id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
8zt8jp | Are there any obligate carnivores that are omnivores? | [
{
"answer": "I think grizzly bears fit the bill. They are mostly carnivorous omnviores. They prey on large mammals like deer and moose, and they love fish. They also eat nuts, berries, tubers, and grasses. They probably eat more meat during the the fall so as to store as much fat as possible to prepare for torp... | null |
5zg4dz | if alcohol tastes terrible, why do people drink it? | [
{
"answer": "I quite enjoy the taste of beer or cider, especially after a hot sweaty day. And the nice buzz after 2 is calming. I very rarely if ever have more than 3 beers in a sitting (I don't like being out of control of my actions)\n\nI've recently been having low alcohol beers which are pleasantly nice",
... | null |
e8pakq | Why can't bacteriophages infect eukaryotic cells? | [
{
"answer": "All viruses look for a specific site on the cell wall of the cell they are trying to infect. The sites that bacteriophages are looking for only exist on bacteria. This is one major reason why there is a significant risk of viruses being transmitted between humans and other mammals, but almost no ri... | null |
4upeqn | if having a straight back is the 'proper' position, why isn't it the 'natural' position? | [
{
"answer": "I'm never going to find this article, but the \"natural\" position is a straight spine, not a curved one-- hold on let me google. \n\nThere was an article saying that the anatomy textbooks are wrong because they're all based from people who did a lot of sitting (or something) and if you look at the... | null |
aj8ah8 | with modern technology, why do pharmacists still exist as a profession? | [
{
"answer": "Why do video examples of things exist for games?\n\nPharmacists exist because not everyone can easily understand the instructions, nor can they understand easily the interactions between drugs they’re already taking.\n\nA pharmacist is supposed to be the bridge between your doctor and your medicati... | null |
4zfo1z | Why did East Germany do so well in the Olympics, in relation to West Germany and Germany today | [
{
"answer": "**Part I**\n\nIt is very tempting to reduce all of the GDR's success in the Olympics from the late 1960s to 1988 to the state's use of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. The GDR's program for these substances was quite large and substantial. Although other Olympic teams used s... | null |
bf0dcp | why does technology seem to develop linear instead of in jumps? | [
{
"answer": "The bleeding edge of research does move in jumps, but manufacturing doesn't.\n\nThe stuff that reaches consumers has to be produced in mass quantities in giant factories. You can't go retrofit the entire assemly line every time there's a research breakthrough, so there's a slow incremental change ... | null |
6epff6 | why do printers decide to randomly do...something every so often? | [
{
"answer": "Ink jet Printer heads need to have the ink wiped off of them before it dries, and also the head needs to be sealed to reduce risk of blockages. It doesn't do this right away because you might still want to print something. It has some logic which tells it it's time to clean during printing, or that... | null |
1pbyln | how are these kind of space images captured? | [
{
"answer": "With the Hubbel telescope.\nA lot of those images are slightly photo-shopped. They don't actually look like that. (has to do with shifting the visible spectrum around)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Yah they are taken with the hubble space telescope or other ground based telescope... | null |
kadex | why proper emulation of older systems is still hard on new computers | [
{
"answer": "Honey, let's take a break from the games and eat your peas. \n\nAlso: difference of dedicated processors v. multi-tasking within an already high-functioning OS. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Emulators (software) try and use the available hardware to reproduce similar actions of ... | null |
skn4g | Any help would be appreciated
concerning history from 1800 - present | [
{
"answer": "1) Science does not conflict with religion, many prominent early scientists were quite religious. Believing in a God in no way hinders your abilities to make advances in science. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just being close-minded (this goes for both Theists and Atheists.)\n\n2) Ironically, I... | null |
uupmr | Why are there mushrooms growing in a trail in my back yard? | [
{
"answer": "Cool picture!\n\nMushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungal mycelium.\n\n _URL_0_\n\nThe threadlike mycelium is growing under the ground there in the shape of that line. If I had to guess why, I would say they are associated with a tree root that is growing in that shape, as basidiomycetes (the t... | null |
179rhb | How realistic is widespread nuclear energy? Does the Earth have enough uranium deposits to provide power long term? | [
{
"answer": "I'm hoping someone with more concise data comes in to add numerical content, as I don't have a lot of my data/notes available at work.\n\nFrom a qualitative perspective, it depends on a lot of things. One of those things is what type of nuclear reactors we use in the future. Current plants generall... | null |
