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

[User]
[DC] If Superman gets his powers from the sun, how is he STRONGER than the sun?

At least he is in many of his iterations. I know physics is wonky in comics, but is there a reason that makes sense? Is he just inherently stronger than the sun but in order to unlock his true power he needs it? As is, is the sun just a key to his powers or the source of them? (And if it is the source then again, how is he stronger than it?)

[Assistant]
One fan-theory is that sunlight isn't what directly powers him, but rather unlocks access to some other power source. An area the size of a person isn't enough to absorb sunlight to lift a car, let alone stop a train or any of the other increasingly huge displays of power.

This is backed up by the New 52 Superman being said to have the potential to have great psionic power, and of course Post-Crisis Superboy (Conner Kent, a human/Kryptonian hybrid clone) explicitly having limited telekinetic abilities.


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

[User] If someone overheats their computer and it slows down, what exactly is physically happening to cause it to lose performance?

[Assistant]
Clock throttling. It simply detects overheating and slows down to protect itself. Thank the thermal sensors and BIOS for that.

The clock frequency changes pretty often (it's lower to save power and heat when idle), mostly you don't notice it. When said phenomena occurs, though, it slows down more than it normally would, otherwise it would overheat faster.


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

[User] [Seinfeld] Does Jerry Seinfeld eventually make Bee Movie in the universe of Seinfeld?

[Assistant]
In-universe, dealing with a massively publicized trial where the prosecution went out of their way to butcher his public character probably didn't have good effects on his career, and on top of that he might also be looking at jail time. That, and unlike Real Seinfeld (whose sitcom became a public institution), in-universe Seinfeld crashed and burned hardcore in his attempt to make a "show about nothing", so he has no wins and a titanic loss on his record.

Odds are good that his future isn't the brightest. He might still be able to land club gigs or a writer's room seat, but he's probably not going to be helming much of anything.


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

[User]
Why shouldn't personhood start at conception?

Pro-lifers do not seem to care about the concept of "personhood" but rather just that human life is present.

Other than the example of abortion, where a persons bodily autonomy is removed in favor of a living human organism that is not a person, are there other problems that arise or ethical reasons why we shouldn't just take the religious approach and say that personhood starts at conception?

[Assistant]
This paper might be worth reading for you:

Tooley, Michael, 1972, Abortion and Infanticide, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 2(1): 3765.

But its also worth pointing out that the morality of abortion arguably doesnt even depend on this point. The most influential defense of abortion is Thomsons, and her argument grants it that fetuses are persons with a right to life, etc. and shows that nevertheless, abortion is permissible:

Thomson, Judith J., 1971, A Defense of Abortion, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1(1): 4766.

But see Tooleys paper if youre really interested in this particular question. (It sounds to me that youre not terribly interested in abortion itself, but this issue is almost always treated in conjunction with abortion. Tooleys paper is worth reading for the debate itself, even though he  does draw the connection with abortion.)


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

[User]
ELI5:What are with the tags on mattresses and why is it a big deal if you remove them?

Thanks for the answer guys.

[Assistant] Mattress tags are there to inform the consumer about any pertinent details relating to the mattress.  Things such as what is in it and any warnings required by law.  It is a big deal to remove the tag if you are not the owner of the mattress.  This is to prevent people from misrepresenting the product at sale.  Once you have purchased the mattress you are free to remove the tag.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are most salt water fish able to be eaten raw/uncooked while freshwater fish cannot be?

[Assistant]
Humans are freshwater animals with about 5% salinity. This means the parasites/bacteria in freshwater fish can live and thrive in us as well, and make us sick.

The bacteria/parasites that thrive in salt water animals (~20% salinity) don't do well inside of us. They *can* survive, and you can still get sick from saltwater fish bacteria, but it's less likely.

For reference, all "raw" seafood you get has been frozen first to kill parasites (and *all* fish has parasites, especially farm raised fish). In the US, it's an FDA requirement, and it's a traditional part of sushi preparation. Without that, whether it's salt or fresh water, you're very likely to get something bad from raw fish.


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

[User]
[MCU] What happens when you fall off the edge of Asgard?

They've flushed some pretty priceless things down there. Anyway I can scavenge a few of them?

