id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
120pm1 | human wave attacks | [
{
"answer": "If a 5 year old asked this question, I'd be slightly disturbed.\n\nThe basic answer is that war is often about who runs out of resources first. If you can throw waves of soldiers at an enemy, and kill 1 of them for every 3 of your own troops that die, but your total army is 5 times as big as theirs... | null |
7thhnw | why notebook paper has blue text lines and red margin lines | [
{
"answer": "Blue lines are not reproducible. You can not copy them on a xerox machine.\n\nTwo reasons for this.\n\nThe first reason is that the sellers do not want you to make lots of copies of lined paper, they want to sell you more paper, but consider the other thing of having your well done handwriting repr... | null |
dqqkuw | Why were the buildings of a Roman castrum spread out? | [
{
"answer": "First: *castrum* is not typically used in Latin, except in very rare cases, and those probably confusion with the similar *castellum,* which does appear in the singular. The Latin noun is always plural, *castra*, though it refers to a single camp. \n\nFor the average run-of-the mill *castra,* there... | null |
1ijnlv | Would a white population eventually turn black if they lived many generations in Africa? | [
{
"answer": "Given enough time, and assuming the climate remained as it is (ie hot and dry) it is conceivable that the average skin color of the population would get darker, yes.\n\nDarker skin is a result of higher levels of the pigment melanin in the skin, which protects it against harmful radiation from the ... | null |
bj0y4z | what is api, rest, soap, json and xml | [
{
"answer": "API: Application programming interface - definitions, communication protocols, and tools for building software, mostly built by companies to allow 3rd party access\n\nREST: REpresentational State Transfer - standardised communication style\n\nSOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol - platform independe... | null |
21bdt0 | Can anyone describe the use of and attitude towards marijuana in the German Democratic Republic? | [
{
"answer": "Since this is such an absurdly specific question I tried to do a little bit of reading to see what I could come up with. \n \n\nIn *German Democracy : From Post-World War II to the Present Day* Gert-Joachim Glaessner writes that the idea of drugs, as an example of a decaying or corrupted society,... | null |
8i5582 | Is there a quantitative way of measuring tiredness? | [
{
"answer": "Unfortunately you wouldn’t feel better rested by putting your alarm back a bit. The circadian rhythm is very important which means it’s best to get up and go to bed at roughly the same time every day. It’s the reason why sleeping later on weekends is a bad idea, weekends aren’t a natural thing and ... | null |
49l48x | why do anti-virus and malware programs move the virus and malware files to quarantine instead of deleting them? | [
{
"answer": "For a few reasons:\n\n1. false positives. \n2. recoverable data - if a little bad shit has come into my phD thesis I may want to try to recover the good from the good + bad.\n3. Evidence. It's a great pile of validation of the worth of the product you bought.\n4. In some systems, and some configur... | null |
2d7pma | Are there games similar to Foldit designed to aid other fields of science? | [
{
"answer": "[EteRNA](_URL_0_)- Researching RNA design to make things more predictable/improve computer models \n\n\nThere is also [BOINC](_URL_1_), a collection of projects that run as a sort of screensaver. Uses up your \"unused\" processor cycles to do crowdsourced resources for different projects you can c... | null |
4ngg9x | Light Thrust? | [
{
"answer": "The answer to your question on the distance light travels (optical path length) is a bit too hefty for me to get into at the moment, but I can answer your question about force.\n\nOur most intuitive understanding of momentum comes from objects with mass - a truck is heavier than a car, so it has mo... | null |
c6nu1r | does body adapt to different climates? if yes, how does it adapt? | [
{
"answer": "Yes. When army people are dropped off at a new location, their bodies have to get used to, or acclimatize, to the new weather and temperatures, normally over 2-3 weeks. A returned soldier friend of mine said that when his squadron went home by plane, they hadn't received proper time to acclimate, s... | null |
ffr8zx | How/Why did Britain lose the Battle of Hong Kong against Japan in 1941? | [
{
"answer": "**How?**\n\nFor the how part, they were attacked by a much stronger force of far superior quality that enjoyed complete air superiority. To compound problems further the British gravely underestimated the fighting ability of the Japanese and left only three batalions on the Gin Drinkers line. There... | null |
4rjyio | how is a 12oz can of coca-cola and a 20oz bottle of coca-cola both one serving size of coke? | [
{
"answer": "Because most people will drink the entire can or bottle in a single sitting, and not save some of it for later.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Serving sizes are set by the FDA, and were recently shifted to reflect what people actually eat (as opposed to what they're 'supposed' to ... | null |