9awld1 | i dont understand spacetime and its relevance with gravity, eli5 please... | [
{
"answer": "To understand the answer to this question, we first have to understand what curved spacetime is, and how it relates to falling objects. \n\nSpacetime is a four dimensional object. Three of these dimensions are spatial, and one is temporal. In classical mechanics, space and time are the stage on whi... | null |
obi2l | How close are we to being able to create a video game that interfaces directly with the brain? | [
{
"answer": "Surgeons are capable of implanting electrodes directly into the brain that react when that area of the brain is activated (i.e. when the person has a specific thought), providing a direct form of Brain-Computer Input. One problem with this method is that the control method is not intuitive. To \"go... | null |
5m76rw | is there a non-cynical explanation for rich people running for office? or interested at all in cabinet positions and politics in general? | [
{
"answer": "It's pretty simple: Running a campaign costs money. People who have lots of money don't have to go to work to get their paycheck. They can devote 100% of their time and energy to campaigning. They can afford all the flags and banners and employees and commercials that are required to run a succ... | null |
4mm0m5 | When the Greeks fought the Romans, did they use short 6' spears or long 22' ones? | [
{
"answer": "The short answer is both. The longer answer is far more complex.\n\n'The Greeks' were not a monolithic entity. Nor was their military innovation static in the 300-odd years during which Rome fought with cities and nations that laid claim to Greek heritage.\n\nThe Macedonians, and the other Successo... | null |
1nceu9 | what's the behind the meaning of a "neckbeard"? | [
{
"answer": "Neckbeard refers to someone who has grown a beard but its really only on their neck. Its fairly common among nerd / geeks. \n\nThe term has become a derogatory term for nerds and geeks, generally referring to those who take themselves to seriously and who tend to have a bad taste in fashion and abo... | null |
21pwh0 | why is an earthquake- warning system valuable when it only gives a warning a few seconds prior to the actual earthquake, at best? | [
{
"answer": "The way I'm reading the articles is that the warning system itself was successful (as a prototype), and that 4 seconds is an indicator that they might be able to get more in the future (30 or 40 seconds) -- not that the 4 seconds was a successful warning.\n\n30 or 40 seconds is enough to evacuate a... | null |
q6s7c | what does franchise tagging mean in the nfl? | [
{
"answer": "When a player completes the last year of his contract, he becomes a free agent and is allowed to entertain offers from any team in the NFL with one exception. The team that previously employed him has the option of employing the \"franchise tag\" so that he stays on their team one more year. As of ... | null |
9aiina | why can people hold their breath for a relatively long amount of time, but feel out of breath after a few seconds of chugging water? | [
{
"answer": "I’m sure it has something to do with how our brains react to different situations. If someone were to try to inhale water while in a pool, it would be extremely difficult because our brains know that it isn’t the right action to take.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"prove... | null |
6g9h8g | since reusable rockets can reduce the costs, why nasa never had the interest or investment like spacex ? | [
{
"answer": "NASA was hugely interested in it. The Space Shuttle was a completely reusable rocket powered spacecraft. It brought back and reused the engines, the most expensive part of the launch system. The Solid rocket boosters on the sides were also reusable. Only the big fuel tank was destroyed each fligh... | null |
p34k9 | If it takes a few minutes for your brain to die without oxygen, why do people lose consciousness and die almost instantly when shot/stabbed through the heart? | [
{
"answer": " > Physiologically, a determined adversary can be stopped reliably and immediately only by a shot that disrupts the brain or upper spinal cord. Failing a hit to the central nervous system, massive bleeding from holes in the heart or major blood vessels of the torso causing circulatory collapse is t... | null |
8bvsu3 | how does gas-x work? | [
{
"answer": "The active ingredient in Gas\\-X is Simethicone. This compound acts by making small bubbles of gas combine to form larger ones which are passed more easily.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Gas and bloating is caused by large air bubbles inside your gut. The chemical in Gas-X preve... | null |
3dh8ku | why did us congress pass a law to ensure all helium in the us national helium reserve is sold by 2015? what benefit does this have? | [
{
"answer": "In 1995 We had gathered a stockpile of over 1 billion cubic meters but had also racked up a debt of $1.4 billion doing so. The law was not to sell off all stockpiles, it was to start selling off the stockpile until that debt was covered. It was all part of a plan to privatize the harvesting of heli... | null |
