[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How many different elements would an average person run into each day?

I know this is a very vague question - but around how many elements *would* an average person come into contact with? Alternatively, how many (excluding synthetic elements) are we likely never to run into?

Thanks!

[Assistant]
Let's go through the list:

* Hydrogen is present in very small quantities in the atmosphere

* Helium the same

* Lithium is in cell phone or sometimes laptop batteries

* Beryllium is a dopant of silicon in microchips

* Pyrex glass contains boron

* Carbon is you

* 70% of the atmosphere is nitrogen

* 29% is oxygen

* Fluorine is in fluoride in toothpaste

* Neon is in neon signs

* Sodium is in table salt

* Magnesium is a vital mineral to life (at least for humans)

* Aluminum is pretty much everywhere

* Microchips are made of silicon

* Phosphorus is used in fluorescent lighting

* Sulfur is another mineral used in biological activities

* Chlorine is used in bleaches

* Argon is another gas used in neon lights

* Potassium is another vital nutrient

* Calcium is what bones are primarily made of

* Scandium is used in some alloys of steel

* Titanium is the same

* As with vanadium

* And chromium...

* And manganese...

* Iron is in your blood

* Cobalt is used in aircraft-grade alloys

* Nickel is used in some types of batteries

* Pennies are made from copper

* And zinc

* Gallium is another silicon dopant used in microchips

* Same with germanium

* Arsenic is too

* Selenium is used in solar cells

* Bromine is used in citrus-flavored soft drinks (not in pure form)

* Krypton is used in neon lights

You get the picture. A very large portion of the periodic table is used in every day life, even those you wouldn't expect. Americanium, for instance, is a radioactive element in the actinoid series. It's used in smoke detectors.

Neodymium is a lanthide that's used in powerful magnets like those in hard drives.

All noble gasses are used in neon signs, despite their name. Each gives off a different color.

Large hunk of the transition metals are used in steel or aluminum alloys.

Alkali and alkaline earth metals are usually vital to biological processes.

Halogens are used in halogen lighting.

Metaloids are used in electronics.

Non metals are common minerals and gases.

If it isn't a synthetic element, odds are you've seen some form of it in your life time. And yes, that includes uranium.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Halo or similar] How does artificial gravity work?

[Assistant]
When a ship or station is constructed, the architect decides which side will be the "bottom" and which side the "top".

The bottom deck contains the gravity generator. It creates an energy bubble around the ship or station, within which the generator has total control of the direction of graviton particles.

Within the bubble, the generator causes all gravitons present to move towards the generator itself, creating a "downward" pull that the inhabitants of the ship or station perceive as normal planetary gravity.

This has an interesting side effect. If a ship were to roll over in space, and the "bottom" were to be in the same orientation that the "top" previously occupied and vice versa, nothing would change.

The people and objects would stay where they were, and from an outside observer's perspective would be on the ceiling.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: What happens to your brain when you get knocked unconscious?

[Assistant]
It's not really well understood, to be honest.

Either through a knock to the head or with drugs, it disrupts the workings of the brain. Your brain is still functioning, but it's taking much longer to do anything so something that requires lots of "processing", like consciousness can't really happen.

If it's a blow to the head, your brain is busy trying to fix things and get everything back into order.

If it's anaesthesia, the drugs are slowing down the connections the brain needs to "talk" to each other,so you're unconscious.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Saw] What traps could a rational person / group escape?

For example the blood trap on Saw 5 could have been cheesed a bit by using urine / vomit to help fill up the volume.

What are some other creative or rational ways a person could escape a trap by jigsaw.

[Assistant]
You're asking two different questions.

>What traps could a rational person / group escape?

Excepting the competition traps and the ones *not* set by Jigsaw, all of them can be escaped. Jigsaw's traps always have a way out. It may require some mutilation or sacrifice  in fact, it usually does  but there's always a way. Escaping from one of Jigsaw's traps is like surgery; you have to do a bit of damage before you can be free.

>What are some other creative or rational ways a person could escape a trap by jigsaw.

All of the traps in the catacombs (Saw V) could have been solved without sacrificing anyone, if they were just rational about it. They don't realize this until the very end though.

Many of the traps in the other Saw movies are lethal, or at least extremely damaging, due to the victim panicking. In the traps where the person is free to move around, the victim usually has only clothing to work with. Broken glass on the floor is used in a few traps and panicked victims walk over it suffering horrible damage to their feet, but if they pulled their pants down over their feet and shuffled through they'd have barely a scratch. In the freezer room (Saw III) Jeff could have simply used his coat to cover his face as he pushed through the pipes to get the key. The needle pit (Saw II) could have been rendered significantly easier by wrapping clothing around Amanda's arms and legs before gently lowering her into the pit. She could then search the pit with minimum risk. (There's also the issue of the key being tied to a glow stick rather than a syringe. It's never shown if the glow stick is active or not, but even if it was active just a LITTLE bit they could have just knocked out the lights in the room and looked for the faint glow of the stick to find the key.)

For the traps that require nerve and conviction, there's no creative way through it. You'll have to slice open your eyelid, or reach into that acid, or cut open the guy's stomach, to beat it.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Witcher] Since Orianna and Hubert Rejk weren't killed by a Higher Vampire, will they both regenerate and return someday?

[Assistant]
Orianna yes, she is confirmed to be a Higher Vampire.  The sort that will regenerate unless killed by another higher vampire.

With Rejk, it's unclear.  He claims to be a Higher Vampire, but isn't *nearly* as strong as other examples of the species, and dialogue implies Geralt has never met any other higher vampires before Regis and Detlaff.  It's possible for him to just be a particularly weak higher vampire, or he could be some other lesser vampire, incapable of regeneration.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: How do slip-resistant shoes work?

I work at a grocery store and were required to wear slip-resistant shoes. I thought it was a standard thing among any walking/running shoes so I just wore some cheap Nikes for a few weeks. Turns out (after slipping all over the place in the delis kitchen) that my shoes were not, in fact, slip-resistant. Got a few laughs and a note from my manager.

I recently bought actual slip-resistant shoes and holy hell! Its wild. I was able to mop up spills and not almost break an ankle. The bottoms of the new shoes vs the Nikes are clearly different, but I dont see how it contributes to slip-resistance. If a surface is slippery, its slippery...so why am I not falling over in my new shoes? Is it a spray? The type of material? Witchcraft?

[Assistant]
The sole is made of an especially soft and finely treaded rubber that allows more contact with the surface, increasing friction and grip between the two.

Tread pattern is also a factor, slip resistant shoes might have deeper and more numerous treads that increase the surface area available to make contact with the ground.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: How gravity works

I know what it does, but why?

[Assistant]
We don't know why, but we think we do know how.

Imagine a corridor that curves gently around a corner. If you walk in a straight line down the corridor, eventually you will come in contact with the wall. If you keep walking, you will be pushed along the curved wall, making you walk in a curved path.

Gravity works a bit like that. All heavy objects, like planets, cause the space (actually, spacetime, but that's beyond an ELI5 expanation) around them to bend. Things normally move in straight lines, but when something passes through the bent space around the heavy object, instead of flying straight past, it is forced to follow the bent path, just as you are forced to follow the bend in the corridor.

This applies to all objects in the universe that have mass, but the effect is very very tiny for small things like you and me. It's only really noticeable for very heavy things like stars and planets.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why don't trees grow back from their stumps?

[Assistant]
They don't usually grow back because when you cut down to the stump, you remove all meristematic tissue. Meristematic tissue is like stem cells in animals. They differentiate into different cells and allow the tree to have different types of cells, even 100 feet up high. The meristematic tissue is usually located at the very highest point where the tree is growing. In this way, the tree will always have the TYPES of cells it needs at all points in the tree. When you cut off the meristematic tissue, there are no cells to grow upward and differentiate themselves.

*Tissue is just a name for a group of cells.

TL;DR If you cut off the tree's meristematic tissues, you're gonna have a bad time.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Has anyone ever got to a certain point in reading philosophy where they are just completely confused

Is there a way to get out of this without completely giving up?

EDIT: Thanks a lot for all the replies!

[Assistant]
If you're talking about confusion as in not understanding what is meant by what is written, there's a possibility that the work you're reading is, for example, subtly referring to  other major works. Reading works by philosophers can often feel daunting and it's important to try to orient oneself in the conceptual framework that they've partly adopted and are partly modifying. A good commentary can be really helpful in this regard.

If you're speaking about an experience that your thinking has reached an impasse and some previously held beliefs have been thoroughly questioned, what you're asking about could be called "aporia". In the early dialogues of Plato the dialogues between Socrates and his interlocutors often end in impasses where the interlocutors who previously thought they knew something (what justice is, for example) now experience a profound sense of disorientation and lack of knowledge. This state can be considered very fruitful and philosophically important since it ideally engenders a desire to keep searching for knowledge. Aporia is thus a breaking point of philosophical thinking: giving up is possible (and understandable since philosophical thinking can heavily disturb important beliefs) but it's also possible to keep on searching.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[STAR WARS] Why is it necessary for Sith to "bleed" their Kybers?