xs93v | when did the northern European monarchies become
powerless? | [
{
"answer": "The Revolutions of 1848 definitely killed the absolutism of the Danish Monarchy and killed off the French one as a whole. It also helped to change the Netherlands to a much more liberal nation under decree of William II (although William III unpopularily attempted to reverse everything). The Swedes... | null |
244nl1 | whats the difference between all of the different kinds of salts? what makes a 50$ pound bag of salt better than a 50 cent pound bag of salt? | [
{
"answer": "The cheap salt you get in the grocery store is *just* salt - sodium chloride. It tastes 'salty'.\n\nWHen you start looking at fancy salts, you end up with little bits of different minerals mixed in. Just like tap water in different cities tastes differently because of minor differences in mineral... | null |
23tdem | Can an atom have significant mass from its electrons? | [
{
"answer": "Not really. An electron is about 1/2000 the mass of an atom. Even in the largest nuclei, all the electrons amount to a few percent of the mass of a proton.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "You can't have very many more electrons than protons. (typically 2-3 at most) Or they simply w... | null |
35cxc0 | I'm a poor farmer in France during the revolution. I live far away from any cities or near the frontier. How is my life affected? | [
{
"answer": "When you say the frontier, do you mean near the border to another country? If you're thinking something like the American frontier to the wilderness, that hasn't really existed in Europe for hundreds of years. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I'll copy a bit from an old post I mad... | null |
5fzyru | In Battlefield 1 many American troops call German soldier "Hun" during World War One. Was that popular slang for German soldiers or is Battlefield taking liberties with history again? | [
{
"answer": "Yes it comes from a speech made by the Kaiser. I can't get it right now but I'll send you a link in a few unless someone beats me to it.\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Follow-up: the question about German soldiers being called \"Huns\" is frequently asked and the standa... | null |
3lgkbb | how to songwriters ensure they aren't accidentally ripping off someone else's music? | [
{
"answer": "Well, if you're a professional musician, that song will go through many people and iterations before it's released. If it's at all a popular song, someone will catch it. There's a story about Paul McCartney who woke up with the tune for \"Yesterday\" in his head walking around and asking other band... | null |
zelvk | why the fridge door sometimes sticks really hard | [
{
"answer": "If I had to guess: when enough warm air gets into the fridge and then the door is closed, the temperature then drops causing the air to contract and drop in pressure like a vacuum. Since fridges are fairly well sealed, that may be enough to cause some extra resistance when you try to open the door.... | null |
3taim1 | Why was Andrew Jackson against the Bank of The United States? | [
{
"answer": "Hello everyone, \n\nIn this thread, there have been a large number of incorrect, speculative, or otherwise disallowed comments, and as such, they were removed by the mod-team. Please, before you attempt answer the question, keep in mind [our rules](_URL_0_) concerning in-depth and comprehensive res... | null |
6jobae | what are the long term effects of casual alcohol consumption (ex 3-5 drinks per week) and how do the effects differ from alcoholism/heavy drinking? | [
{
"answer": "Three to five drinks a week would likely do nothing unless you have a preexisting condition, or are predisposed to liver cancer or cirrhosis. Heavy drinking will damage the liver over time. The liver can regenerate, so it is a pretty slow process, but over time, more and more of the liver will basi... | null |
10fyli | How different in duration was the lifespan of the earliest stars in the universe? | [
{
"answer": "The life span of stars is heavily dependent on their mass, very massive stars will go through their supply of Hydrogen a lot quicker even now. There are some very massive stars that live just a few hundred million years before violently dying, while small dwarf stars can simmer away for billions of... | null |
10ux61 | How many more people have died than are alive? | [
{
"answer": "In the range of 108 billion.\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "33256286",
"title": "Demographics of the world",
"section": "Section::::Demographic statistics.:Death rate.\n",
"start_paragraph... | null |
2lnlft | if we can create animals like "ligers" and "mules" why haven't we attempted to create a mix of humans and chimps? | [
{
"answer": "[Some have tried](_URL_0_). I think there would be some pretty big ethical problems if it succeeded.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Humans and chimps don't have the right amount of chromosomes to create (infertile) offspring. Typically foreign sperm will be rejected, and even if i... | null |
1a3038 | where do small animals go at night, and bugs go in the winter? | [
