "The Giant's Causeway" in Northern Ireland, form? | [
{
"answer": "First, you need to form an even layer of hot molten rock. The two best ways of doing that are either a lava flow, or a sill (a sill being an intrusion of magma along a bedding plane between sedimentary rock layers).\n\nThat then gives you a hot flat plate of rock, which begins to cool.\n\nAny cooli... | null |
wgdgu | Is peer review essential? (philosophy of science(?)) | [
{
"answer": "Philosophy time!\n\nAs with any useful word in a useful language, \"science\" is a complex. Certainly an isolated individual can engage in scientific inquiry, so \"science\" in this sense doesn't require peer review. However, we live in a society with many scientists, and in that society, \"science... | null |
5fw9lc | how do cows pollute so much and why is this happening? | [
{
"answer": "Cows, due to the way their stomachs and digestive tract work produce a lot of Methane by...well...~~farting~~ burping.\n\nMethane is estimated to be 23x worse in regards to negative effect on the climate than CO², so with the amount of cows we breed, this has a huge impact.\n\nObviously the meat pr... | null |
1xkvby | It's 1776, how would I drink beer at home? | [
{
"answer": "In Sweden, most people would brew a dark, cloudy and weak beer (1-3%) at their own farm from their own produced barley. This was stored in kegs or barrels and drunk by everyone (including young children) from wooden tankards or mugs. \n\nStronger beer, but still dark and cloudy, was brewed by brewe... | null |
2zdewq | Is it likely that the United States would have invaded Grenada following the October 1983 Beirut barracks bombing even if Maurice Bishop hadn't been deposed earlier that month? | [
{
"answer": "For context: \n\n* Grenada is a small nation, but its alignment with the USSR and Cuba provided strategic advantages to those nations. Grenada was on the opposite side of the Caribbean from Cuba. The construction of an airfield on the island by Cuban soldiers threatened to establish a real strategi... | null |
1uxvur | what happens when a limb loses and then regains it's feeling? | [
{
"answer": "Hi there, excellent question.\n\nWhen pressure is placed on a nerve(neuron), this prevents signals from getting through. \n\nThere are 4 main types of primary afferent axons:\n\n**A-alpha(I):** Control skeletal muscle. Fancy name is Proprioceptors\n\n**A-beta(II):** Mechanoreceptors of the skin. I... | null |
4ilbl5 | Why is the weak nuclear force between 2 protons in the nucleus, 10^-7 times the electromagnetic interaction? | [
{
"answer": "The driving reason for this is that the weak force is carried by massive particles, so the strength of the force drops off exponentially with distance, whereas the electromagnetic force is carried by photons which are massless and hence produce a force that only drops off geometrically.\n\nThere's ... | null |
2q02c5 | Would a bubble be absorbed by the water around it? | [
{
"answer": "Yes - for most gasses, solubility in water increases with pressure.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "51984254",
"title": "Physiology of decompression",
"section": "Section::::Bubble formation, growth and elimi... | null |
452m7n | How do we know if subatomic particles are spherical? | [
{
"answer": "It's an artist interpretation. The currently accepted model, the standard model (or more generally quantum field theory itself) models fundamental particles (photons, neutrinos, quarks, electrons) as pointlike, i.e. they are mathematical points, so they occupy no volume at all. This might seem weir... | null |
3l1m12 | in WW2 was it easier for non-Germans to volunteer for the SS compared to the Wehrmacht. | [
{
"answer": "The SS had the strictest policy about proof of German blood, and needed to get a certificate called \"Großer Ariernachweis\" (Greater Aryan certificate) with the added information that showed proof of pure Aryan blood back to at least 1750.\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
... | null |
3bexft | why don't video game industries use sd cards instead of discs? | [
{
"answer": "Compared to SD cards, Blu-ray discs are extremely more cheap to mass produce. Even with DVD's, you as a consumer can buy a 50 pack for pretty cheap.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "well, consider the costs of them. you can buy a blank bluray disk for like.... 20cents? \n\nwhat wo... | null |
3ensj6 | if police officers are not required to tell us when they are undercover, what stops all police offers from just wearing normal clothes and always being undercover? | [
{
"answer": "Why would they?\n\nClearly marked police presence is a crime deterrent. Very few police activities involve being sneaky and doing undercover stuff (though that's what you see on TV and the movies). A lot of what police do, like helping people, really isn't possible if you don't know who they are.",... | null |
kpaa4 | can someone please eli5 why accretion hasn't affected saturn's ring? | [
{