In the modern comics, we see that Kyber Crystals are turned red by dominating them with hatred, but my question is why is this necessary? Is it simply symbolic or does it help them in some way?

[Assistant]
To elaborate off of what others have said, Sith philosophy is all about making the force your bitch, basically, and not being beholden to its "will." A normally attuned kyber crystal may turn against its wielder if the force wills it, and to the Jedi this is perfectly fine because the Jedi religion is based around serving the will of the force and subjecting yourself to it.

However, as the Sith want to dominate the force, they cannot allow their crystals a chance to turn against them. As a result, the crystal *must* be bled in order to subject it to their will. This even happens to crystals a jedi-turned-sith have already attuned to, as we see with Dooku's lightsaber, which he had constructed while he was a jedi.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why arent waterfalls just eroded to slopes?

I can understand that water needs some place to go and sometimes the easiest path is over a ledge. However, I would think that the power of erosion would convert these waterfalls into smoother inclines. Are waterfalls usually just the result of recently redirected water where the forces of erosion havent worn it down yet? Are tectonic plates moving faster than the forces of erosion can act? Are the rock found at many waterfalls more resistant to erosion? Thanks!

[Assistant]
The most powerful weathering happens in two places in a waterfall system. The critical edge, the place with the least support. And the vertical edge, where falling water has a lot of force and there is not much vertical support.
These two places happen to be where the defining features of the waterfall are (edge before the drop and the cliff face). Since these places experience much stronger weathering than anywhere else, the general shape of the waterfall remains. It just recedes up the stream over time (see the erosion of Niagara Falls).

For example: picture a waterfall with big rocks at the edge before the water tumbled down. In the event that these rocked get swept down what do you expect to happen? Generally the water creates a new critical edge some distance back and now the water begins falling directly onto rock/sediment that is clinging to the side of the cliff.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: How are fitness trackers accurate?

How do Apple watches, FitBits, etc. accurate? Are they truly precise?

[Assistant]
Short answer? They're not. They use algorithms based on things like movement (steps) to estimate calorie burn to varying degrees of success.

*However*, a good fitness tracker can still be worthwhile. That's because a good tracker is usually *consistent*. That means that once you get it dialed in, you can use it fairly effectively for things like weight loss.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Eli5 Moon looks different in each hemisphere?

I live in Australia and when the moon isnt full it always appears to fill up from the bottom up. So a new moon looks like a croissant with the curved side facing down. But on northern hemisphere flags like Turkey for example it appears as a croissant standing up with the curve facing left. Does the moon appear to wax and wane from top to bottom or left to right in different parts of the world?

[Assistant]
Yes, it appears upside in each hemisphere relative to the other.

Imagine drawing a circle on the center of the ceiling of your room (easy if you have a skylight or similar!). Now stand against one wall and look up at it. You're looking up at an angle, so visually one side will appear "higher" - ie, the side closer to directly above you. Now move to the opposite wall - the side of the circle that is "higher" is opposite to before. But it's the same logic - it's the side closest to directly above you.

The moon is the same - just very very far above everyone on the surface. The equator is (very approximately) like standing under it, and the further north or south you travel, the more you see the moon from an angle.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] I remember once hearing in a YT video from an ex-employee that Google's employee's use an internal system/intranet so advanced that it's 10 years in the future from what anyone is doing now. Does anyone know if that's true or can talk about it?

[Assistant] You have to add another layer of virtual networking each year to keep up with the most sophisticated networks. Google has been adding a layer of virtual networking each year since 2005, so they are significantly more advanced than companies who have only recently started. The goal is to eventually achieve infinite latency as each packet traverses infinite virtual network layers with the maximal amount of theoretical computation cycles dedicated to packet routing. This is due to the physical law that entropy must always increase until each packet is indistinguishable from another.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why did our immune systems evolve so that we need our meat cooked? (please read description)

My question, as stated above is, why do we need our meat cooked? I know it is because we need to get rid of the bacteria, but every other carnivore or omnivore does not need their meat cooked. So why does ours? Why would our immune system evolve so that we need meat to be cooked? Why would it need that extra step to be taken when it is unnecessary?

[Assistant]
We do not need to eat our meat cooked.

Does it kill bacteria?  Yes.  But that is an added benefit.

If you were to eat raw meat straight of the bone right after it was killed, as animal carnivores do, you would not need to worry about bacteria.  Bacteria only move in and set up shop and multiply after hours and days.

The advantages of coking is that you can eat meat after several days, instead of only several hours.

In addition, cooking makes things more easily digestible, at least at the front end (mechanichal digestion - chewing).


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Deadpool/The Mask] What happens if Deadpool wears the mask of loki from "The Mask"?

[Assistant]
He won't grow any crazier, but... do you really, *really* want *Deadpool* to have reality-warping, cartoon superpowers?!

Actually... That would closer to how the original "Mask" comic book was a horror story and "Big Head", as the mask-wearers are known as, actually use their cartoon superpowers to kill people.

So for Deadpool, it would be Tuesday.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Star Wars/Marvel] Let's cross universes for a bit and a Jedi fought Wolverine. Do you think the lightsaber could cut through his adamantium claws ? Thoughts?

[Assistant] No, there's a range of materials nowadays that are lightsaber-resistant at very least. Adamantium objects have shown to take more damage than a lightsaber slash can dish out. While it would be very unpleasant for Logan, his bones and claws can take the lightsaber strikes, at least momentary. Maybe if sustained it would heat the metal, but it's unlikely to happen in combat.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Rick and Morty] What are the legal ramifications of some of the duo's adventures?

For example, in Rest and Ricklaxation, we see the world turn toxic and people commit multiple crimes up to and including murder.

The authorities *have* to know the mad genius scientist with the flying car is responsible- it's not like Toxic Rick tried to be stealthy when he set up his gear on the moon tower.

Then there's stuff like Morty Jr. rampaging and wrecking people's cars. He's also a famous author, so it's not like his existence is a big secret.

I can see Rick getting a pass for the destruction caused when overthrowing the Federation since he liberated Earth, but all this other stuff? Hell, in the season 3 finale, the POTUS got pissy when Rick didn't want to fight the gawgew in the tunnels, so I don't see why he'd get a pass for the other stuff.

[Assistant] He doesn't get a pass, there's just absolutely nothing they can do about it. Rick is the most powerful being in any universe, and there's a countless number of them that come and go, kill and basically do whatever they want. Rick's essentially a god, and even if the police knew to arrest him, they wouldn't get near the house without being a bloody paste by the security.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[General] In many adventure games you can choose which skill tree/power(s) to get, often resulting in not having access to some others. Are there some examples of this in sci-fi/fantasy/mythology where a character is given a choice of abilities/powers but this will result in being denied others?

Some God, higher power, or technologically advanced being gives you a choice of say 3 out 4 powers (or something).  Choosing A and B makes you unable to choose C and D.  Something like being given nanotech based enhancements makes you unable to receive genetic enhancements, or fire-based powers denies you access to water-based powers, but not in a video game setting (just from sci-fi, fantasy, or mythology instead).

[Assistant]
The Illiad started with Paris being offered three gifts from three goddesses in exchange for him giving them the golden apple (long story). IIRC Hera offered him the greatest kingdom in the Aegean Sea, Athena offered him to be one of the wisest of priests who ever lived, but Aphrodite offered Helen, the fairest of all beauties.

I guess if it were put in video game terms he turned down a fully developed kingdom or a crazy high permanent INT and Wisdom stat boost so he could watch the one cutscene in the game with the boobies.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Shadowrun] If its illegal to not broadcast a SIN at all times, why is it possible to turn them off at all?

[Assistant]
Because on a certain level, the corporations *want* Shadowrunning to be feasible. If a Corp gets busted red handed acting against one of their enemies, the consequences can be severe, up to and including declaring the whole organization fair game for *any* corp that wants a piece of them. By having a pool of shady, independent operatives and disposable middle managers (aka "Mr. Johnson") to throw under the bus if things go lopsided, the corporation insulates itself from blowback on a job gone wrong. Additionally, it creates a plausible cover for their own in-house black ops outfits, since it *could* have been hired guns.

If no one but the corporations themselves could turn off or spoof the SIN-broadcasting hardware, that deniability would go away.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5:Why is the concept of single-payer or socialized healthcare controversial when we have similar concepts with Fire Departments and Police Departments?

Isn't it basically the same thing? Everyone pays a little bit for these government-run programs in-case one of us needs it, and for the safety and well-being of everyone in their community? How is the Fire/Police Department different from everyone doing the same but for healthcare?

[Assistant]
At one school, there is a tradition of each student donating an small serving of food every day to a communal pool to prevent hunger from affecting the students' studies.

Most students won't need to take anything from the pool since they also bring enough of their own food but sometimes if a parent is too busy to pack lunch or forget to give them lunch money, at least there is something for that student to eat without having a gurgling stomach through the day.

But there are some students that seem always hungry. One student, Johnny, is a bit bigger in both dimensions compared to the other students and gets hungry quite easily. He typically takes more food from the communal pool than the amount he contributes.