{
"answer": "Deer move as families and nest in the forest. They never stay at the same nest for more than a few days.\n\nTurtles bury themselves in mud at the bottom of the creek, breathing in the oxygen from the water. Some other freshwater turtles may dig themselves into a marshy area of grass or moss.\n\nSom... | null |
pq3pd | Why can I "feel" the bass, but not the other parts of the song? | [
{
"answer": "Have you ever been in the Ocean and buffeted by a series of \"Thin\" by waves. You move a little, but definitely not as much as a \"Fat/Long\" waves. It's similar with sound. Low frequencies have large wavelengths and as a result you get to feel them more than the other frequencies.\n\nAdditionally... | null |
kkau2 | Does ECT work? | [
{
"answer": "There is certainly a place for it in modern medicine, and it is still used quite frequently. The early days of ECT were certainly fraught with unethical practices and using a treatment without fully understanding it, however we've come a long way since then. It's important to keep in mind that it... | null |
28oog6 | Why is it light cannot travel through an opaque object when members of the electromagnetic spectrum on either side of light can? | [
{
"answer": "Visible light interacts with matter through electronic transitions. What that means is that when a photon hits something coloured it is absorbed by an electron in an atom and gives that electron more energy.\n\nElectrons have certain energy levels they are \"allowed\" to have (you could say there a... | null |
62u1yd | why are math, tech and science majors paid more than literature, art and social studies? | [
{
"answer": "They occupy jobs that are more in demand, because they build/design things that are important to the development of humans as a species.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Basically, you should rarely think about pay as anything other than \"how much money can i likely make for my bos... | null |
6qbyhs | why are so many animals intolerant to theobromine (an active ingredient in chocolate) but humans have no problem eating it? | [
{
"answer": "Humans do have a problem with theobromine, it's just that the fatal dose for a human is very high. Iirc, the fatal dose for humans would require eating 6kg of dark chocolate in one sitting (over 40kg if you prefer milk chocolate)\n\nA lot of cheap chocolate is so processed it contains hardly any th... | null |
cam36x | Why were opposite gender friendships less common in the past? | [
{
"answer": "So there are a couple of things going on here. One is that women not appearing in photos in bars/pubs/saloons doesn't indicate that women were never friends with men: drinking establishments were often officially or unofficially coded as masculine spaces, particularly if they served a middle-class ... | null |
1uq25w | Who were the Philistines of the Bible, and where did they come from? | [
{
"answer": "This is a rather large question mark in this area. Based on linguistic evidence (mostly place-names), they don't seem to have been a Semitic people, certainly not a Canaanite group. Because artifacts recovered from digs resemble those of Greek groups (but not Canaanites), they seem to have been a... | null |
2mxgxx | how does one 'occupy' a territory? | [
{
"answer": "You spread your troops/police force/militia/bandidos throughout the area in which you wish to occupy. Define it as yours loudly and denounce/arrest/kill/oppress those who disagree with you. Wait 100 years for it to become your de jure land.\n\n- source CK2",
"provenance": null
},
{
"ans... | null |
1286mi | american politics vs canadian politics | [
{
"answer": " The main difference between our two nations is how we deal with the different branches of power. The United States has a Senate, a President, and Congress, each of which has its own powers an responsibilities, and it is expected (and encouraged) that each of them will influence the course of gover... | null |
5hhqpg | why is it that in the ocean so many different species can live in such close proximity to each other but on land it seems like they live separately. | [
{
"answer": "Volume of room. On land you have one flat plain while in the ocean layers. It boils down to volume vs. Surface area. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "First, the ocean has way more nutrients per volume than anywhere else on earth. Almost every river in the world dumps water full of ... | null |
5z8jq8 | If I cut open a fruit (e.g a pomelo), does it continue to ripen? | [
{
"answer": "There are two basic types of fruits in regard to ripening: climacteric and non-climacteric. Climacteric fruits will continue to ripen after being picked, while non-climacteric fruits must be picked ripe because they don't ripen after being picked. Bananas are a great example of a climacteric frui... | null |
3ujfnj | 360° videos | [
{
"answer": "Those videos are created by using a specialized device that captures footage through numerous cameras simultaneously, and then are stitched together to create the illusion of a seamless recording. YouTube has had support for this kind of video, but as you can imagine, very few videos on the service... | null |