g9gjf | Is there any portion of your field that is limited by mathematics? | [
{
"answer": "Oh see I find we have the exact *opposite* problem right now. We have so many different choices for the math, and we don't have the data to know which one is correct. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Progress in physics is mostly limited by our understanding of physics. I've never ... | null |
25g2qi | How was the American civil rights movement covered in the media of apartheid era South Africa? | [
{
"answer": "I'm afraid I can't offer specific information on headlines relating to major events, but I do know a little regarding the general social attitude, which was reflected in the media discourse of the conservative white newspapers.\n\nI'm basing most of this on a collection of essays edited by Sue Onsl... | null |
r5h6f | Is it possible to view the moon landing sites through a powerful enough telescope? | [
{
"answer": "[This](_URL_0_) is about as much detail as we have so far....will we ever make a powerful enough telescope to see this? maybe..who knows. \n \nThe problem is that the objects are quite small, and the moon is a *long* way away. This heavily reduces the amount of photons being reflected by these ob... | null |
yuyqk | I just read up on the Russian Sleep Experiment and the Milgram Experiment. Can anybody give me a list of similar experiments i can research? | [
{
"answer": "The Russian Sleep experiment isn't a real thing. It's a work of fiction.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Is there a russian sleep experiment that's not the weird creepypasta I'm thinking of? ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
... | null |
f8pc48 | why does water on the horizon look as if it is above ground level when it is flat? | [
{
"answer": "You're not used to seeing such an uninterrupted expanse (to the horizon). \n\nThe water lays at eye level, essentially.\n\nA flat desert would look the same.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Check out what a [Fata Morgana](_URL_1_) is.\n\n[And here is the great Werner Herzog showing... | null |
dctj31 | how does a computer program arrange transistors to run a program? in other words, if transistors are so small, how can a computer ever know how to create the circuit required to run a program? | [
{
"answer": "A computer does not \"arrange transistors\". They aren't moved around to form circuits to run programs, they already are in the required configuration within the CPU. The CPU is manufactured that way with everything already in place as needed.\n\nComputer programs simply interact with the CPU as it... | null |
fna37b | Why is it that the Gothic religion of Arianism died out as opposed to the more Roman-Orthodox sects of Christianity? | [
{
"answer": "There's certainly more to be said, but you might [ find elements of answer ](_URL_1_) in t[hese posts](_URL_0_)\n\nBasically, \"Arianism\" ( a pejorative name for Homoian creed, identifying it with actual Arianism) was a creation of the imperial court adopted by Goths at first to pay-lip service to... | null |
86j3ib | What are reliable sources of information on the Scandinavian invasion of the Anglo-Saxon England and their presence there from 793 till 1066? | [
{
"answer": "Your go-to primary sources are *The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle* and Asser's *Vita Ælfredi*. Exercise standard cautions. It's also worth looking through William of Malmesbury.\n\nYour standard work is Stenton's perennial *Anglo-Saxon England*. There's a whole library of literature on the reigns of Alfred... | null |
4k0z5b | how does so much oil exist on earth? | [
{
"answer": "The oil was formed over literally millions of years.\n\nAnd we *are* using it up. At current consumption rates it could be gone in well under 200 years.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Well, there is a bit of a saying, probably made up on Reddit, \"our cars run on liquid dinosaurs,... | null |
659klt | Does antimatter reflect photons? | [
{
"answer": "The electromagnetic force (which is mediated by photons) does not distinguish between matter and antimatter. In other words, the electromagnetic force has [charge conjugation symmetry](_URL_0_).",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Yes. [Recently we've even been able to analyze the ligh... | null |
sbsuc | Are there examples of cultures and acculturation in nature outside of the homo genus? | [
{
"answer": "Cultures have been described in many primate species and aspects of cultures in other [animals as well](_URL_1_). For instance, in chimps and other primates certain groups use certain types of tools in very specific ways. One individual comes up with this novel use and then passes this use onto oth... | null |
xsp83 | time (before you downvote, please look) | [
{
"answer": "No. Time passed before humans / earth existed. Matter collecting into planets takes *time*.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Time is what separates two events in the same space. It is no more a made-up concept than distance is.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