Some of the other students are annoyed. They think that because of Johnny's choice to eat more food and become large, he ended up with a big appetite. If he has to eat so much, he should be more self-sufficient and not rely on the communal pool of food because of his own choices. Why do the rest of the students have to pay for Johnny's choices?

But what if Johnny just has a very fast metabolism and being large is genetic? Or what if Johnny's family just does not have enough money to properly feed him? All these issues are beyond what Johnny can control. That is how the communal pool of food can help him remain full and alert during school.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Why is it that I've lost weight by the time I have awaken in the morming, yet I haven't gone to the washroom? Where did all of the weight go?

I weighed myself before bed and was 170lbs and in the morning just when I got up I was 165. I did this before a trip to the washroom.  So where exactly did a whole 4-5 lbs go while I was sleeping.

[Assistant]
Magic! No, not really.

The short answer: Into the air.

Okay, you know you inhale in oxygen which is O2 right? And exhale carbon dioxide which is CO2. Ever wonder where that carbon atoms comes from? Done.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Dune] Why could they never clone the worms and their spice? What made them so different?

[Assistant]
Nobody really wanted to try for a long time; that the worms produced spice was not common knowledge. Trying to clone a sandworm would, to most people's understanding, just give you an uncontrollable and almost unkillable pest. But there are technical barriers as well.

The worms, despite being incredibly resilient as individuals, are actually very fragile as a species. They are extremely intolerant of anything except extreme xeriform climates; if it rains *at all* in a given desert, then imported sandworms will not survive. During Paul's reign, dead worms were found even in the deep desert, poisoned by the increased atmospheric moisture from relatively modest human terraforming  activity. Arrakis is virtually the only planet that is both dry enough but still inhabitable to support sandworms, and that is directly related to the second reason that they've been impossible to cultivate offworld:

You need *sandtrout* to get worms; they reproduce until they've encycsted enough water to xeriform a planet sufficiently for sandworms to thrive, at which point some of them mature into sandworms and start producing spice as a byproduct. Sandtrout are also remarkably delicate; they're prey animals and can be killed by a "five-degree change in temperature."

Sandtrout were unknown (well, the Fremen knew *of* them, but not their importance to Arrakeen ecology) until the elder Kynes; after Kynes, their roles was a matter of absolute secrecy among the Fremen and Atreides royal family to maintain the Arrakeen spice monopoly.

As to why nobody synthesized melange, it's the product of an alien biochemistry (worms are actually theorized in-universe to be either a pre-Jihad experiment or the only recognizable product of a non-human intelligence) and difficult to study in the wild. It's only found on the deadliest planet, occupied by the most dangerous people in the universe who are utterly committed to secrecy, and occurs in a species that lives dozens of meters underground and is impossible to capture.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[DC] How many people could possibly be Batman?

I mean, the Flash could be anyone, medium height, slim athletic build. If he avoids using speed force you can work with the guy and never know. But Batman is a master martial artist, a spy, a tech genius, and has a gear budget in the tens of millions. I mean Ozimodius is already a superhero, so that leaves Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, Raz Al Ghul... Maybe a dozen possibilities?

[Assistant]
Batman could actually be any number of well-trained commandos. Although his gear is very expensive, he could be supplied by major corporations, or the state or federal government. It's even possible that there are multiple people who operate as Batman, which would help explain why he's able to be so effective.

Known as the world's greatest detective, it's possible that Batman has a remote cameras and other sensors in his suit that relay information about his environment to some kind of "bat computer." Batman could have a team of dozens of detectives and other forensic information studying the data he transmits, allowing him to appear almost supernaturally effective at solving crimes.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[The Boys] No ski masks, bandanas, Halloween masks?

This is referring to the tv show, not the comic. I actually like the show better than the comic, but the comic doesnt have this particular problem

Why dont the Boys try to disguise themselves at least a little? At least pull on a ski mask or whatever when theyre breaking and entering and threatening people.

In the comics, this isnt an issue because they were a known quantity to their enemies from the start, and they had some protection from the federal government. Also they were somewhat less vulnerable on account of them being superhuman too

 In the show, they expose themselves way too easily by doing all kinds of illegal crap with their faces uncovered. Its the 21st century, door cameras and mini cameras are pretty ubiquitous. And unlike the comics, there was very little stopping the Seven from squashing them like bugs, so they cant operate in the open

I mean, theyd probably have been caught sooner or later, but they could have made it a little harder at least? Were they just careless? Arent they supposed to be experience operators? And TV Hughie is a consumer electronics stor employee, he would know how easy it is to get home security/sex tape recording cameras, no?

[Assistant] It's because going in without a mask is less conspicuous. Eye witnesses can rarely agree on what they saw minutes after it happens and recordings while common are hardly irrefutable. Vought has reach and power but it'll still take time to track them down. And at least early on it's implied the CIA is aiding them and Frenchie has been covering their tracks somewhat. They're small annoyances to Vought who already know most of them. Butcher is also on a suicide mission up until certain events. He wants them to know who's coming for them.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Death Note] What is the most amount of chaos one could cause with the fewest amount of names written down?

Asking for a very bored friend.

[Assistant]
Kill every leader of a politically unstable country or dictatorship like North Korea, central Africa, or the Middle East.

The resulting power struggles and civil wars would cause decades of conflict potentially.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] When you donate blood or let's say an organ to someone, what happens to your DNA in those cells?

[Assistant] Red blood cells don't have a nucleus and therefore no DNA, so no issue there. Normally for blood donations, the white blood cells (which do have DNA) are removed. In the case of organs, the host cell DNA remains intact, which is why it is necessary to get a match between donor and host, and why immunosuppressive drugs need to be taken regardless.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How did the early indigenous people of the pacific islands obtain fresh drinking water?

I dont know much about these islands and I don't know how people actually ended up on them, but they have been populated for a long time, so how did the people on them find fresh water to drink?

[Assistant]
Hey there.  From Guam here.

It rains a lot.  Most small islands that are populated are in areas with heavy rainfall and ancient pacific islanders were very adept at collecting it.  Their boats, proas, were designed in a sort of quarter funnel shape to collect freshwater over long ocean journeys.

Also, most small islands really aren't populated.  Only the largest 5 islands in the Marianas are inhabited.  Guam is large enough to have freshwater rivers and lakes and a water table we tap with wells.   There is evidence that ancient peoples of the smaller populated islands would travel to larger islands after natural disasters or droughts because of a lack of water resources.

Coconut water also supplemented their water resources.  If there's anything we have in abundance, it's coconuts.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] Why the electron cannot be view as a spinning charged sphere?

[Assistant] Electrons are pointlike particles in the Standard Model, and a single point cant rotate. If you try to interpret the electron as a classical, rotating spherical charge, you get nonsense conclusions, like that the surface of the sphere has to move faster than c.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5:If water is just a combination of Hydrogen and Oxygen, why can't we just create water in labs by adding hydrogen and oxygen. And if we can, why do I always hear how we're running out of drinkable water?

[Assistant]
>why can't we just create water in labs by adding hydrogen and oxygen.

We can.  The problem is that one of the only good ways to get hydrogen in the first place is through the electrolysis of water (passing a current through water to cause it to separate into hydrogen and oxygen).


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MCU Civil War] Why was Black Panther in favor of the Sokovia Accords?

He seemed to think the Accords were a good idea, but if superheores are put under UN jurisdiction, wouldn't that mean that foreigners would be able to order the Black Panther around?

I realize that Wakandans were killed in Lagos, but with the strong probability of the Accords interfering with Wakandan isolationism, wouldn't the Wakandans try to find some alternative means of retribution for the deaths of their citizens?

[Assistant] He wasn't. He was following and supporting his father, and it was clear that they had differences of opinion/strategy regarding this issue. After the bombing he wasn't so much pro-Accords as he was anti-Winter Soldier. After all, he violated them himself in the course of his actions.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Tron] What happens to a program when they are ported into the real world?

At the end of Tron: Legacy, Cora is ported to the real world with Sam. Does she become flesh and blood? If not how does a digital program exist in the real world?

[Assistant] We don't really know.  Her transition seems seamless.  She doesn't have to learn to walk or breathe in her new body.  She appears cool and collected; you'd never know that this was her first time standing on planet Earth.  Sam's transition to a digital body was pretty seamless too.  Whatever the process is, Flynn seems to have ensured that digital bodies and physical bodies are very similar.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
When do companies use assembly?

I'm taking a class this quarter and all coding is in assembly.  While it's tedious, I've actually kind of liked it because it has taught me a lot about how the software and hardware interact.  Anyway, my professor is always talking about doing something the right way, following coding standards etc. for when/if we get jobs in the field.  But what companies still use assembly?  What do they use it for?  Is it used along side mid/high level languages? Or is there some software that is 100% written in assembly?

[Assistant]
It's used for optimizing code where it's absolutely positively required for size or speed. Like if you were trying to squeeze 34kb of software into 32kb of space or if for some reason the C compiler didn't get some clever optimization right and you have solid evidence that it can be done faster in machine code.