2s3s0l | what is the point of buying an ultra hd (4k) tv when there are very few movies/tv channel in the world that have the 4k resolution? | [
{
"answer": "The right to brag to your friends that you've got a 4K television.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "There is no point at all, might as well wait till more media is released and the price of the tv drops too",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "There is not reason. Turns ... | null |
at9mt3 | why do airplane flight tracks always make big arcs, rather than a “straight line” directly to your destination? | [
{
"answer": "Are you talking about a flight tracker? Like a visual aid on an airline app?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Because you are taking the surface of a sphere and laying it flat so it appears as an arc. An azimuthal projection centered from the planes start point would have a straight... | null |
8qvysy | How did Washington and the colonial army pay for the costs of the American Revolution without the ability to levy taxes? | [
{
"answer": "They borrowed.\n\nFirst, the individual states and the Continental Congress printed paper money, and as expenses exceeded income, they printed more of it. As a result the paper money depreciated in value to little or nothing, which eventually led to the phrase \"not worth the Continental\". This ... | null |
11mlou | If you were on the Moon, and wanted to "throw" something at the Earth, what is the minimum speed it would need to be launched at in order to escape the Moon's gravity well, and reach Earth? | [
{
"answer": "Escape velocities:\n\nEarth: 11.2 km/s\nMoon: 2.4km/s\n\nWith gravity, two bodies will have a point in the distance between them where their gravitational attraction equalizes. If you sit in that spot, your ship would be equally attracted to the moon and the earth. Until you hit that distance, the ... | null |
28n85o | Does dyslexia affect things like sheet music as well? Or is it strictly written language? | [
{
"answer": "There are different forms of dyslexia. One is audio. What obe hears is not what someone said. It makes it differcult to spell, underrstand lectures etc. I would imagine it may interfer with music.\n\nAnd BTW, who decidedc to name this aliment Dsylexia? Did they use that word so every dsylexic ... | null |
pbm76 | Is it possible for a noise to be so loud it could be heard around the world? If so, how loud would it need to be? | [
{
"answer": "Large metorite strikes are presumably \"heard\" around the world. \n\n\\- _URL_1_ -\n\n(Depending on how we're defining \"heard\". The pressure waves from big strikes are strong enough to just blow away large objects in the vicinity - I don't know whether you're defining that as a \"sound\".)\n\n... | null |
2aprva | what language do people have thoughts in if they speak more than one language fluently? | [
{
"answer": "Whichever language is their main language. Or whichever they feel like. My grandfather used to think in German. I learned this in a conversation where he told my parents, \"I haven't thought in German in years.\"",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It depends on how I'm feeling, who I'... | null |
47ifn1 | what is so difficult about making wings for people? | [
{
"answer": "You'd need something like a 12 metre wingspan and muscles far stronger than those you possess to fly like a bird. Humans are not birds. Stick to jetpacks mate.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "3509988",
"title": "The ... | null |
2ljzos | why can't we put probes or something similar in black holes to study them deeper? | [
{
"answer": "We would never hear back from them. Any signal they tried to send would never reach us due to the intense gravity. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Information cannot escape a black hole, because its escape velocity exceeds the speed of light. There would be no way for our probes t... | null |
2spcib | how did foods like onions and cranberries get to be considered food, when they must have been so difficult to eat when discovered? | [
{
"answer": "A food is pretty much is anything you can eat and it will not kill you (when ingested). I would be more interested in who decided to eat lobster first and how many people died before finding out what parts of a puffer fish were edible. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "how are onion... | null |
6co3lg | why do we sleep better in clean sheets/clothes? | [
{
"answer": "Could be mental, much in the same way getting dressed up makes you more productive throughout the day. Lounging around in pyjamas breeds laziness, etc. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "239103",
"title": "Sleeping bag... | null |
2jtvzl | How fast would the earth have to rotate in order to fling us (or other stuff) off of its surface? | [
{
"answer": "I'll work from the assumption that we're on the equator, where rotational speed is greatest.\n\nThe acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s^(2). Centripetal acceleration in a rotating system is calculated by a = v^(2)/r, where v is the circular velocity and r is the radius of the circular path. \n\... | null |