... | null |
2d0mnq | What was pre-Christian Slavic society like? | [
{
"answer": "The facts are is that we know very little about pre-Christianity Slavs. What little we do know is from Christian sources and, sadly, they're very biased against the Slavs. However, it's highly unlikely that they were as barbaric as they were depicted. As for the common people, very little would hav... | null |
2b30p1 | how can it take more than 5 minutes for an airline to know exactly who was on a plane that went down? | [
{
"answer": "Another point I haven't seen is that families are contacted first and unfortunate verification that the person in particular was on this flight would probably get verified in this manner. It's a time consuming process.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
... | null |
zkmzw | In the winter, if your door is open, do you let the heat out or the cold in? | [
{
"answer": "You mix cold air into your house, and warm air out into the world, unless there is a significant pressure differential between the two. (Hint: There is not.) \n\nThe net flux of energy is out of the house. Everything generally fluxes from higher concentrations to lower concentrations. In this case,... | null |
7rjwqg | why does sand stick to everything even though it doesn't feel sticky? | [
{
"answer": "Sand sticks to things in many ways just like flour does. Flour particles aren't sticky at all (while dry), but small enough to be caught in tangles of fabric fibers, attracted by even the slightest charges, or \"grabbed\" by microscopic droplets of water or oil (and the human body is literally cove... | null |
9cpg0m | How do USB power adapters convert power from outlets to that usable for our phones? | [
{
"answer": "A power adapter is more than a transformer and rectifier. It first rectifies the AC into 170 or 340VDC (depending on whether you have 120 or 240 VAC service). Then a transistor switches the DC at around 100kHz and that is applied to a transformer. The transformer converts the switched DC (which is... | null |
9hltc6 | what makes a dry martini "dry?" | [
{
"answer": "The use of dry vermouth. Vermouth is a type of fortified wine that comes in sweet and dry varieties.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "There are two kinds of vermouth, sweet and dry. Sweet is red, dry is clear. A martini is made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth. When you ask for a ... | null |
7obgct | how is energy from renewable sources, like wind or solar, stored? | [
{
"answer": "That’s actually a big issue holding us back from 100% renewables that they are still working feverishly on.\n\nRight now, though, we can avoid the storage problems by having back-up energy capacity installed. Basically: if the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, we just burn more fossil fu... | null |
1epfwy | quantum superposition | [
{
"answer": "In a normal situation, things that you measure have that value before you try to measure them. You are in your parking lot before you look it up on GPS. You are moving 55 MPH before the cop radar blasts you. If you try to measure the speed or location of an electron, it actually doesn't have one un... | null |
4v2dsp | From what I understand, epic poems (Homer etc) were recited aloud from memory. Were there specific techniques the ancients used to memorise long passages? | [
{
"answer": "Memory is pliable. Training in mnemonic techniques can be used to improve memory. The military academies require multiple things to be memorized at all times to enhance memory improvement.\n\nEpic poems weren't recited word-for-word every time, at least not in our sense of the word. A poet would... | null |
uhhhv | Russian Historians, any idea as to the context of this picture? | [
{
"answer": " > Its a photograph entitled \"Viktor Bulla's Pioneers in Defense Drill, Leningrad (1937)\" \n\n > It appears on page 79 of a book of photographs called \"Propaganda and Dreams\" by Leah Bendavid-Val.\n\nFound [here](_URL_0_).",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance... | null |
rw3g1 | Does one strand of DNA contain more genetic information than the other? | [
{
"answer": "Actually, the two strands are completely redundant; they contain exactly the same information, and each strand is a template of the other. This is what makes DNA replication work. \n \nThe different genes are contained on different *chromosomes*. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Bo... | null |
110kky | Is there an opposite to clinical depression, a sort of "chronic happiness" or something like that? | [
{
"answer": "To be classified as disorder, the condition must have negative effects to the person, his ability to to function, or to his environment. Mania is in some sense opposite of depression, but it comes in cycles in almost all cases, even if not every bipolar person has clear depression between manic ep... | null |
1zzslm | Why do temperatures seem more extreme when we first wake up? | [
{