In 30 years of coding, I've used it professionally a single time. However, I've worked with embedded types who use it on a regular basis.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Harry potter] Is the Hogwarts Express only for Hogwarts Students and staff? or can anyone ride on it?

say someone wants to take the train to hogsmeade.

[Assistant]
Probably not. It's more ceremonial than practical, the train only runs a half a dozen times a year. (The Start/End of term and Christmas and Easter Holidays)

There are definitely more convenient means of transit for the rest of the wizarding community.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5 How does the government track people downloading illegal music?

Also, if possible, please explain how they can track who is visiting sites offering illegal downloads.

[Assistant]
They don't bother to track who visits sites that offer illegal downloads since it it too hard to know what they downloaded.

But bittorrent, one of the most common file sharing methods, requires the computers to connect to lots of other computers using bittorrent in order to get all the different parts of the file. It is easy to set up a computer that joins this network and look at what computers is asking it for parts of a file that is illegal to download.

Then they ask their internet providers for the name of the owner.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why does the the human mind ignore the second "the"?

[Assistant] I have a friend who calls it "nexting". Basically the part of our brain in charge of vision is reviewing everything we see and (at least when reading) editing it to make it make sense. Its also why it's really common for us to miss small typos in things we've written.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Computers store data in 1's and 0's at their base level. Do humans and other animals have anything similar to remember ? What is the base unit of memory for an animal ?

[Assistant] Surprisingly, yes, animals have the neuromolecular equivalent of a single "unit" of memory. The mechanism is complex and has to do with protein changes in the synapse between neurons. Eric Kandel won the Nobel Prize in 2000 for his work on the physiological basis of memory.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[WH40K] What goes on during the Soul-Binding process and why is it so painful? Don't they have anesthesia?

In fact, what is a soul anyways and how can it feel pain in the Warp?

[Assistant]
Ok... First, what is a soul? In 40k (this is pieced together from numerous novels and codex) a soul is the conduit between the physical body and the Warp. Everything physical reflects in the Warp, but only living things seem to generate a natural connection. This connection links the Animus (the body) with the Anima (it's emotional response and echo) and serves as a two-way conduit for emotion and warp-energy. The stronger the connection, the 'wider' the channel, and the more powerful the soul.

Over time, this channel seems to absorb memories, emotions and most importantly the raw power of the Warp, forming a micro-entity in and of its self. The more powerful the soul, the faster this happens, with the Eldar seeming to be the most rapidly developing... After a point, this collection of energy and memories develops its own consciousness, based on the living entity it is attached to.

While connected, there is a degree of protection. Warp-predators cannot break the connection from their side, and are thus unable to really affect the Soul so long as its body remains connected. They can, however, use a sufficiently powerful soul as a conduit TO the physicall world, where they can wreak untold havoc, including killing the body.

Upon death, the collected energy and memories of the soul flow into the Warp, in most cases as barely a flicker. Humans lack the strength to maintain and semblance of consciousness after death, and most psykers are only able to experience dull echos. Powerful Psykers and the Eldar, are strong enough to 'remain' entirely aware in the Warp, and their relative power causes their 'release' to blast off like a meteor, attracting every predator around. While a soul cannot technically feel pain, it does usually have the memory of it, and such powerful souls are fully aware as they are picked appart by the denizens of the Warp.

Now... The Emperor is a strange bird.. he is, in essence, an immensely powerful Daemon in the physical universe, a warp-entity inhabiting a carefully attuned shell, similar to the Eldar Avatars of Khaine, though more whole.The Soul Binding is, essentially, posession, part of the Emperor's immense warp-presence entering the host and 'claiming' it. Once claimed, other Daemons have a far harder time posessing someone.

The pain and physical damage (usually having the eyes burned from their skulls) likely comes from the fact that the Emperor is PHYSICAL. He is entering the soul through the physical side, the side that feels pain. Even a mote of his power (full posession would obliterate the host's body) can cause immense damage to an inappropriate host, and as we all know, damage is usually accompanied by pain.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars] What were Emperor Palpatine's long-term plans for Darth Maul?

I'm studying the rise of the Empire, and I keep seeing references to a man named Darth Maul. Most of the sources agree that he was in the service of Darth Sidious, but none of them seem to agree on what role he served or what Sidious planned to do with him long-term.

One source claims he was just an assassin, trained by Sidious as a tool, who would eventually be destroyed or sent on a suicide mission if he became too powerful or outlived his usefulness. Another argues that Maul was a full-fledged Sith apprentice, who would have eventually taken an apprentice of his own and challenged Sidious for the mantle of Sith Lord.

All of my sources agree that Maul was presumed dead after the Battle of Naboo, allegedly slain in combat by Obi-Wan Kenobi, but do we know what plans, if any, Darth Sidious had for Maul if he had returned from Naboo victorious?

[Assistant]
Presumably, Maul would have served a role closer to that of General Grievous than to Count Dooku. A military figurehead, not a political one. Circumstances show that Dooku likely fell under Darth Sidious' influence prior to the Battle of Naboo, and simply used the death of Qui-Gon as an excuse to leave the Jedi and return to his birthright.

However, once Sidious learned of Anakin Skywalker and his presumed connection to a Jedi prophecy, he immediately turned his sights on the boy, grooming him to be his apprentice in the future.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: How do electromagnetic waves (like wifi, Bluetooth, etc) travel through solid objects, like walls?

[Assistant]
So, when a ray of light hits something, it can basically do one of three things:

It can go right through, with a slight angle that reverses when it comes out the other side, like light passes through glass or water.

It can bounce off at an angle, like light does with a mirror or a bright piece of colored plastic.

Or it can get "eaten" and heat up the object, like when light hits something dark.

Objects are different colors because light is different wavelengths, and some wavelengths get eaten while others pass through or get bounced off.

A solid "red" object is red because green and blue light get eaten more than red light, while red light bounces off more than green or blue. A transparent "red" object is red because green and blue light get eaten more than red, while red passes through more than red or green.

Now, infrared and radio are also just different "colors" of light that we can't see; think of a radio antenna or a WiFi receiver as a kind of "eye" that can see those colors, while a transmitter is like a "lightbulb" that blinks in those colors.

Walls happen to be "transparent" to radio even though they're "solid" to visible colors, just like a stained glass window is "transparent" to some colors and "solid" to others.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[ELI5] What is the smallest number of people needed to repopulate the earth without inbreeding?

So you can't reproduce with immediate family, first or second cousins.

Perhaps a diagram would help visualise this..

Edit:

time frame is unnecessary.

No one in the first generation is related

Preferable conditions: e.g. No one dies at childbirth.

I was thinking it could be as small as a few dozen...am I that wrong?

[Assistant] Well, you don't technically need to avoid incest, you just need to be careful to spread around as best you can.  A very un-ELI5 study showed that with optimal breeding, you could do it with as few as 32 people.  A more practical number is probably around 1000 breeding pairs.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why are radio frequencies split into radio waves and microwaves?

I'm doing a project for school on radio frequency and how it is used for communication. However, it has been extremely hard to find any information on why it is split into radio waves and microwaves.

[Assistant]
Both radio waves and microwaves are examples of electromagnetic radiation. The split into various categories is somewhat arbitrary. In reality, there's a continuous spectrum of EM radiation and there are no real "hard breaks" between different parts of the spectrum. We group parts of the spectrum together with a specific name because of specific applications.

It's worth noting that radio waves and microwaves are quite close together in the EM spectrum. Depending on who you ask, they may even overlap. But it's all a matter of definition, there is no hard rule.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: many animals have mating seasons. Do humans have a mating season which is better for reproduction. Or did we used to in the past?

ELI5: many animals have mating seasons. Do humans have a mating season which is better for reproduction. Or did we used to in the past?

[Assistant]
It usually depends on environmental factors. If there's going to be a cold winter, it makes sense for your offspring to be born in the spring so they can get as much growing done as possible before winter comes along for survival reasons. Mating season is timed so that offspring are born in the spring.

Whereas if the weather is pretty stable, nature would prefer you be able to have more offspring in general without time restrictions.

Humans evolved in Africa where it's pretty warm. A designated mating season wasn't helpful.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Is time a theory in and of itself?

I've heard about space and time compressing when approaching the speed of light, as if time is some physical entity. So then is time the product of a specific theory in and of itself? That's to say, is there a 'theory of time'? If so, does time exist as it is conceptualized in the mind of your ordinary person?

[Assistant] I think there was an old RobotRollCall post that said something along the lines of "Time is real, or at least as real as space.  Space is what separates 2 events from happening at the same time.  Time is what separates 2 events from happening at the same place."


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MCU] How the hell did Thanos beat the Avengers 14 million to one?

Did Strange just stop when he got to the first one they won, or was it really that stacked in Thanos favor? Because home it doesnt feel like he was *that* ahead of them in strength. In fact if you take away the IG, Thanos forces are overall weaker than the Earths forces and their heavyweights.