[Assistant] You keep falling. See Loki and the waterfalls surrounding the realm for more info. Presumably the water is enchanted and returns to Asgard somehow, but Loki kept falling until he passed through a wormhole, so it's possible everything else keeps moving even beyond Asgard's physical and magical influence thanks to the Newtonian laws of motion.


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

[User] ELI5: For what reasons do companies and government bodies link to information only via downloadable PDF's when they could easily post the text and graphics to a webpage under their current domains instead?

[Assistant]
Three main reasons:

* It's not equally easy.  Someone has to be responsible for re-formatting.  The company or government may lack the expertise (limited as it is) or manpower to do this.

* It adds an additional possibility of error (and therefore responsibility for error).  Sometimes important government or corporate documents are reviewed by teams of people for weeks before they are created.  Even something as simple as re-formatting the document can create small but important errors (e.g. moving or omitting some punctuation in a legal document).  If the general counsel says "put this on the website" and sends a pdf to the guy in IT, the IT cannot possibly screw it up if he literally puts "this" on the website.  But if he re-formats it, then he might be blamed if it somehow goes wrong.

* The document may not have reached the webmaster in a re-formattable format.  Pdf is often used by large organizations a way to manage document version control.  If it's in pdf, it's in "final" form and sometimes in a way that other people in the organization cannot mess around with it (this is kind of the flip side of the second bullet).  The general counsel intentionally not want to give Phil the webmaster the ability to tinker with the document and edit it if he is disgruntled, mischievous, or a busy-body.

(edit: third bullet)


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

[User]
[portal] Does the "itch" reset with each new test subject?

In Portal 2 we saw that there is a programmed "itch" with a pleasure response given to the AI in control of the test chambers. In this it encourages the AI to push the test subjects more and more and get them through testing because success brings pleasure. While Failure or doing the same test over and over brings no sensation.

The thing is though is each test subject has to be acclimated to the testing procedures so does the "itch" and Pleasure response reset with each new subject going through? This way they can retrain a new test subject with no issues? Or does it stay the same so the AI trys to push each new subject through faster and faster so hopefully that subject gets to where the last one failed at and can get their pleasure response?

[Assistant]
It could depend. Keep in the mind that the tests can also be made more difficult in such a way that it uses different mechanics, not necessarily just a harder puzzle.

That said, not much is known about the itch at all, since Wheatley has been the only one to be affected by it, GLaDOS being unaffected and "in it for the science."


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

[User]
ELI5: How do tattoo last so long if every cell in your body is replaced in 7 years?

I am aware that they fade, has that go to do with cells recycling?

[Assistant]
Tattoos last forever because the human body thinks it is under attack when someone draws on it.

The bodys complex processes that keep our skin free from infection are the same ones that allow ink to live forever in our skin.

It should very difficult for anything to stay in the skin: humans shed about 40,000 skin cells per hour, or around 1,000,000 per day. Anything drawn onto the skin would gradually flake or get washed off.

But tattoos are done by using machines to punch through the outer layer of skin and into the dermis, which is the deeper layer of skin that doesnt flake off. They do that by pushing small needles over and over, quickly, pushing the ink deep into the fibers of the dermis.

Pushing so far into the skin is essentially a wound, and the body reacts as youd expect it to. The immune system reacts to what it considers to be an attack by sending cells to the wound and start repairing the skin  that process might sound traumatic, but its actually what allows tattoos to stick around for so long.

The cells, known as macrophages, travel to the site of the wound and start eating up the ink that has been deposited there. Other cells and parts of the skin, such as fibroblasts, suck up the tattoo ink.

But they cant do anything with it, and so stay stuck in that layer, visible through the skin.

Some of the ink will go into the upper layer of the skin, and that will then be shed as normal. Thats why the process of getting a tattoo also includes time letting your skin heal, with the body taking two to four weeks to initially heal.

The body also keeps fighting the foreign ink throughout its owners life. That means that tattoos will gradually fade over time, a process that is also sped up by other things like light from the sun.


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

[User]
[DC] When Billy Batson becomes an adult will he still need to say Shazam to transform?

Will he just be a skinny guy that transforms into a buff, costumed guy? Or will he just grow into Shazams form?