"answer": "Possibly because temperatures *are* more extreme early in the morning? \n\nThe side of the earth which faces away from the sun cools as much of the day's heat is radiated away into space. This is particularly true on cloudless nights. \n\nFrom a more science-y standpoint, your metabolic activity de... | null |
9v5s56 | im british and ive always heard jeff sessions's name bought up negativly...why are people protesting/ angry that he has been fired? | [
{
"answer": "He recused himself from the investigation into Russians tampering with the 2016 election favoring Donald Trump. Meaning the investigation into Trump’s possible collusion with Russia and obstruction of Justice was being done by Sessions’ deputy, Rod Rosenstein. \n\nBy Firing Jeff Sessions, Trump can... | null |
1rfweb | why don't our lungs clog from all the tiny things we inhale? | [
{
"answer": "In addition to the lung clearance provided by the ciliae there are tiny cells in the alveoli wall (the tiny bubbles the lung tissue is made out of) called macrophages whose task it is to basically \"eat\" rubbish and get rid of any foreign bodies.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": nul... | null |
mqgff | Why are humans still susceptible to superstitions? | [
{
"answer": "Because believing in a superstition does not prevent you from successfully reproducing. IN FACT, some superstitions encourage people to reproduce as much as possible, as quickly as possible.\n\nEDIT: Please note I am not talking about any specific group of superstitious people...I do not wish to of... | null |
16mh5y | Why isn't spiciness a basic taste? | [
{
"answer": "Spiciness, as in what you \"taste\" in peppers, is not a taste. It's actually a reaction between [capsaicin](_URL_1_) and the [trigeminal nerve](_URL_0_). Similarly, it's why you wouldn't call \"minty\" a basic flavor -- similar reaction, same nerve.\n\n\nWhat capsaicin does to the trigeminal nerve... | null |
1gll1f | If I donate blood while under the influence of some substance, will the receiver of said blood experience the effects of that substance? | [
{
"answer": "They test blood for things such as this, they don't just take the blood right from you and give it to others without checking it first.\n\nNow if you're asking whether they would hypothetically experience it, that would depend on how much blood of yours they received. Remember that your blood alcoh... | null |
4nczbw | why does putting sugar on some things make it taste sour? | [
{
"answer": "I'm pretty sure the coating is a mixture of sugar and citric acid. Citric acid is the main chemical that makes citrus fruits taste sour.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "10646",
"title": "Food",
"section": "Se... | null |
19vdhe | Could a cannibal contract AIDS from eating an AIDS infected person? | [
{
"answer": "It's possible. The acids of the stomach would probably destroy the HIV virus, but if the cannibal has any sort of small cut or opening anywhere in their mouth or digestive tract and infected blood comes into contact with this abrasion, they can contract the virus that way. HIV is prevalent among ga... | null |
1yp519 | the difference between coke zero and diet coke, surely you only need the one product? | [
{
"answer": "It's actually a really interesting story! In my opinion, anyway, though it might be more interesting or relevant to people who remember the failed experiment with \"New Coke\" in the mid 80s.\n\nIn the early 80s, diet sodas pretty much sucked. They tried to replicate the formula of the non-diet ve... | null |
2g59rd | how does gorilla glass work? | [
{
"answer": "It is done using using the ion exchange process:\n\n\"Ion exchange is a chemical strengthening process where large ions are “stuffed” into the glass surface, creating a state of compression. Gorilla Glass is specially designed to maximize this behavior. The glass is placed in a hot bath of molten s... | null |
7c8rww | Why did Egypt's Old Kingdom fall? | [
{
"answer": "I couldn't find another thread that explains this, which surprised me, but here is another discussion of the Old Kingdom by u/mp96 which gives some background such that I can skip over some basics: _URL_0_\n\nTo begin with, know that the ending/changing of 'Kingdoms' isn't anything noted by contemp... | null |
4p6swh | stock grants | [
{
"answer": "If you choose to sell your stock, you will sell it at whatever price you get, and be taxed on that.\n\nFor stocks in the US you will be taxed at the capital gains tax rate. You are not taxed until you sell, because until you sell your stock, the value is $0. Stock prices can change every millisecon... | null |
1is7qu | What happens to the probes that land on Venus? | [
{
"answer": "In addition the the crushing pressure, the surface of Venus is *very* hot. A lot of materials will be significantly less-strong at 450 degrees C. \n\nAtmospheric pressure is essentially the same in every direction, so the probes are crumpled like being crushed in a fist, rather than like having a r... | null |
2p65ts | if people are born in palestinian territories what citizenship do they have? | [
{
"answer": "_URL_0_\n\nPeople born to Palestinian parents get a Palestinian ID card with the approval of the Israeli government. They are Palestinian citizens, even if it technically means they are stateless (since Palestine is not an independent state).\n\nP.S. Only some countries practice \"jus soli\" (\"rig... | null |