7s1ykj | why hotdogs are not a normal item at fastfood places? | [
{
"answer": "In some places (Chicago, New York) they are. It's merely a cultural preference; there is no scientific reason for it. Why apple pie and not peach?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Burger King used to have a hot dog years ago but it probably wasn't popular enough so they got rid of i... | null |
4l5sck | why does rock music and classical music fit together so well? | [
{
"answer": "All western music is based on the same music theory of melodies and harmonies created from the major and minor scales and the different modes of them. But rock, (especially metal) has closer ties with classical than, say, R & B because some of the more unusual modes and scales are shared by both. R... | null |
fozw3b | from where was the logarithmic constant pulled from? | [
{
"answer": "The derivative of an exponential is an exponential as well, so there will also be an exponential whose derivative is itself, and that is e^x\n\nAnd it turns out because of that it also has lots of other mathematical proprieties and appears very often in maths",
"provenance": null
},
{
"... | null |
30s17f | why doesn't apple make iphones that can use only one kind of headphone, thereby essentially forcing everyone to buy headphones made by apple? | [
{
"answer": "Rumours after Apple bought Beats suggest that is likely to happen soon. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "There were [rumors](_URL_0_) before the iPhone 6 came out that they were getting rid of the headphone port to make the phone slimmer. That obviously didn't happen, but you were... | null |
1s1jc2 | why is pi repeating and how or why does this happen? | [
{
"answer": "as far as we know pi doesn't repeat",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Pi is the ratio a circle's circumference to its diameter. Think of it like this: A circle does not have any sides, so how do you find its area? You draw a square inside the circle. Now you can find the area of that... | null |
1sm6hj | where did the song structure "verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus" originate, and how did it gain such popularity? | [
{
"answer": "According to [Wikipedia](_URL_0_), it began in the early 20th century, when the chorus was just a way of changing things around a bit. By the 1960s it had become the norm, and the chorus wasn't just used to change things around but had become the main part of the song.",
"provenance": null
},... | null |
20xhej | why are aliens portrayed as stronger and superior? | [
{
"answer": "A weak and inferior alien doesn't make for a very exciting story.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "For fiction literature it's mostly due to simple story telling preference. That being said, most portrayals of aliens are about them arriving at earth, which pretty much guarantees th... | null |
6u2p6e | how do we know where a missile is headed? | [
{
"answer": "Simiple trajectory of Newtonian physics (ballistic trajectory). Of course each course correction updates the trajectory so the missile needs to be constantly tracked for any trajectory changes. \n\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
... | null |
357y92 | how are exit/opinion polls calculated during elections? | [
{
"answer": "They pollsters know the voting patterns of each constituency, based on decades of poll results. They can sample key locations, and use that as the basis for an analysis of how that area will vote.\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia... | null |
56aupk | what is safer for the baby, a natural birth or c section and why? | [
{
"answer": "A C-section is medically indicated when there is a danger to the baby and/or mother. (As opposed to the elective C-Section by mothers \"too posh to push\", as they say in the UK.) A C-Section is *surgery*, with all the risks that come with that. But it's hard to generalise about which is safer beca... | null |
11mt4v | Do any animals other than humans like spicy food? | [
{
"answer": "Spiciness, caused by the chemical Capsaicin, appears to be an adaptation of plants to prevent mammals from eating their fruit/peppers. Birds, which are immune to Capsaicin, appear to be the intended consumer of these fruits, which is understandible considering they fly and can, thusly, disperse th... | null |
47s65h | how does france maintain more than two political parties despite a winner-take-all system? | [
{
"answer": "Many countries with single-winner, district-based elections have multiple major parties. These systems discourage party fracturing, but do not prevent it--e.g., in the United Kingdom the Liberal Democrats are a respectable third party. The reason the United States has just two main parties has to d... | null |
g8ejn | Do static electric shocks people get on a door knobs and metallic objects can hurt and/or kill them? | [
{
"answer": " > Do static electric shocks people get on a door knobs and metallic objects can hurt and/or kill them?\n\nSure, given a large enough door knob in an environment ideal enough to build up a substantial electric charge. Keep in mind that lightning is a form of electrostatic discharge.",
"provena... | null |