"answer": "Can someone please ELI5 accretion?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Can someone please ELI5 accretion?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "977592",
"title": "Rings of Saturn",
"section": "Section:... | null |
ch5k3b | how do ads load on bad service but normal content doesn’t? | [
{
"answer": "Youtube (through Google) have many, many servers across multiple regions of the world to store their data. Very popular content may be hosted on multiple servers to constantly have it closer to the viewer, and on faster servers.\n\nLess popular, more normal content will not necessarily be copied on... | null |
1896ed | what the pirate bay are fighting for and what they hope to achieve in the future | [
{
"answer": "The right to get free copyrighted stuff on the internet so that you don't have to pay content producers.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Their fighting for piracy since thats the business model for the website.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance":... | null |
18lf07 | What is to prevent a spaceship, like the USS Enterprise traveling at "WarpSpeed" from not hitting objects in space while in motion? Granted they are not traveling through wormholes. | [
{
"answer": "Nothing is stopping you from hitting things. But keep in mind a) that space is really really empty, and b) it's science fiction. It's usually explained that they aren't traveling through normal space as such (hyperspace/subspace), so they can't hit things in the way. The problem of seeing where you... | null |
qxog0 | If energy can't be created, what's happening in this scenario? | [
{
"answer": "It came from separating them in the first place. This resulted in the potential energy that was converted into kinetic energy as the planets attracted each other. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "9649",
"title": "Ene... | null |
42hp0g | weightlessness scenes in movies | [
{
"answer": "I don't know what they did for the expanse, but Apollo 13 was filmed on the vomit comet, it took several hundred runs according to [IMDB](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "3859075",
"title": "Rescue Dawn",
... | null |
4rdg2w | the recent cs:go gambling drama with differnt streamers and the website csgo lotto | [
{
"answer": "_URL_0_\n\nthis explains a lot. You can't gamble on your own site. You can't advertise for something you own without expressly stating you own it.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Let's say I have a casino. But I ignore all the laws that restrict gambling. I also gamble in my own ... | null |
41vhz9 | why it took this long to find another planet behind pluto? | [
{
"answer": "The further out you go, the less light planets reflect and the harder it is to see them against the backdrop of the stars. Pluto was only discovered with very painstaking comparison of images of the sky, with it very faintly moving between images (unlike the stars). Modern technology has made this ... | null |
28yrrs | how does gmail's undo a sent email feature work? | [
{
"answer": "they send the mail not instantly, they hold it back for a moment. if you decide not to send the mail it had never left your mailbox.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "20358322",
"title": "Gmail interface",
"sec... | null |
x4a1m | how is beer made | [
{
"answer": "I make beer and wine so I guess I should chime in on this one.\n\nFirst, let's look at the basic ingredients:\n1. Grain\n2. Water\n3. Hops\n4. Yeast\n\nThe basic overall concept is to get the yeast to eat what's in the grain and the waste of the yeast is what we use to get tipsy.\n\nIn order to do ... | null |
2lwp9v | How did the hubble space telescope not move when talking this photo? | [
{
"answer": "The telescope did move. It was in orbit. It was kept pointed on the same area of the sky. At that distance, the difference in the angle from which the area is viewed when the hubble is on one \"side\" of the earth versus another, and even the much larger movement of the earth itself and the sun rel... | null |
pvuvc | Why don't we use the Saturn V anymore? | [
{
"answer": "We don't use the Saturn V because we can't - we don't know how to build them anymore. Oh sure the plans are still there but every engineer who worked on them and every facility to actually construct them are long dead and long dismantled.\n\nThe Saturn V was designed in the 1960's - 50 years ago. ... | null |
dc29go | What happens in your brain, chemically, when you wake up? | [
{
"answer": "Sleep and wakefulness is regulated by a group of nuclei in the brainstem called the RAS (reticular activating system). These nuclei produce different chemicals. Some nuclei produce GABA and galanin, which promotes sleep. Other nuclei produce noradrenaline, orexin/hypocretin and histamine, which pro... | null |
345xxy | How did the first ever logic gate chip get made? | [
{
"answer": "The first logic gates were made probably on wood blocks somewhere in the late 1800s/early 1900s, out of knife switches and some wires. Today, instead of knife switches, we use transistors. If you have some transistors and a breadboard laying around, you can make one right now! Here is a [link to sc... | null |