8dmiff | does juice expire and how? is it more about the taste goong bad or is it unhealthy to drink juice that has expired a few months ago? | [
{
"answer": "Juice can mold because of the sugar content. This would likely only occur if it was previously opened so the mold spores could enter, but nonetheless I would proceed with caution.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Yes, you aren't the only thing that eats juice. Bacteria for instance ... | null |
3nj5jl | History of Abraham in Arabia | [
{
"answer": "Hello,\n\nAs of this time, we have no archaeological or extrabiblical evidence that mentions Abraham, Ishmael, or Isaac. We haven't found any texts from Mesopotamia or Egypt that mention him, we haven't found his tomb, and writing was not prevalent or used much in the land between Mesopotamia and ... | null |
xsk35 | Does the Oberth Effect actually increase the delta v of the burn or does it just mean an equal delta v performed at high velocity has a larger affect on the orbit? | [
{
"answer": "It actually increases the delta v of the rocket. To an observer on the rocket, the fuel is always leaving the rocket at the same speed. This means that to an observer who is stationary with respect to the frame the rocket is flying in, that the faster the rocket is moving the slower the expelled ex... | null |
pyikc | why is the price of gas so much more fluid than any other good we purchase? | [
{
"answer": "It changes often because the profit on gasoline is so thin and there is no way to spread that out. Most of the stations are franchised or lease the right to the brand name. That means that the station owner will lose money if the cost of the new shipment goes up by say five cent. Couple that with f... | null |
2wmou5 | how did mit become internationally renowned compared to other state technical colleges and universities? | [
{
"answer": "MIT isn't a state school, it is private. So like Harvard they can be selective which allows them to cultivate a reputation for excellence. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "First off, MIT is private.\n\nThe school was founded with a idea in mind that it would be an institution dev... | null |
3u8yku | Would an instrument sound different in gravity that is different than Earth's gravity? | [
{
"answer": "Yes it would, the way we percieve sounds differs from one matter to the other. (Things sound different underwater then they do through the atmosphere). It also depends on the density of the matter. Under a significantly different gravitationnal force, the density of air would be different therefore... | null |
516zx4 | how does a fertilized egg develop into the different parts of a fetus so specifically? | [
{
"answer": "One could literally describe details on this for pages and hours, and if you want to get into the weeds, people work on researching this information as a career. I'm pretty sure they're still not entirely sure on the details. But because of where we are (and because embryology is one of my weak poi... | null |
31xsvv | How many workers died while building the national highway system? | [
{
"answer": "There's no way to come up with a firm number, as the network of highways in the US was built over a period spanning centuries, by many different companies and agencies. Even if you're talking only about the Interstate System, those were built by hundreds of firms under the direction of 50 differen... | null |
3n81xh | why does 'republican' mean something completely different in europe compared to what it means in the us? | [
{
"answer": "Because it is the name of the other major party of the US, so the political ideology and goals of that party greatly define what republican means in the US. In Europe on the other hand there are still a lot of monarchies (UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain) so republican is more understood as ... | null |
1if18c | Is there an understood neurological difference between imagined vision ( mind's eye ) and actual sight? | [
{
"answer": "There are some recent studies that indicate that imagery seems to activate similar populations as actually seeing the object, at least in higher visual areas (e.g., [Stokes et al., 2009](_URL_2_), [Cichy et al., 2012](_URL_1_)). In both of these articles, if I recall correctly, they are seeing to w... | null |
42be28 | is phantom pain considered psychological pain or actual physical pain? | [
{
"answer": "It is actual pain. It occurs at the end of the nerves where they were severed. Those ends are exposed and aren't properly \"wired\" into the body and it causes the illusion of pain beyond their end (where the limb used to be). If you have a modern surgeon do an amputation, you shouldn't suffer from... | null |
18ns07 | Is it possible to experience withdrawal symptoms off of a placebo? | [
{
"answer": "Asked and answered 11 days ago:\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "981225",
"title": "Nocebo",
"section": "Section::::Effects.:Side effects of drugs.\n",
"start_paragraph_id": 10,
"sta... | null |