3jvu8u | how is it possible rick astley's "never gonna give you up" has 140,000,000+ views and he's only made $12 from royalties? | [
{
"answer": "Part of it has to do with the way his song has been shared. It's been uploaded and re-uploaded by hundreds (probably) of people, none of which are officially tracked. Sure, Astley deserves to get paid, but by whom? YouTube isn't going to take responsibility for paying for illegally uploaded content... | null |
hbrex | What does a geological history map of the world tell you about the region (beyond the age of the uppermost rocks)? | [
{
"answer": "Title question:\n\nNot much, geologic maps of the world are very simplified and there is little use to look at the world as a whole. If you get a detailed smaller map, then you can get down to business. Maps in geology have near infinite applications, usually the more detailed maps have age, a rock... | null |
29ypkn | insect intelligence | [
{
"answer": "Decisions in general? Hive mind. Each ant or bee is a sensory instrument of the whole. With that shared experience, they can [weigh data](_URL_0_) and come up with a collective decision. \n\nAs for the smartest? The smartest we've tested is the [honeybee](_URL_1_). ",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
f1jejo | what do iss spacesuits do? i know they provide an at atmosphere but do they have insulation? i'd guess not because there's no atmosphere to cool you down, but what about depressurization? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, they provide pressure, and insulation. When you're in the sunshine, it can seriously overheat you in a small amount of time.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They are insulated because space is a wild set of climates. Imagine standing inside a huge deep freeze with a million ... | null |
2ppalp | How did the Mongols view sex and virginity? | [
{
"answer": "First of all it would be false to claim that Jochi's paternity caused no issues. While he was afforded respect and authority as Genghis Khan's first born son it appears that the questionable parentage was raised as a point against him by Chagatai when Genghis Khan's was choosing his successor. \n\... | null |
39obac | Can re-hydration occur through food only, without access to liquids? | [
{
"answer": "There are two levels to this. One is that if you eat a 'watery' food like watermelon, it'll help because there's literally water there.\n\nBut there is also the fact that the metabolism of some foods will actually generate water. This is called 'metabolic water' and while in some bacterial specie... | null |
stdc4 | Would someone be able to describe in lamens terms what Long-term potentiation is? | [
{
"answer": "I'm not sure how simple you want it, so I'm going to err on the side of \"really simple\" and lead off with a ridiculously simple analogy (if it's condescendingly simple, it's unintended and I apologize in advance). \n\nSay you really love cookies, and you're in the middle of a park with a lot of p... | null |
6irblq | why were european and other folks in the medieval and early modern world religiously intolerant. why burn heretics? what is to be gained? | [
{
"answer": "Say you are the King of England. You support the Anglican church. In this system, the hierarchy goes God, you, then the average person. If a heretic came along and said people should be Catholic, it goes God, the Roman Pope, and then the average person. It cuts you out. If your goal is to control t... | null |
2z3k1u | Slavery during Roman times is portrayed in media as being less of a race issue and more of a "we conquered you" issue. How accurate is this and did racism play any part into slavery during that time? | [
{
"answer": "While experts prepare more targeted answers, here are some threads with background information on the topic from the FAQ section on “[Racism and Slavery](_URL_8_)\":\n\n\n**Race and Slavery in Antiquity**\n\n\n* [\"I don't think that ancient slavery is really comparable to the chattel slavery that ... | null |
3v8n2y | how do aquariums get the large fish to the aquarium once construction is finished? | [
{
"answer": "I admit, I can't help but think of them being transported in huge plastic bags, like goldfish. In reality, they do it like [this](_URL_0_). Basically, big tanks that look like storage containers. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "We will construct a series of breathing apparatus wit... | null |
mr064 | When you dry heave why do you always feel better? | [
{
"answer": "Once you trip the gag reflex (or mental equivalent thereof) your body is going to keep trying to expel (what it thinks is) something dangerous until it succeeds or it was proven to be a false message.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Once you trip the gag reflex (or mental equivalen... | null |
bix1bh | Did Pasteur's rabies cure involve injections to the stomach? | [
{
"answer": "If you don't get an answer here, you can try /r/askhistorians or /r/historyofmedicine",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Biologist here:\n\nAwesome question!\n\nPasteur’s treatments were indeed shots in the abdomen, in a series.\n\nIts known as an attenuated vaccine, by starting with ... | null |