2dwhuu | What Equipment Would a World War Two/ Korean War Tank Crew Have Inside Their Vehicle? | [
{
"answer": "To give you a rough idea, here's a US M4's crew standing next to it's equipment: _URL_2_\n\n\nHere's someone recounting his experience fighting in WW2 as a tank crewman who trained on an M4 Sherman only to discover he was going to be fighting in an M3 Stuart. With no turret. \n_URL_1_\n\n\nFurtherm... | null |
2mxqcp | Since our galaxy is spinning, does the night sky as I see it and the position of the stars gradually move over time? | [
{
"answer": "The stars move through our perceived celestial plane, but very very slowly. It's called Proper Motion. Since ancient Egyptian times, Sirius has moved maybe the width of the moon, relative to distance stars.\n\nThe star with the greatest proper motion is [Barnard's Star](_URL_1_).\n\nIn an extreme ... | null |
2zgypu | why is there so much competing information when it comes to fitness? for every weight loss or fitness "fact" you can easily find someone saying the exact opposite, to the point where it's very difficult to find reliable information on fitness/weight loss/diet. | [
{
"answer": "There are a lot of people with very little knowledge or training making a lot of claims. These people, be they famous fitness personalities or just gym trainers, make money by sounding like they know what they're talking about.\n\nIn reality, there are a lot of things that we don't know about the h... | null |
2v3j2h | Jewish money-lenders: how did they collect? | [
{
"answer": "Jews were most certainly banned from the use of organized violence, that privilege only belonged to lords or kings. However, because Jewish merchants loaned money to these most powerful groups, they could sometimes call upon them to force dead beats to pay up.\n\nHowever, violence wasn't the most c... | null |
62wqym | How did we get 3n+1 and n/2 for the operations in the collatz conjecture? | [
{
"answer": "Because that's the conjecture. If you change them, it's a different conjecture.\n\nNote that they work particularly well because 2 and 3 are relatively prime, and the concept of \"even/odd\" is well understood, even by those casually familiar with the relevant math.",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
1vekrm | If samples were brought back from every planet (and including Pluto), what would each one smell like? | [
{
"answer": "I don't know about the planets, but according to [Buzz Aldrin](_URL_0_) the moon dust smelled like burnt gun powder. Keep in mind that a portion of these smells comes from minerals being oxidized by water or oxygen.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I assume you mean their atmosphere... | null |
3bcyo1 | the shape of bread | [
{
"answer": "The split in the top is a line cut into the top by the baker. As the yeast in the bread is warmed, it bursts into activity and releases a bunch of gas causing the bread to rise. As it rises above the edges of the pan, it starts to spill over. If the baker does not put a line down the center, the... | null |
7trtgl | Why does the human brain contain folds? Are they indicative of something else? | [
{
"answer": "sucli and gyri (the grooves and ridges, respectively) exist to increase surface area of the neocortex. This allows for more grey matter, which is where things like spacial reasoning, decision making, language, and most 'intelligent' behaviors occur within the brain. ",
"provenance": null
},... | null |
1y2jro | Is there a scientific definition of sentience - and at what age/stage do humans achieve it? | [
{
"answer": "As this is tagged \"Psychology\", I don't think the field offers a definitive, or close-to-definitive, answer to this question. While Developmental Psychology offers a few different explanations (whether you're a Piaget follower, or a Erickson fan), but one of the most enduring is the concept of T... | null |
1c1ble | Will plant life feed off of increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere? Is Le Chattelier's principle applicable? | [
{
"answer": "CO2 isn't typically the primary factor determining net ecosystem productivity. Instead, the availability of precipitation, the diurnal temperature range, and soil nutrients set the overall uptake carbon dioxide by the environment.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenanc... | null |
53p3re | I'm aware that Hitler punished the mentally disabled, but did this also include those with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety? | [
{
"answer": "Generally speaking, no, but that really depends on the severity of the depression or anxiety (or both) in a patient. \n\nSome background: At the time Aktion Tiergartenstraße 4, the programme of euthanasia used on those considered 'handicapped' under the Nazis, was implemented, psychiatry was still ... | null |
g1ao41 | how come we instantly recognize faces (the eyes, nose, and mouth) when we look at a certain arrangement of objects? | [