[Assistant]
"If you take away the IG, Thanos' forces are overall weaker than the earths forces"

And if you take away his arms and legs, Mike Tyson is weaker than me. Point is, Thanos DID have the IG. At the point Strange was looking at the future, Thanos had the gauntlet, and 4 of the 6 stones. There was nothing anyone could do against that level of power - the heroes only barely managed to put up a fight cause Thanos was still in shock after killing Gamora.

Plus, there are a whole host of other ways that just getting the gauntlet away from Thanos still lets them lose. THanos is stopped, but temptation to use the gauntlet leads to earth being attacked, again and again, by cosmic supervillains. Earths heroes descend into infighting over who gets to use the gauntlet, and the earth is destroyed. The Nova Corps demand that they be given the stones for protection, but the Asgardians and Sorcerers also want to do that, and the conflict gets violent, a battle across the universe.

Strange didn't just need Thanos stopped, he needed a situation where the stones are gone, and then they somehow find a way to bring everyone back AFTER that. Only Thanos could manage to destroy the stones, so he had to win and then do it, but they still needed everyone back, so they had to find a way to get the stones from back in time, use them, then send them back.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars] What do Stormtroopers do when they retire?

Do they live off a pension? Do they get office jobs?  Surely some of them become high ranking officers, but what about the average Joe that reaches the age where he needs to hang up the blaster?

[Assistant]
One thing a lot of people don't realize about the military: The higher up you go, the more paperwork you end up doing. Even your average Joe would end up assuming more strategic/logistic work than waving droids through checkpoints.

That said, the Imperial military gets very plush retirement benefits. If you feel the need to get another job, you likely have an 'in' anywhere in the galaxy that respects the helmet. You're more likely to just end up being able to buy a house with a nice view and go fishing every day, however.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5:How do designers keep aircraft flight controls from getting the blue screen of death or crashing while mid air?

[Assistant]
There are a few major ways to keep mission critical electronics from crashing:

* Be so simple that even if you do crash you can recover near instantly - *The computers on the Apollo spacecraft could reboot in a fraction of a second*

* Have non-identical backups for your main system - *The space shuttle had control systems that were constructed in different ways so if one went bad, the same error wouldn't affect the other*

* Put it to a vote - *SpaceX uses three computers that are running in parallel, and if the output of any one system isn't identical, recognizes the error and reboots the faulty system.*


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
CMV: When culture is used as a veil to protect oppressive values, it shouldnt be respected.

Please take it easy on me, Im open to all ideas and this was an idea that struck me after a conversation with a Nigerian woman.

Culture repeatedly is used as a veil to perpetuate horrors and oppression. She mentioned that at one point in their history, twins were killed, and as a part of the culture it was accepted. They dont do that now... But people still use the same argument to oppress women where shes from. She feels women and men are expected to fit stereotypes, and people say, this is just Nigerian culture. It prevents people moving forward. She even mentions that if you walk alone in certain areas as a woman people assume youre a prostitute. Waitstaff look right past you to any man in the group, and women routinely forfeit dreams and aspirations to get married and make babies even if they dont want to. The husbands family even has expectations of how many babies you should have and when to be considered a good wife. Sometimes you are asked to promise children to the mother in law in exchange for blessings. Yet what if she is sterile? She is not seen as a woman. Now she was forced to move to pursue her dreams of a career. She still has a deep love for the culture and history of her people, yet couldnt come up in a society that refused to shrug off the negative aspects of its tradition. (Im aware there are worse practices, these are just a few that are so widely backed you cannot escape it.)

I get all cultures have downsides, but often times people wont criticize culture in fear of being labeled a bigot. You cannot criticize culture that forces women into subjugation, even though we know it fosters things like fgm, low literacy, poverty, poor quality of life. And this is only the aspects that oppress women. We also allow unfair pressure on men to fill certain roles, racism, etc to sometimes get a pass because we either dont feel like it is our place to question anothers culture, or because were afraid to have that discussion.

If a black person is hurt by a showing of confederate flags in public space, oh well its my culture.

If a straight man wants to take ballet, he will be stigmatized and have to suffer being laughed at by portions of society depending where he lives, it can be very damaging or even dangerous. Some dont follow their dreams because of this.

Women can be forced to cover up and shamed out of seeking education or seeking proper care, they can be married as children, the list is endless.

There are still cultures where if you are born into them, you are forced to believe a certain religion, and the penalty for leaving that religion is death. I remember hearing a story about a girl who stopped believing in islam, fled the country, went to Europe into witness protection, changed her name, and was informed her brother has tried to hire a hit man to come after her.

I feel like we do condemn those practices, but when we dont question the culture that reinforces those ideas it continues. Fgm for instance is widely abhorred, yet unqualified women are cutting girls with broken glass in old shacks, and the culture is to blame as much as the practice. Dances, food, music, language are all good things that come from culture. But old world rules and old ways largely need to go and have no place in the modern world and shouldnt be used as a guide for living in an enlightened community. This is how things have always been done is a really shitty reason to keep doing things that way.

[Assistant] I think it makes much more sense to condemn oppressive action/behaviors regardless of their perceived culture of origination (even if they are rationalized by persons who claim to act on the behalf of specific cultures) than to assume that an oppressive behavior represents, and by virtue of that representation, invalidates a specific or an entire culture.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
CMV: I believe that revenge is a form of justice.

This was inspired by the inmate thread about rape.

There was one victim who described his ordeal and said that he had hoped that his attacker would experience the same torture and rape (that he was made to feel) while in jail.

Many came out and were very passionate about explaining to this person that his viewpoint was wrong and malicious. One particular commentator said that he believes that what the victim is after is "revenge" and "our prison system isn't meant for revenge".

I argue that it might be considered revenge, but revenge is a form of justice.

When a criminal gets a life sentence and we get an interview from the victim or the victim's family what do they always say? "We are happy that we will finally have justice."

I ask you why is that not revenge?

I know that they personally might not have been involved in committing the criminal and therefore it isn't directly caused by them so it's not revenge.

But what if they weren't the direct cause but they played some role. Some role that can be as small as reporting the crime to the police. When they did this, were they seeking justice? Or were they seeking revenge? Or both?

Do we only quantify something as revenge when it contradicts to our accepted standards of justice? Being that if I get punched and robbed, I can not punch and rob my attacker because that would be revenge.
So if I want justice I have to report the crime, hope for a trial, and once the criminal is convicted I will then have justice.

I argue that I should be entitled to punching him back, robbing him back and it be considered revenge and justice.

Who sets the table for the difference? The law? Do we have to agree with the law? If I believe in the death penalty and I am the victim. But the state in which the crime was committed did not believe in the death penalty and the criminal was able to get away. Is that justice?

In other words is justice relative? Is it quantifiable? Is there anyway to differentiate it from revenge other than by our own presumptions of what we believe to be "just" and what we believe to be "vengeful".

Interested in hearing what you have to say. Sorry for the rant.

[Assistant]
I believe, rather, that justice is a specific kind of revenge.

I heard a comedian (years ago, can't remember who) saying he didn't believe in the death penalty until discovering that someone scratched his car. This highlights that an emotional response to some form of wrongdoing can overblow that wrongdoing, especially when you or someone you care about happens to be the target. This is why a third, disinterested party must be responsible for the determination and distribution of punishment. It's also why victims or families of victims are not the ones to consider when administering justice.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Why do some animal species (e.g. pigeons and squirrels) beg for food from humans in big cities like NYC, while other species (cardinals, blue jays, rats) do not?

It seems like only a select few animals will reliably approach a human who's eating in hopes for a handout, while other animals are never seen exhibiting this behavior. Why is that?

[Assistant]
Quite often it's because those species are used to humans, and often those Humans will be like "aww cute squirrel" and give a handout. So the animals learn that "humans = free food" and will keep coming back. (Imagine a dog learning to sit or give a paw, and when successful they get a treat. So in future they start sitting/giving a paw in the hopes of further treats)

Compare this to say, a rat, which is more frequently met with borderline hostility. So they learn to stay away from humans and either scavenge/sneak around for scraps.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
The analogy or metaphor of choir : is it mentioned in philosophy?

Hello (sorry for my level of English)

Are there texts which mention choirs (opera, for example) in philosophy? (including choirs in Greek tragedy). What is the esthetic analysis?

I asked myself questions about the role of each individual, of each member of the chorus, and about a possible paralelism with society. Was this specific point mentioned?

Thank you!

[Assistant] Zizek writes about this in How To Read Lacan, more specifically in chapter 2: "The Interpassive Subject: Lacan Turns a Prayer Wheel". Essentially, he analyzes the choir of the Greek tragedy in terms of the big Other that enjoys the theatrical performance for the audience. The function of the choir is to enable the audience to engage with the performance in an interpassive manner, in which the choir takes care of the "emotional commentary" instead of us having to do it ourselves. He makes similar points with regard to canned laughter in sitcoms etc.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How does the PC turn lines of code into transistor actions and back?

My question is pretty basic but I cant really get to the ground of it with just googling.
Basically the logic in a pc works due to activating some transistors and reacting to the output they deliver.