cn1w7e | Do male Lions hunt differently than female Lions? | [
{
"answer": "It used to be thought that male lions rarely hunted, with lionesses doing most of the work. More recently, though, it’s been shown that this is not true; it was simply a case of looking under the streetlights. Lionesses and lions have very different hunting strategies, and lionesses were easy to s... | null |
7wo8we | Opium Dens | [
{
"answer": "They were smoking opium. Bootle diggers frequently find small long bottles with small openings and a long narrow interior, and they refer to these as opium bottles. They are not! These may have contained Chinese medicines, but they could not contain opium, which came in a black, sticky, tar-like su... | null |
405wnp | why is it that some of the sugar i put in my coffee dissolves, but some always seems to remain at the bottom of the mug? | [
{
"answer": "Let's look at this with the knowledge of chemistry from school that hasn't left me in the 20 years in between. \n\n* The liquid could be over saturated. That means there is more sugar in there than the liquid can absorb. The rest would just stay crystallized. Since this would make your coffee prett... | null |
6czz2t | positive, negative and ground in an electric circuit. | [
{
"answer": "The way a battery works is that it sets up a difference in potential energy (electric potential is *slightly* different but let's ignore that). The electrons at the negative terminal have a high potential energy, like a ball on top of a hill. The positive terminal is like the bottom of the hill (lo... | null |
466ib8 | why are the democrats and republicans rigorously fighting over the next successor of justice scalia? | [
{
"answer": "The Supreme Court has nine justices. Before Scalia's death, there were five conservative justices and four liberal justices. Scalia was one of the conservative justices. Whoever gets his old job will determine which way the balance of power is tipped.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer":... | null |
twct6 | What single event played the most pivotal role in changing human history in your area of expertise? | [
{
"answer": "So way back when, there was this little thing called [The French Revolution](_URL_0_). Perhaps you've heard of it?\n\n/cheeky mode disengaged",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The Scientific \"Revolution\"",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I consider my real specialty... | null |
1sc2a5 | Why does Virginia have no major cities? | [
{
"answer": "How do you define a major City?\n\nVA Beach is one of the 50 largest.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "For the record, Virginia is certainly not unique in this way. New Jersey has a slightly larger population but New Jersey's largest city (Newark) is significantly smaller, populatio... | null |
6cm4gi | why do containers form a vacuum when being heated in the microwave with their lid on? bowls with cling wrap do the same. | [
{
"answer": "This depends on the design of the lid. A normal lid or plastic wrap is not able to contain much pressure but are able to contain vacuum. So when the contents of the container heats up the container will be pressurized with steam. However the lid will let the steam out so the pressure will not build... | null |
6dapqe | if easter is more significant than christmas, theologically speaking, then why do americans and many others make a bigger deal of christmas--for example, making christmas a federal holiday but not giving any days off for the easter weekend, as opposed to most european countries? | [
{
"answer": "because for most people they are secular holidays about Santa/the Easter Bunny, not a fictional representation of Cesar Borgia.\n\nand because they are secular holidays, they are motivated by money, and people spend far more money on Christmas than they do on Easter.",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
5cqh74 | What actually happens when a city is sacked? | [
{
"answer": "Follow up question: was the sacking/genocide/mass murder of Carthage an unusual occurrence or where there any other such gigantic mass killings of entire populations in pre-modern times? ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "In ancient Greece, if you were in a city taken by siege, it wa... | null |
4jzvz6 | why do humans take so long to fully develop? | [
{
"answer": "Humans are way more advanced than other animals. It takes a lot of time to fully develop our brains.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Humans are born much earlier developmentally than most other mammal species (except marsupials who have to get pre-born and finish developing in thei... | null |
5rjgc9 | how is saudi arabia on the un panel, when they have beheaded more people than isis, in 2015? | [
{
"answer": "Many countries/politicians support the death penalty. It wouldn't preclude you from sitting on any UN council.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "This is a fairly broad explanation because the politics and culture of the subject are extremely complicated, but the short answer is this:... | null |
1mfswk | Did the Romans have something like Wall street/ The stock market? | [
{