[Assistant]
Saying Shazam consists of

S - wisdom of Solomon

H - strength of Hercules

A - stamina of Atlas

Z - power of Zeus

A - courage of Achilles

M - speed of Mercury.

So yes, he will still need to say it.


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

[User]
Relationship between Derrida's deconstruction and Hegel's dialectics?

For background, I have very little knowledge about Derrida's deconstruction, though I have a decent grasp of Hegel's dialectical thinking.

It may be just a superficial similarity that Derrida's deconstruction and Hegel's dialectics both have to do with binary opposites, but I couldn't help but wonder if Derrida ever explicitly or implicitly addressed the relationship between his project of deconstruction and Hegel's dialectics. Did he see them as having anything to do with each other? What are the qualitative differences between what is attempted/achieved by dialectical thinking and what is attempted/achieved by deconstruction?

Thanks in advance.

[Assistant]
Hegel was actually one of the big names Derrida continually engaged with. Although many of his peers at the cole (e.g. Deleuze and Foucault) were satisfied with just inheriting Hyppolite's extremely negative (and contentious) view of Hegel as an unnuanced thinker of identity, Derrida when he turned towards Hegel's texts themselves found much to agree with.

Deconstruction itself is, in a way, an expansion of Hegel's dialectic where the Self is forced into confrontation with the Other and must incorporate it by transcending/overcoming/annihilating/lifting-up \[sublating\] the difference between the two. What is substantial about the difference between Hegel and Derrida is difference-itself. Where Hegel thinks that difference marks out the possibility of synthesising Self and Other, for Derrida difference is always the exterior to a system (its differnce) which it is in constant dialogue with, yet unable to subsume.

Methodologically, dialectics and deconstruction are almost the exact inverses of each other. Dialectics seek out the real identity underlying differences (Self and Other unified in the transcendental identity of Absolute Being i.e. the "identity of identity and non-identity") whereas deconstruction seeks out the real difference underlying identities (the presence of absence). To an extent, Derrida's approach is comparable to Adorno's Negative Dialectics which aim to establish the "difference of identity and difference", seeing the totalisation of the Real by identity as a bourgeois mechanism ("bartering") which was invented to allow the universal, quantitative exchange of qualitatively different things.

Derrida's deconstruction is different than Adorno's Negative Dialectics in some important ways. Most significant of all might be the rigid anti-foundationalism which deconstruction supports, and yet which Negative Dialectics repels by being materialist. Negative Dialectics tries to found itself on the difference between Ideality and Reality (Adorno was a dualist). For Derrida, however, the Real is different than itself according to the ontological absence by which its identity is established (it is never a real-as-presence as Heidegger believed, but is defined also by its absences - the concealed meanings of Being \[*lethe*\] and its historical trajectory).

Overall though, in simpler terms, deconstruction wants to support the actual difference between terms which results in their equality rather than their hierarchisation. An important example of this is Derrida's discussion of speech and writing. Many past philosophers like Rousseau and Husserl considered writing to be an inferior form of speech. According to the orthodox view, writing is a simulacrum since it tries to symbolise (letters) a system of symbols (vocalisations), which are what is really connected to reality. Then, writing is more distant from reality than is speech, and whatever is derived from it is artificial and deficient. What Derrida points out here is that the assertion that speech is more originary than writing *occurs always in writing, and is enabled through written mediums* (the book, the essay) which allow the expansion of thought beyond the communicative limitations of speech. Then, what appears to be a hierarchy is actually grounded in a real equality between writing and speech.

By looking into the logic of 'logocentrists' (people favouring speech over writing), Derrida gives us an example of deconstruction, since he shows us the difference and interpenetration of writing and speech which is taken for granted by logocentrists.

Derrida and Hegel are weird together though, since Derrida only wrote one book in his life on Hegel called 'Glas', and it's a heavily obscure text comparing Hegel to Genet, rather than directly engaging with Hegel on his own.

Hope this helps!


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

[User] ELI5: What does putting chalk on my pool stick actually do? And is it stupid not to use it?

[Assistant]
Chalk lets the cue tip have more friction when it comes in contact with the cue ball. The currently highest rated post is sort of incorrect. The chalk doesn't help at all when striking the cue ball in its center. But, the chalk helps enormously when hitting a cue ball above center (follow), below center (draw) or left or right (English). With no chalk you can miscue when hitting off center. Chalk helps when it's off center.