5ib34t | how do they film those commercials/videos where people are frozen, but the camera moves all around them? | [
{
"answer": "Mannequin challenge? No tricks, just very still people:\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They use a lot of cameras and select different images from each camera, like [this](_URL_0_). The first instance of this technique I'm aware of was in the matrix, they called it bulle... | null |
2txk4j | why do movie theaters still use film reels when there is other technology available? | [
{
"answer": "For the most part they aren't anymore. I forget the movie, but a recent one (possibly even an upcoming one) was/is supposed to be available on film only due to director preference and a bunch of theater chains are giving loud wtf's on that. They all just spent a bunch of money upgrading to digital ... | null |
13zvee | I found this small ice formation in my garden. It has the appearance of a stalagmite however there was nothing above it which could have dripped on to it, suggesting the ice rose upwards on its own. Can anyone explain the process by which this could have occurred? | [
{
"answer": "I don't have any scientific expertise in this area, but your description does remind me of ice cube tray ice spikes. I don't know if they're related, but [here's some reading](_URL_0_) if you're interested!",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"... | null |
ov64p | Diminishing returns on exercise. How big are we talking? | [
{
"answer": "The first hour a week is far and away the most important, because it stimulates the metabolism and muscle growth of an otherwise unhealthy/unsporty person. Someone who works out regularly should not notice a positive effect of such an extend after each individual workout.\n\nOther than that, you ca... | null |
4xi8gn | Question about kingship and the Holy Roman Empire | [
{
"answer": "In a sense, it developed around 1000 A.D. that \"Rex Romanorum\" was the title that the electors confered on the elected, before that it was \"Rex Germaniae\" or even \"Rex Francorum\" - they meant East Francia.\n\nBefore Maximilian it was implied that the elected would have to get the pope to crow... | null |
asjvrt | Is there a defining symptom for comas? | [
{
"answer": "One of the difficulties with answering this question is that the term \"coma\" is not used in medicine at all. It's a layman's term, so the definition varies broadly. I think the most reasonable definition that medical personnel would agree with is a person who is unresponsive in all ways (voice or... | null |
8j8550 | Are there any books on ancient martial arts practices, exercises, and philosophies? | [
{
"answer": "Two books are:\n\n* Michael B. Poliakoff, *Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence, and Culture*, Yale University Press, 1987. As the title suggests, this is restricted to sports (mostly wrestling, boxing, and pankration), and focusses on Greek sports. Egyptian stick-fighting is c... | null |
vcn3d | Do animals that don't sweat require additional water when it is hot? | [
{
"answer": "I'm no expert but animals that don't sweat can have other forms of thermoregulation that involve evaporating water.\nie. dogs stick their tongues out and pant when it's hot, therefore they would require more water.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
... | null |
1ioxc8 | What did soldiers in the Mongol army do in their "free time"? | [
{
"answer": "They trained archery, horsemanship and wrestling the three manly skills. _URL_1_. These were important for the Mongols. You can read about the Genghis khan and his empire forging in the book \"Genghis khan and the making of the Modern World\" by Jack Weatherford. Also Conn Iggulden's \"Conqueror\" ... | null |
139vd2 | Why are Lagrangian points only limited to the orbital plane? | [
{
"answer": "At any given point in the orbit, yes- but they won't stay in that configuration. For orbits outside of the orbital plane, as they move through their orbit they will change their location with respect to the other two bodies, thus no longer will the forces add correctly. ",
"provenance": null
... | null |
2g7g5e | why is there speculation about 9/11? why do some believe that the us government knew about it beforehand? | [
{
"answer": "There is conspiracy about every major event. For a lot of people, it's a way to feel superior those around them, i.e.: \"You're all sheep but **I** think for myself\". In other cases, it's the same logic as ancient man inventing myths about the rising sun or thunder: \"I can't explain something, th... | null |
3cmd82 | Fight or flight is controlled by the adrenal glands (atop the kidneys). Does someone who has had kidney transplants lose this response? | [
{
"answer": "there are a few misunderstandings in your question. innervation of adrenal glands do not originate in the kidneys. their removal does not prevent innervation (but does affect adrenal function). secondly, you are right that some nerve connections do not regenerate but that is isolated for the most p... | null |
2tq9to | why don't porn sites end with .xxx instead of .com? | [
{