"answer": "They certainly invested in each other (by offering loans with interest); [this article, published by the US Federal Reserve, covers the topic very well, offering sources for your delectation]( _URL_0_). It is worth noting that Roman society was highly personal; the invention of limited companies is... | null |
11ajc5 | ambulances carry teddy bears to give to kids after accidents. psychologically, why does the teddy bear help? | [
{
"answer": "Because the only thing scarier than a car accident is Teddy Fucking Roosevelt. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Being able to hold something warm and fuzzy is very comforting and offers a feeling of security. [Harry Harlow](_URL_0_) performed a whole bunch of experiments on using... | null |
33tb9s | What did the Queen (Elizabeth II) say of the Rhodesian Republic? | [
{
"answer": "Having read several biographies about QEII, I seem to remember that she did and said nothing publicly about this situation.. The Queen is a sphinx when it come to her personal opinions and rarely if ever lets them slip out. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
... | null |
cxo74w | what happens to all the oil we use after we dispose of it? | [
{
"answer": "It gets taken to a recycling plant, super heated and filtered and filtered again to get all impurities out. Then boom, back to the shelves. Or filtered and used in bio-diesel engines.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "10470182... | null |
3wlauf | During the end of WWII is there a record of the suicide rate of German soldiers and officers? | [
{
"answer": "There's been some really interesting work done on suicide in Nazi Germany. When considering suicide, as an \"illness\" or as a product of it's context. A purely pathological view of suicide negates any questions regarding the choice and historical context. On the other hand, since the late 19th cen... | null |
d6lgy7 | how do we make paper out of trees? | [
{
"answer": "Paper mills liquify the pulp of the tree and turn it into thin slices. Paper reverts to its pulpy state when it gets wet.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Trees and plants are very fibrous. We take trees, grind them onto a pulp, spread it very thinly through fine mesh, and then comp... | null |
1v52fu | why did the british army not attack loyalist paramilitaries as well as the ira during the troubles? | [
{
"answer": "Because the Ulster Volunteer Force & Ulster Freedom Fighters regarded themselves as 100% British. They also had MPs in British Parliament as the Ulster National Party. \n\nThe IRA killed a lot of British soldiers, as they were regarded as the occupying force (equally, the SAS would assassinate me... | null |
4x3zuk | if a sizable spacecraft was hovering over earth, would we be able to see it? | [
{
"answer": "You can spot satellites and the ISS from the ground already.\n\nThey look like shooting stars, but you can see them.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "_URL_0_ \n\nLink on how to see the ISS, because the other guy beat me to mentioning it. :P\n\nSo, in short, yes.",
"provenance": ... | null |
aw9krw | How do scientists separate "science" from "non-science?" | [
{
"answer": "Any thought is considered a valid hypothesis if it can be tested and disproved. Scientists across the world try to devise experiments that try to disprove the hypothesis. If they succeed, the hypothesis is discarded or modified. If the experiment can't disprove the hypothesis, it gains the con... | null |
8bp089 | Why do certain flavours go well together? E.g. chicken/coleslaw, tomato/mozarella, spinach/garlic, walnuts/honey, tuna/mayonaise? | [
{
"answer": "Trial and error for some of it but a lot of it has to do with biology. Our taste buds sensing the different flavors with some being more complementary than others. There are also complementary foods that usually go together nutritionally such as corn and beans, they both give different amino acids ... | null |
1hsart | How did Romans prepare for bed and what kind of clothing (or lack thereof...) would they wear to bed? | [
{
"answer": "From [Daily Life in Ancient Rome](_URL_0_), by Jerome Carcopino:\n\npp. 152-153:\n\n > \"On a base of interwoven strips of webbing were placed a mattress (*torus*) and a bolster (*culcita*, *cervical*) whose stuffing (*tomentum*) was made of straw or reeds among the poor and among the rich of wool ... | null |
6mdmub | Unusual paths to a History PhD? | [
{
"answer": "It depends on the country. In the US it's pretty easy to switch fields at your stage, in Europe it would be much much more difficult usually. I don't know about other places.\n\nHowever: I would absolutely not recommend doing a history PhD if you're looking at it as a path to an academic career. Th... | null |
u04bm | atomic bombs | [
{
"answer": "This seems fairly comprehensive: _URL_0_\n\nSearch the subreddit for a few more.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "First of all, basically we can fuse small elements to release energy and create bigger elements, and we can split really big (and unstable) elements into smaller element... | null |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.