So when a chip is manufactured its just the hardware. What kind of code is used to turn lines of code into really giving volts through some transistors and interpret the result from knowing some give a 1 back and others a 0?

I ever thought that the BIOS is used for this but as my understanding the bios is just there to make the big OS run on it. It seems like there has to be some kind of fundamental program that can transform lines of code into real hardware actions. What is this kind of code called ? It does have to be different on every different chip right? I mean if I just hav 5 billion transistors instead of 6 it needs to be adjusted to the right number and has to be made for one chip only.

[Assistant]
You say its a pretty basic question but in reality your asking for a detailed answer on how a computer works, down to the wires.

The short answer is that code is compiled to cpu specific instructions, which are stored in memory; when those instructions are loaded into a certain part of the cpu, certain circuitry is enabled.

A modern cpu is very complicated so trying to understand on such a holistic way is pretty difficult; its best to understand each level of abstraction.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
What are the do's and don'ts of finding a tech co-founder for a startup?

I've seen a LOT of hate for the "idea guy" in programming related subreddits. But not any helpful alternatives on this topic. What is the right way to approach finding a tech co-founder? What material do I need prepared for them? What should I read up on before approaching a techie in the wild? Hell, where do I even go to find one?

In all seriousness, please give me advice or links to good articles.

EDIT: I've been able to create a pretty long checklist of what I need to do next and realized how much needs to be done before even thinking about finding a tech lead/ co-founder. All these comments were a big help to someone stuck on what to do next. Thank you all so much!

[Assistant]
You have to ask yourself, once you've shared your idea, what value are you bringing? If the answer is nothing, no one is going to assume that risk. The only way this is an attractive proposition for someone is - idea aside - you continue to add comparable value to them. They'll be responsible for realising the entire product. You'd better be damn good at what you do to be able to compete with that.

Maybe you're an expert salesman and you already have some orders lined up with contacts or something. Maybe you have access to huge capital. Unless they *need* you on board to succeed, a relationship like that will never work out. They'll either do it without you or become resentful of you.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How do bugs consume water?

Thats it! How do they drink?

When I drink, I use my lips, tongue and throat to guide water down to my stomach by muscle movement.

Since insects are made up of exoskeleton, Im having a hard time envisioning the mechanical process they use to drink or swallow.

Do they have internal anatomy that functions in a similar way to our digestive tract?

Thanks!

[Assistant] For drinking, a lot of insects have a mouth part called a proboscis that looks and works like a straw. Despite having an exoskeleton, insects do also have muscles and in this case use them to draw water or other fluids up into the proboscis. A muscle-lined sac called the cibarial pump sits in the head of the insect and when the muscles are contracted, this creates a vacuum in the proboscis. Relaxaction of the muscles pushes whatever has been sucked up into the digestive system. All in all, it ends up being pretty similar to a person drinking through a straw.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[DC/Superman Red Son] What happened to Wonder Woman once she broke her lasso?

I'm studying some of the old texts, from that time before our great hero Lex Luthor delivered us from the alien menace, and I have a question about the Amazonian warrior princess Wonder Woman, or Diana. My book shows her breaking her "magical" lasso after Freedom Fighter Batman tied her up, and then boom, she's all white haired and old looking, and seemingly quite weakened. What exactly happened to her? Could Superman have broken the lasso? Would the same thing have happened?

[Assistant] The Lasso of Truth was made from the Golden Girdle of Gaea, forged by the god Hephaestus. Gaea is one of the primordial Greek gods and  (great grand)mother of Wonder Woman's patron gods. When she willingly broke the Lasso the gods that watched over her withdrew their gifts, her healing, and stamina for example as a punishment for destroying the gift from their mother figure.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Harry Potter] Was it possible for Harry to die while he was the unknown Horcrux?

If he had fallen off his broomstick or been hit by a bus and died in a less dramatic way would he be able to come back like he did at the end of Deathly Hallows? Or was it only Voldemort hitting him with another killing curse that killed just the Horcrux in him but left Harry able to come back? When he has the meeting with Dumbledore inside his head hes seemingly given the opportunity to go on but he makes the decision to go back. As long as he had the Horcrux inside him could he always do this?

[Assistant]
>Was it possible for Harry to die while he was the unknown Horcrux?

Yes, until the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts. Once Voldemort made his new body out of Harry's blood, he reinforced their bond and the protection on Harry. Voldemort could touch Harry, attack him... but he accidentally bound Harry to life as long as he himself lived. And as Voldemort was immortal, so too was Harry Potter, until Harry surrendered himself in the Forbidden Forest.

>If he had fallen off his broomstick or been hit by a bus and died in a less dramatic way would he be able to come back like he did at the end of Deathly Hallows?

After the fourth book, yes. He could be injured, but he would always be just barely clinging on to life, no matter how severe the injury, because Voldemort still lived. Some quick magic to repair his body and he would be fine.

Before the fourth book, no. Unless Voldemort or one of his minions was driving the bus, in which case it would probably crumple when it hit him.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Ghost in the Shell] What do funerals looks like for full-body cyborgs?

I mean, if you  just bury them, then the artificial body is going to stay down there basically forever. And fully cremating one can't be easy.

So what do they do instead?

[Assistant] Full body cyborgs aren't cheap and its likely the relatives either build a mausoleum for the person since they are rich or sell the body to a scrapper because they aren't and its worth a lot of money.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[LOTR] Let's say Sauron decided the One Ring plan is too risky. How would he have tried to take over Middle Earth?

I'm guessing some form of trickery and deceit like what he tried to pull with the Numenoreans.

How would he have also gone about elevating his own personal power, without using the whole "placing his essence inside a very easy to misplace piece of jewelry"? Were there any other magical means available to him?

[Assistant]
> Let's say Sauron decided the One Ring plan is too risky. How would he have tried to take over Middle Earth?

The same way he tried over and over again - by force.

The Rings of Power were created because Sauron thought he could dominate the wearers. Why conquer Middle Earth when you can just enslave its rulers to your will? Except this only worked on the Men. Dwarves can't be dominated. And the Elven Rings were crafted only by Celebrimbor. They were aware when Sauron used the One Ring.

So if Sauron isn't creating the Rings of Power, then he's skipping Plan A and going straight to Plan B. Conquer Middle Earth by force.

Assuming the Second Age goes the same way, Sauron destroys Eregion, kills Celebrimbor, but is then defeated by the Numenoreans. 1,500 years later, Sauron convinces Ar-Pharazon to attack Valinor, Numenor is destroyed, and the War of the Last Alliance plays out. Without the One Ring, Sauron is killed by Elendil and Gil-galad, and doesn't return in the Third Age.

Maybe the Second Age plays out differently. Maybe Sauron takes his time, builds up his power more, and actually overruns Middle Earth. Either way, he still can't defeat Numenor. Numenor attacks and defeats Sauron. Sauron dies.

Also, if Sauron doesn't create the Rings of Power, there are no Nazgul. How much weaker is Sauron without his most powerful servants?

> Were there any other magical means available to him?

Probably. Maybe he should've made a magic eyepatch. That would've been cool.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] Why don't all cuts form scar tissue?

[Assistant] Short answer: Your skin has multiple layers and growths outwards. The stem-cell layer is the so called stratum basale and the last layer before the subcutis. When you damage this layer, the skin cannot regrow from the inside. In that case the wound is filled by fibroblasts instead which leads to scarring.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
What happened to herd immunity?

In the beginning of the pandemic there was lots of talk about reaching herd immunity but as the delta variant ravages throughout the world, it seems that all talk about herd immunity has ceased. Why is that? Or am i just misconstruing the situation?

[Assistant]
The proportion of the population that is needed to reach herd immunity is proportional to how effective the virus is in spreading.   With Delta the threshold is much higher.

Keep in mind here immunity is not a fixed number. It really means that there are not enough opportunity for the virus to sustain itself. Localized herd immunity in a community that generally interacts at a distance and outdoors (or infrequently with each other) is going to be different than one where this is frequent close contact and a lot of mixing (all else being equal). This means things like local culture can, and will, have an impact.

Edit: removed inversely from first sentence.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Marvel] If Taskmaster can copy any move perfectly by watching the motions, does that mean he keeps himself in shape by watching workout DVD's?

[Assistant] He can copy any move *if he is physically able to perform it*; Tasky still has to keep in tip-top shape to be able to perform Captain America's acrobatics and stuff like that. Although he does have this one cute trick where he can watch a video on fast playback and be able to do those moves in short bursts of super-speed - but at the end of the day, Tasky is no more durable than any other human, and is capable of over-exerting himself, pulling muscles, breaking bones, etc. He doesn't have super strength or superhuman durability, so while he could perfectly match the movement of, say, catching Iron Man's flaming fist in his hand, he'd probably break every bone in his arm doing it.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
What keeps the ISS stable when a craft docks with it?

When a craft docks with the ISS how does it compensate for the force exerted on it by the other craft docking. Why is it able to maintain its stability and not spin out of control.