Edit; change currently to formerly. Thanks for the up votes!


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

[User]
ELI5: Does burning wood release all of the carbon a tree has captured in its lifetime? Does a dead decomposing tree do the same?

Anytime carbon capture comes up, the conversation devolves into commenters saying the entire idea is dumb and trees already exist. Id like to know more about the full life cycle of a tree and if the carbon it captures is permanent.

[Assistant]
Yep. There's no magic. When a plant grows it takes in carbon from the air and uses it as a building material. The plant is largely made of carbon. As long as the plant remains the carbon is bound there. It doesn't vanish or teleport away it's just part of the plant. So when the plant dissolves or burns, all the carbon it's made up of is released.

That said, carbon capture by planting more trees and plants *does* work. It just depends on us keeping the forests around, but... that's kind of the point *anyway*. It's not like the individual tree needs to live forever. When it dies a new tree can grow in its place, so it still works in the long term. As long as the forest is there, it binds a bunch of carbon.

But this is true for any form of carbon capture. The carbon is still there. There's no point in timer when we can say "ok, that's all the carbon vanished. Now we no longer have to worry about that!"

If we pump it down into old oil wells the carbon is still there and we have to worry *forever* about whether it'll leak out. If we bind it in trees and greenery we have to *keep* the planet green (oh, the horror). No matter what we do, we have to *keep* doing it.


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

[User] ELI5: How come after a while of reading or repeating the same word over and over, it no longer begins to sound/look right?

[Assistant]
Your brain tends to try to ignore repeated stimulus. Consider when you walk into a room with a smell, after a short time of that smell not changing, you have to really think to notice it.

The same thing works with language. When you say a word, a network in your brain gets stimulated and it makes you think a bit about your associations with the word. When you say it again and again, your brain stops caring about that stimulation and so it doesn't trigger the associations as strongly. Very quickly, the sense of the word's meaning stops activating and it sounds strange and alien.


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

[User]
[General] Has anyone been offered a deal with a demon for their soul and asked what would happen to their soul after death?

Has anyone been offered a deal with a demon for their soul and asked the demon (considering their malicious nature) what would happen to their soul after death and considering the potential consequences (eternal torture etc) why they should bother accepting the deal at all?

[Assistant]
Of course.

Here's the thing: they are malicious, yes, but demons have to be honest. Any world in which demons are not honest is a world in which you're screwed anyway - if demons can take your soul while lying to you or otherwise deceiving you, then there's a million ways in which they could underhandedly get your soul. For instance, how do you know you didn't sign a contract for your soul, in invisible ink, the last time you signed anything?

Because demons require informed consent, that's why. Those poor saps born into worlds where demons *don't* require it? They will unknowingly get tricked into signing a contract at some point in their lives anyway. It's inevitable, they're going to Hell and most of them don't even know it or get anything in exchange for it.

You can trust for demons to be on the up and up about the consequences of your deal - in many worlds, they're not nearly as dire as eternal torment. It can, for instance, just be annihilation - that may be worth it to some.

On the other hand, if you can't trust demons, you're doomed to Hell anyway. Demons appreciate people who spare them the effort of trickery - so why not get a nice signing bonus in exchange for sparing them the trouble?


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

[User]
CMV: Certain felonies should be erased from criminal records after X amount of law-abiding, post-release years

We see that people who have felony records are much more likely to return to a life of crime after theyve paid their debt to society. Thats because once youre a felon, youre a felon for life. That means finding a job that pays a living wage, going back to school or even starting your own business is extremely difficult. People are then forced to return to crime to provide for themselves and their families or they become dependent upon government assistance. Wouldnt it make more sense to erase certain felony convictions after someone does their time and remains law-abiding for a pre-determined timeframe once theyre released? There has to be a way to redeem oneself, or theres very little incentive to not return to a lifestyle that while illegal, paid the bills.

[Assistant] The purpose of a criminal record is so there is a record of somebodys criminal activity. While most employers require you to disclose felony convictions on job applications, many of them are willing to overlook such convictions if they were long enough ago and there has not been any recent reoffending. Being released from an armed robbery charge last week carries much more impact than being released from an armed robbery charge 20 years ago with no continued offenses since then.