{
"answer": "Basically our brain is tuned into finding patterns and faces, even where there are none. \n\nHere is the link:\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "12510615",
"title": "Disjunctive cognition",
"section"... | null |
2ne9ze | when an active, obese person gets liposuction and surgery to get rid of the extra skin, are they muscular underneath all the fat because of how much weight they had to carry before? | [
{
"answer": "Probably not. Chances are, the obese person moves everywhere quite slowly and struggles up steps - just like you would if you were carrying an extra 100-200 pounds. Their muscles may be slightly stronger, but it's not significant or enough to generate big muscles just sitting \"under\" rolls of fat... | null |
2v0aqk | Do humans also emit radiation at lower frequencies than infrared? (microwaves, radio, etc) | [
{
"answer": "Yes, humans emit radio waves and microwaves due to thermal emission, but only a very small amount compared to infrared waves. Take a look at these [thermal radiation spectral curves](_URL_0_). The curves just keep going out to longer and longer wavelengths with out every reaching exactly zero.",
... | null |
266tct | Is a functioning human brain hot? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, the brain does dissipate around [20 or 25 watts](_URL_1_). It would also be warm because blood from other organs is bringing their heat and taking some away. The whole human dissipates around [100 watts](_URL_0_).",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
... | null |
48gvhl | Is there a possible scenario where two events, A and B, can occur as: A then B, A and B simultaneously, and B then A, all using three different relativistic frames? | [
{
"answer": "Let's answer this in SR. Forget about GR.\n\nGiven two events A and B, we can consider the invariant spacetime interval between them:\n\n > (Δs)^(2) = -(Δt)^(2)+(Δx)^(2)+(Δy)^(2)+(Δz)^(2)\n\nThe notation \"Δt\" means the difference in the time coordinate between the events, and similarly for Δx, Δ... | null |
1wz7dl | why can i go a day without food at home but when i am at school i feel so hungry after a lesson? | [
{
"answer": "Possibly because you are much more active at school/see other kids eating/smelling more food?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Just a sidenote: It is the opposite for me, I rarely eat in school.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Are you bored at school and entertained... | null |
17y66y | Is battery technology going to get better anytime soon or should we expect Lithium batteries to be our best option for the next couple decades? | [
{
"answer": "The US DoEnergy has a [project](_URL_2_) to increase automotive batteries' capacity 5-fold, in 5 years and have batteries 1/5 their current cost. A battery researcher in my office says their project is achievable.\n\nOther elements they're looking at are [Sodium](_URL_1_) and [Magnesium](_URL_0_)",... | null |
e0kurs | why does heartburn become more of an issue when you get older? | [
{
"answer": "It's not so much your increasing age that makes it a problem, it's the recurrence. The longer you suffer from chronic heartburn or GERD, the more damage occurs to your esophagus. As a result this increases your risk of heightened symptoms such as difficultyswallowing, esophageal bleeding, vomiting... | null |
imtxu | Is it possible for blood type to change? | [
{
"answer": "You should probably get that double checked.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The genetics of your blood type cannot change. But in some situations it's possible for the expressed antigens to change, which means the measured type will show up different on a test.\n\nFor instance, if... | null |
1ur928 | What were some the leading theories on magnets until we learned about electromagnetism? | [
{
"answer": "The pre-Socratic philosopher Thales of Miletus seems to have believed that magnets contained souls because they can move and be moved without any apparent outside force. This was a result of his belief that the soul was a cause of motion.\n\nHowever, our information is all second hand and it's near... | null |
2l0phx | What characteristics of a medium affect its permittivity? | [
{
"answer": "Permittivity is related to the polarizability and density of the medium which determines how much how much of a dielectric effect that medium can generate--which is modulated by the effective permittivity. Here's a little write up I did awhile back taking linear polarization on a line into account:... | null |
27gqbv | How did miners during the middle ages find metal ore deposits to mine? | [
{
"answer": "Hi! More input on this is welcome, but meanwhile, get started on this section of the FAQ (link on sidebar) :\n\n[Mineral resource extraction](_URL_0_) ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Georgius Agricola wrote *De Re Metallica* in the mid-1500s, which is a detailed description of min... | null |
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