[Assistant] Both craft are orbiting together in the same orbit. Just before docking they are almost stationary with respect to each other.  Once docked they *are* stationary with respect to each other.  Tidal forces are too low to complicate their docking.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MARVEL/GotG] What's the realistic life expectancy of Rocket? Per wiki, a raccoon can live anywhere from 3-20 years depending on wild/captivity. Will Rocket live longer?

So I know that Rocket isn't an actual Raccoon, but rather a genetically modified creature, but the chassis or foundation is a raccoon, right? Do Rocket's mods give him an enhanced lifespan, and if so, how? Did they swap out all the raccoon organs or something?

[Assistant]
Rocket wasn't an earth raccoon, even before he got uplifted. He was an alien being roughly analogous to a raccoon. So we really don't have anything concrete to go off of.

Your theory about changing his organs seems reasonable. The little nodes in his back seem to alter the biochemistry of his organs (definitely his brain) or possibly alter his skeleton somehow since his posture is not very raccoony.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5:How does rabies make it's victims 'afraid' of water?

Curious as to how rabies is able to make those infected with it 'afraid' of water to the point where even holding a glass of it causes negatives effects?

[Assistant] The virus affects the entire body, and especially hits us neurologically. What happens when you're thirsty and you see water? You salivate in anticipation of relieving that thirst. Salivation leads to swallowing, lest we drool. Well for someone in the later stages of rabies, swallowing becomes a very painful act...and as with anything painful, the mind tends to not want to repeat the act that leads to the pain. The Rabies virus causes severe muscle spasms in the throat, and even the sight of water can set them off. If that were happening to you, wouldn't you be 'afraid' of water, too?


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why do some forms of pain, like stretching a sore back or picking a scab, feel so incredibly satisfying ("hurts so good")?

[Assistant] I don't think there's a simple, single explanation to all of the situations you're asking about, but in regards to stretching a sore muscle, your movement pushes your body to the pain threshold, which draws your attention to it, and then you release. The pain dissipates so quickly, the relief hits you like the most sublime freight train.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] Kissing. How did it originate, become so universal, and why is it pleasurable?

[Assistant]
Kissing is just another way of getting information from a potential mate. If you think about the animals in the wild, they all 'kiss' in different ways.  Many animals will rub necks, lick or sniff their way to this information, and some animals, like some apes, will kiss MORE than humans.

Even humans do it differently (90% of human culture does kiss, however), like the Eskimo nose-nuzzle.

Kissing alongside a scribbled X in the Middle Ages would seal a document (as most people were illiterate, and which is where we get the X's in the X's and O's left on valentines) or work as a greeting, but this tradition understandably died out with the Black Plague and other plagues.

Freud would say that it is a rekindling of calm feelings associated with nursing from your mom, but biologists say that it is to gauge how healthy a mate is.

As you can see this is a huge subject that is still open for a lot of debate.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Trek] Why do so many artificial beings like holodeck characters and the Doctor on Voyager seem to be able to emulate human personalities more effectively than LtCdr. Data, an android designed specifically to do just that?

I recently finished watching TNG and started on Voyager, and this disparity confuses me. Data, especially early on, cannot emote at all and has trouble recognizing figures of speech and sarcasm. The holographic doctor, on the other hand, is very capable of expressing emotion (notably frustration and annoyance) and uses sarcasm regularly. And holodeck characters are virtually indistinguishable from actual people, even to the point that the computer was able to create a fully sentient being in the form of Prof. Moriarty. Why should Data's purpose-made positronic brain be so much less capable at emulating humanity than the more generalized computer of a Federation starship?

[Assistant] These other characters are imprints of a human pattern. Data has to invent his own personality. The doctor on voyager eventually explores his own personality and encounters many of the same roadblocks as Data. Moriarty and other holodeck characters are flat characters in the literary sense. They never change, they never self-reflect.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars/Alien] How long would it take to infest the Death Star?

A queen Xenomorph is found on a Outer Rim planet.  She is brought in to be tested on.  She escapes and disappears into the DS bowels.   For weeks, she is not found and is laying eggs.   An unsuspecting engineering team is overtaken by facehuggers...

Assuming a normal infest rate, how long before either the troops kill them off or the station is overrun.

Also, No Vader or Palpatine are around to use the Force on them.

[Assistant]
The DS came equipped with multiple scanners, cameras, and sensors, that would be able to tell them where all the Xenos are.

This would allow them to send wave after wave of Stormtroopers, all equipped with blasters and grenades, after them.

If somehow that doesn't work, they can utilize the Blast Doors to lead the Xenomorphs to traps, like a hanger, where they can instantly decompress the room.

They can use mouse droids to carry explosives over to them

They can pull a minigun from storage and shred them to pieces.

Their Helmets would help stop face huggers.

The Stormtroopers wouldn't care about killing their infected comrades

They have flamethrowers.

Darth Vader

Seriously, it would not take very long for them to be rid of this menace. Even with all that, it takes one Stormtrooper patrol to see it, and it suddenly got dozens of blaster holes in it.

Edit: Honestly, the hardest thing for them would be somehow cleaning up the Acid blood after the
Xenomorph massacre.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5:What is going on with the UK and the EU?

I live in England but don't have a TV and following the news is difficult, can somebody catch me up and explain how the UK has to pay so much more in Membership fees, why we might leave and all that? Thanks in advance.

[Assistant] The amount that the UK pays to the EU is not a fixed figure, it is a percentage of GDP, the GDP was larger than it was expected to be so the amount they had to pay was more than it was expected to be. Many people do not know this, so the anti-EU brigade like to jump on it and say "ooh, they're saying we have to pay more now", but nothing actually happened, a bit like you did some overtime and earnt more money this month so your tax was more than last month.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars] In Rogue One, Mon Mothma says her intentions are to extract Galen Erso to have him testify in front of the Imperial Senate. Could this have actually accomplished anything?

Especially since the Senate is dissolved and Alderaan is destroyed days after she makes this statement. What did she think would happen if she got Galen to testify?

[Assistant] It's possible she could have gotten control of the death star taken away from the Moffs and placed under the Senate. Unfortunately she was already expelled from the Senate for her ties to the rebellion and legally speaking the Senate was toothless. At best she could have swayed a few fence sitters to pick a side before alderaan is destroyed. She was grasping at straws and not ready to face the reality of open warfare and assassination being the only recourse left for the alliance as the last few diplomatic avenues were being closed.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MCU] Is the MCU a whole reality apart from the comics?

In the first episode of the Loki series we learn that the TVA's purpose is to prevent a multiverse from happening by making every possible timeline follow the exact same events. This immediately discards the idea that Earth-616 and Earth-199999 (MCU) can exist in the same multiverse.

Does this mean that what we see in the MCU completely deviates from the multiverse that exists in the comics and leads to two completely different and unrelated realities to exist? Or could this show see the creation of the multiverse and is, instead, a prelude of everything that happens in the comics?

The problem with the second theory is that there still exists a TVA in the comics which purpose deviates a lot from the series one.

[Assistant]
The TVA is not a trustworthy organization, so you can't exactly take their word for it that the timekeeper story is true. There may not even be timekeepers.

But even if the story is true, there was a multiverse that existed before the MCU. The multiverse war referenced sounds a lot like Secret Wars from the comics. If the story is true, the Marvel multiverse may be something that predates the MCU, before the development of the sacred timeline.

A key feature of the Marvel multiverse is that it has cycles where it us creates and destroyed. There have been eight incarnations of the multiverse in comics so far. The MCU may be the ninth.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why Does Programming Work?

I'm not asking how programming works. I'm well aware of binary and code. I even took a Visual Basic class in college (and got an A).

What I'm asking is WHY it works. Why does typing in code brig about a certain reaction? Someone obviously didn't just turn on the first computer and start typing shit. Somewhere along the line a standard had to have been put in place. I'm just wondering how that works.

tl;dr Why does a computer read code the way it does?

[Assistant]
Well little Suzy, inside every computer is something called the central processor. This little guy lives up to his name by acting as the brain of your computer. When you run a program, that program is telling the processor exactly what to do each step of the way.

Inside the processor are a gazillion little switches like light switches that can be turned on and off. These switches all do slightly different things; depending on which switches are turned on and off, the processor will do different things.

Every program is just a list of instructions, each line tells the processor exactly which switches to turn on and off. Some of these switches will cause the computer to remember things (like the number 5, or the word "apple"). Other switches will cause the computer to add two numbers together, or see which of two numbers is bigger.

There are many different types of processors out there, and each kind has different switches inside. This means each one needs to be told what to do in different ways. Some smart people realized this was a problem, so they set out to fix it.

What they realized is they needed to invent a language that humans could easily understand, and that everyone could agree on. A person could write a program just once in an easy language and give it to anyone else that wanted it, and they'd be able to understand it.

Now, there's a problem! We humans could read the instructions in the program, but the poor little processor can't! How did they fix this? Well, they just have to run a special program called a "compiler". This guy is just like the translators you see in movies. They take the instructions and translate them into whatever language the central processor uses, so it can know what to do!

If only learning learning Chinese was as easy!