"answer": "Because the porn companies can get more visitors on .com sites, since that's what everyone searches for, so that's what they register",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Let's make this simple.\n\n- .Com used to be default, and porn has existed as long as the internet, so a lot of site... | null |
2webbh | Does anything exist in between solar systems? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, the so called [interstellar medium](_URL_1_), which is made of hot and cold gas, cosmic rays and dust particles. There are also [rogue planets](_URL_0_) and rogue comets between the stars, if you don't consider them as own systems. Similarly to the interstellar medium, there is a [intergalacti... | null |
1c4p2p | Is there historical doubt of the "historical Muhammad"? | [
{
"answer": "From my Early Islamic History class, what I would say is that there is no doubt that there was a very charismatic man named Muhammad whose general life story (somewhat successful business man, left for Medina, returned to Mecca, etc) is not in doubt. He died in 632 or so and by 634 you already hav... | null |
4kwrr3 | Do we have any actual clue on what happened to the Vikings in Greenland after 1408? | [
{
"answer": "There's a Denmark-based international research group that's been pushing *hard* at this question in the last 5-10 years (although the project goes back to 1982 or something nuts like that); *Journal of the North Atlantic* has had a few special issues devoted to archaeological and paleobotanical res... | null |
4p00qc | why did old-timey western saloons have swinging doors ? | [
{
"answer": "Hollywood exaggerated their prevalence considerably. Most saloons of old had normal full length doors, and were very small inside. Basically a closed hallway with a bar on one side. Real estate was very expensive and a huge bar with tables all over was very rare. \n\nThe \"batwing\" style doors... | null |
f96m5q | how do pit stops work in racing ? do you lose your spot | [
{
"answer": "Yes you lose your spot. The other cars keep driving while you're in the pit and it's possible they will pass you, but keep in mind eventually they will also have to pit while you're still driving so it kinda evens out.\n\nHaving a fast pit crew is important when fractions of a second matter.",
... | null |
1x4b8k | When did we move away from the notion of "primitive" peoples? | [
{
"answer": "It's interesting to look across historical sub-disciplines, because one of the things you notice is that various fields are at different stages of epistemological and theoretical maturity. For example, western European medievalists often consider the Byzantine field to be approximately 20 years beh... | null |
8ryebk | why do animals have so many different shapes of pupil and colours of iris? | [
{
"answer": "The eye is actually fairly uncomplicated from an evolutionary perspective. It only takes a few thousand years to grow, and every small evolution is a massive advantage \n\nDawkins did a great presentation on \"what use is half an eye\": _URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
... | null |
1slwiz | if the us congress has less than a 10% approval rating, why haven't we fired them? | [
{
"answer": "A great many people believe that \"their guy\" is the only good one in congress. Since that's the only one they CAN vote for, he gets reelected, and the electorate continues to complain about all the \"other guys\".",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": " > I haven't seen or heard of a p... | null |
1d888b | If differences in human phenotypes such as skin colour, hair colour, etc. are due to clinal adaptation, what clines lead to the development of East-Asian slanted eyes? | [
{
"answer": "The explantation for epicanthus is that Central Asian steppes, the area where proto-Mongoloids origated, were very dusty with common dust storms and the epicanthus helped them to protect their vision. But it's also possible that it was a random mutation and an example of the founder effect.\n\nBeca... | null |
1h4o3v | ®, ©, and ™ | [
{
"answer": "The purpose of these marks are to simply put the public on notice that a person/company has registered the trademark/copyright for the preceding word or phrase.\n\nA trademark is a symbol or name or the like that indicates a product came from a specific company. (E.g., the Nike swoosh). The fact th... | null |
hnymp | I want to actually learn physics. What math or (other classes) should I take first? | [
{
"answer": "The basics: algebra, geometry\n\nBeyond the basics: calculus\n\nStarting to actually understand things: vector calculus, differential equations, linear algebra\n\nGoing in deeper: partial differential equations, group theory (never took this myself)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "... | null |
aijv77 | nonpolar molecules with polar bonds? | [
{
"answer": "ELI20: It comes down to geometry. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is such an example, with the C=O bonds each having a dipole moment, but because of the linear geometry of the molecule, the dipole moments cancel each other out and you’re left with a net zero dipole moment — i.e. a nonpolar molecule. \n\nA sli... | null |
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