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

[User]
ELI5 Will we be able to make giant robots (like the ones in pacific rim or gundam) with the technology we have today?

Maybe in my lifetime we can have giant robot battle royales...

[Assistant]
the comprehensive answer is that on the modern battlefield (ever since WWII) weapons have been superior to armor. Modern tanks survive on the battlefield against anti-tank weapons by being low to the ground and taking advantage of terrain to stay hidden or at least reduce their exposure.

Bipedal tanks would have the problem of not being able to take advantage of terrain for safety, and not being able to take advantage of sloping to improve the effectiveness of the armor thickness they can reasonably carry.

The only potential advantage of a bipedal tank would be use in a city where they could use buildings as cover. However, even in this situation infantry with anti-tank weapons would have the greater advantage.

Finally, for large gundam or pacific rim sized bipedal tanks the surface pressure under their feet would tear huge furrows in the ground. Making them impractical.

However, smaller maybe 1 or 2 ton sized powered armor could be highly effective. Offering better protection from small arms while still being able to use terrain for protection from anti-tank weapons.


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

[User]
[Deadpool 2] Spoiler Megathread

You know the drill. All questions involving Deadpool 2 belong in this thread while it's stickied.

[Assistant] After blowing himself up, did Deadpool grow back from his head, or did Colossus put him back together? If it was the latter, then why not put his two halves together later on rather than wait for his baby legs to grow?


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

[User] [GotG] How were Peter Quill and the gang able to hold the Infinity Stone without dying?

[Assistant]
Peter Quill is half-... Something, Drax is an immensely powerful alien, Gamora is an immensely powerful alien with cybernetic enhancements and Rocket is the product of a wide range of scientific experiments with largely unknown results.

Between them, they were able to hold the stone long enough for Quill to get it into the orb.

Quill was also able to survive in space without a mask or anything for far longer than an ordinary human would have been able to, so whoever his father was, he passed down pretty immense durability to Peter.


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

[User] Why are there holes in the ozone layer, as opposed to the ozone redistributing itself around the layer to be equally thin everywhere?

[Assistant] This is due to a polar vortex, a rotating low pressure zone above both the north and south poles, that minimizes the air exchange above these regions.  The vortex limits the inflow of ozone to the depleted regions.  The polar vortex above Antarctica is typically stronger than the one above the arctic, hence the ozone hole over Antarctica is generally more severe than the one over the arctic.


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

[User]
ELI5: how can the dollar store sell items for only 1$ while the same items are much higher elsewhere?

I always wondered if there is something wrong with those items? Maybe almost expired or damaged?

[Assistant]
It's simple and yet not easy to understand. Take the entire stock of the dollar store and we find very few items valued $5-$10 and the majority at or around $1 price. Compare to other places inventory you will find that dollar stores inventory is a low dollar figure. This means that every space of rental property is cheap to stock and rotating inventory (assumed) along with smaller shelf space needed for these smaller items (assumed) allows greater selection. These stores rely on the consumer being able to afford more items more often, they reduce profit margins to increase customer volume.

Or 7/11 has Twinkies for $1.29 with a profit of 35 and dollar store has Twinkies for $1 profit of 5. Dollar store sells five boxes of twelve each month 7/11 only two. $8.40 for 7/11 and $3.00 for the dollar store. Not great. But the dollar store customer buys 10-15 items and the 7/11 customer 2-5 items. Both models are successful by method, execution and market. They just see growth and profits different with either finding appeal in the eyes of different customers and business men alike.


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

[User]
Schopenhauers advice to the young philosopher

Hi all,
I remember reading something titled as above, but I cannot find it anywhere. If anyone knows about it and is willing to provide me with sources, I would appreciate it very much. Thanks in advance!

[Assistant]
Could it be this?

>No child under the age of fifteen should receive instruction in subjects which may possibly be the vehicle of serious error, such as philosophy, religion, or any other branch of knowledge where it is necessary to take large views; because wrong notions imbibed early can seldom be rooted out, and of all the intellectual faculties, judgment is the last to arrive at maturity. The child should give its attention either to subjects where no error is possible at all, such as mathematics, or to those in which there is no particular danger in making a mistake, such as languages, natural science, history and so on.