Non-ELI5: CPUs understand what's called machine code. These instructions are very specific to the CPU. For example, intel processors understand a different set of instructions than arm processors. People used to write out the binary machine code for whatever processor they were working on.

Eventually "assembly" was invented. This is still tied very closely to the processor being used, for example, x86 assembly. This made it easier for humans to understand, but it didn't make code shareable.

What was needed were languages that weren't tied to any one processor. To do this, people joined together and came up with standard languages like BASIC and C.

These standards just describe the language and what it can do. When you write a program in one of these high level languages, you are using its standard rules to tell the processor what to do in a general sense (add, store, compare, etc)

When you are done, you need to run a compiler that knows how to convert between one language, and the machine code specifics of the processor you want to run the program on. There are different compliers for different processors; they all know how to read the standard, agreed upon language, which they then translate into the language of the cpu they are designed for.

I hope that helps!


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[TRON:Legacy] Why did Sam Flynn create a copy of The Grid at the end of the movie?

At the end of the movie, before he motorcycles out into the sunrise with Olivia Wilde, he is seen unplugging something from the huge computer and wearing it. It looks like a fancy SD card, or some other memory storage device (and even has the design of the original identity disc). So if it was a memory stick, why take a copy of the grid with him? And what do the residents of The Grid see/feel when that data goes from the PC to the storage device?

[Assistant]
That was a whole universe, a universe that created artificially intelligent persons. To destroy that would be unimaginable the technology, the people, everything all blinking out instantly.

I imagine they are in a sort of stasis, the data is not being used just stored. No processor to crunch out where the bits are and everything remains stationary, if you were on the grid you would feel anything. Time stops and when its uploaded to a computer the simulation picks up right where it left off.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] Why does broccoli seem more green when it's at steaming temperature than room or fridge temperature?

[Assistant] Vegetables such as broccoli have a waxy coating that melts and becomes more transparent when hot. It is whitish when cool. (It is a natural part of the cuticle of the plant that helps keep water from evaporating).


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Why do chia seeds turn slimy when you mix them with liquid?

Is this a seed thing or specifically a chia thing? If it's a seed thing, what other seeds can I use to make pudding?

[Assistant]
It's caused by mucilage, which is a gel-like polysaccharide coating common to (almost) all plants, albeit not always in useful quantities. Vinaigrette dressings are emulsified with the mucilage from mustard seeds, for example, while flaxseed mucilage is a common vegan egg substitute. It's also commonly found in plant roots.

In theory you could make pudding with almost any seed, although mustard seed pudding might not be particularly palatable.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Fallout] Could the world ever return to a pre-war war state?

I don't necessarily mean the culture or aesthetic so much as the global communications, infrastructure, and society thing.

Putting aside the obvious issues like radiation and deathclaws, which I would consider more tangible threats, I feel like there are much more intrinsic issues to be solved, if they can be solved at all.

You have things like a (presumed) lack of pollinators (it's nothing short of a miracle that enough survived the bombs to make crops viable), a reliance on pre war infrastructure and tech rather than attempting to redevelop it or manufacture new ones, and then of course the global resource shortage that kickstarted WW3 would likely still be present to some extent.

[Assistant]
Yes, it could.  Arguably it already has in the heartland of the NCR.

One of the terrible ironies of the war is that the resource shortages that started it were solved a few years before the end.  Fusion power cells can take the place of fossil fuels and power an industrial society on a prewar scale.  Most American infrastructure had already been upgraded to take advantage of them, and the rest of the world could have been salvaged if it weren't for the nuclear exchange.  The war with China and resulting apocalypse was continuing largely out of *spite.*

The NCR, Brotherhood of Steel, and Enclave all have (well, had.  The NCR mostly poached what they have from the BoS and Enclave) the capability to produce new infrastructure and manufacture new power cells, rather than being forced to rely solely on existing prewar stocks.  Successfully building up to a prewar level of living is mostly a matter of maintaining a stable society, rather than any physical or technological barrier.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: what is radioactive decay?

I have been trying to identify what radioactive decay is, but everything on the internet makes it hard to comprehend. Can somebody tell me what it is in a simple way. thank you.

[Assistant] The nuclei of some atoms are not stable. They can become stable by undergoing radioactive decay where it releases certain particles (alpha, beta, etc.) and generally turns into a different atom. Sometimes elements have to undergo multiple decays in order to become stable.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
When two neutron stars merge and cause a ripple of gravitational waves, what happens to the objects (planets, asteroids) near the merger?

Do objects get morphed as the fabric of spacetime stretches and shrinks? If a human was close enough, would they feel the gravitational wave?

[Assistant]
I answered the question about what would happen if we were certain distances to the black hole merger we detected. Gravity waves produced by two neutron stars merging would be extremely weak. Here's what would happen if closer to the black hole merger we detected.

"The waves we detected as they passed are extremely "weak". To give you an idea of how weak, at ten light years you wouldn't have actually personally noticed the waves we detected. At a little over one light year the gravitational waves would be a billion times stronger than we detected yet this would only be a shift in one of the LIGO arms of 4 nanometers. That's only about half the width of a hydrogen atom. The diameter of the Earth would shift by about a hundredth of a millimetre. This might cause some earthquakes that were on the verge of happening anyways but not the end of the world. Lets now assume were at least 10,000 kilometers from ground zero and let's go ahead and factor out the gravity of the two initial orbiting black holes because if you were actually that close that's the real danger and we only want to feel the waves created by them combining. At that distance the shift caused by the gravitational waves would be about one part in a thousand. If you were floating in space you would likely feel that, since a person would experience a shift of a millimeter or two. Would it hurt, or possibly harm you? Thats hard to say. It would really depend on how resilient humans are to gravitational wave distortion, and we dont have any experimental data on that."


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[D&D] What do monsters eat?

So, it seems from reading the monster manuals that the Fantasy Ecosystem is, like, 90%+ apex predators. And not just *any* apex predators, but superpredators who are the size of buildings and have activity levels analogous to army tanks.

So, what are they eating?

Sure, there's some undead and outsiders and stuff who don't eat, but there's a pretty high proportion of actual biological life. They're huge enough and deadly enough that they should have eaten all other animal life years ago. So what's going on? Are there a bunch of CR 15 herbivores we don't see? Are they all eating each other? Is Obad-Hai manually restoring the deer every year after all the basilisks and dragons and so forth eat them all?

I'm not sure this adventure game has focused enough on the abstract food chain of its setting for some reason and I would like to know what's happening.

[Assistant] To be fair the really big ones are kinda rare. Also, Dragons and basilisks sleep a lot, keeping their energy use down. Dragons have an inner magical energy source that keeps them going, they eat for enjoyment and growth, but can survive without food.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why are astronomers always looking for water?

Isn't it possible that some sort of E.T. could evolve to live off of some other sort of other element?  I mean I know that water is a safe bet but shouldn't we widen our horizons.

[Assistant]
Two part answer:

1) Water has a number of unique properties, which are very useful to life on Earth. It is an excellent solvent, as well as a good middle point between acids and bases. It is strongly dipolar, so it is easy to move around tubes.

2) There isn't anything fundamental about it, though, that means it is necessary for any replicating molecule. But, when searching for ET life, you need to start somewhere. Like omgdonorkebab says, we may as well look for things that we know can exist.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: How do search engines get results so quickly?

When I look something up on google or look up a name on Instagram I get results nearly immediately despite there being like billions of results for the search to look through. Even just making a search for a specific file on my laptop takes a while, so how do companies like these do it so fast?

[Assistant]
Google has an army of computers that are constantly "crawling" the web in the background, 24 hours a day and analysing the information on each website. This is a slow and never ending process. They use the information to build up a database of essential keywords for each website.

When you type something into the Google search box, it searches its own database rather than the whole internet but will provide a link to the current live page. This is a much faster process but does mean that what it is searching is always a little bit out of date. That is why sometimes you get a link to a site that doesn't exist because it has closed down since the last time Google analysed it.

In many cases, if the analysis shows that a site is popular (has a lot of traffic, and links) then Google will actually copy it and create a "cached" copy of the website on its own servers. This means that it can actually do a fast full text search on those cached pages rather than rely on just keywords and without being slowed down by internet speeds. The link it gives will still be to the live site though rather than its own copy.

This is worth knowing because sometimes if a site has changed or even been taken down since the last time Google cached it you can still see the old version by clicking on the little down arrow next to the entry in the search results. This will bring up the cached version rather than the current one.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Marvel] Does Steve Rogers actually like "baseball, hotdogs, and apple pie"? Or do people just assume he does because he is Captain America?

[Assistant]
It's not surprising if he likes those things, he most likely did. He is a product of his time.

There wasn't a lot of entertainment or food variety back then, even worse during the Great Depression that he lived through. Most kids enjoyed baseball, baseball was also one of those things you can enjoy from the radio.

Hotdogs and apple pie could also be a thing he enjoyed from his childhood especially before the Great Depression hit. It's not like hotdogs and apple pie are some weird kind ethnic food, they were mainstream snacks for a reason, the majority of people liked them.