- From *On Education*


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

[User]
Is the Cornell note taking method actually superior to alternative forms of note taking?

I have read that the Cornell method helps stimulate the mind, as it involves more interaction with the written material. Is there any truth to this?

Additionally, why are hand written notes superior to typed up notes?

[Assistant]
You are asking questions of subjective experience as if it were objective truth.

The Cornell method requires a certain additional interaction, as you note. Additional interaction is correlated with better retention. That's generally "superior" to just writing things down once, but there are plenty of "alternative" forms that also encourage additional interaction, and good study habits involve additional interaction regardless of note-taking techniques.

Good study requires interaction with the material - reading, interpreting, synthesising. The Cornell style builds that into the note-taking, but there are plenty of other ways to do it, so the Cornell style isn't innately "superior". There are plenty of ways to get that interaction without Cornell. Scribbling random notes down as the lecturer talks and never coming back to them is not one of those ways, however.


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

[User] If taxes are taken out of each of my paychecks, how come I need to pay taxes again every April?

[Assistant]
Because it's an *estimation*. If you look on a tax form 1040, there are a ton of other issues that will reduce or increase your liability.

Did you get married? What is your filing status? Do you have itemized deduction (mortgage interest, medical expense). Did you get interest income, dividend, etc. Did your business make money? There are provisions for casualty loss, theft, tax credits. The list goes on and on and on. The IRS does not know all this.


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

[User]
[Time Travel] Why is it that killing one bug in the past (usually prehistoric times) would alter the entire Future?

**Update**: Realistically, Bugs always get stepped on since the dawn of time even before dinosaurs and caveman.

[Assistant]
If a time traveler stepped on say, a butterfly, think about the plants that the butterfly would have landed on, or the animal that was going to eat it. The future is changed ever so slightly, a few flowers don't get pollinated and never bloom; a lizard goes hungry and has to wander farther from its nest to find food.

These small changes set off a few *big* changes, instead of mating and passing on its DNA, the lizard runs into a predator and gets eaten, and many species of lizards wind up not existing. The flowers never bloom, and a large chunk of plants as we know then today never wind up evolving.

The changes, small at first, start adding up. Before you know it, there's giant chain reactions. Animals that were supposed to live, *don't*. Things that were supposed to get eaten, *aren't*.

Many things may wind up similar or even the same as they are today, but the changes will be noticeable. The entire alphabet may wind up different, if people even wind up creating the same languages at all. If (somehow) the people you know *do* wind up existing, they may be totally different, the country you live in may wind up a terrifying mirror of what you once knew. Life may not be worth living once you realize the breadth of the changes you caused with your carelessness.

All because you had to hunt a t-rex.


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

[User]
[Star Trek] How come everybody in the federation isnt super model gorgeous?

We know that the Federation has the technology for incredible plastic surgery; they can make someone appear to be another race quickly, easily and painlessly, and easily reverse it. In DS9 Apocalypse Rising Dr Bashir states that he can give Odo any face you like. We also know their food is magically super nutritious (Troi references this in TNG, not sure what episode but shes talking about how she wants real chocolate not the replicated nutritious stuff).
So why are there still uggos in the federation? Granted, most of the people we see are pretty good looking, but not everyone is as hot as they could be. Is there some federation value against enhancing your looks? People wear makeup. Of course, its entirely possible many people DO get plastic surgery; still, I wonder if theres some social taboo against it.

Edit: People seem to agree that The Federation doesnt judge people based on looks. Going off of that, do we think plastic surgery is even available? If I went to a doctor asking to get a facelift, would they look at me like I was a crazy eccentric, a degenerate, old fashioned, criminally insane? Or what?

Edit 2: yall I know plastic surgery EXISTS in Star Trek, but can an average citizen use it to make themselves look better (whatever that means to them)?

[Assistant] Maybe the idea of a person being expressly "Perfect" was soured as a result of the Eugenics Wars, where scientists attempted to make humanity superior through selective breeding and genetic engineering.


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

[User]
[Wonder Woman] Its 1918, what would life be like for an unwed woman, with no family, no money and is an immigrant in England? (What would Wonder Woman's options be?)

At the end of the Wonder Woman movie Diana is living in mans world.

She has no money, she isn't married, no family to support her and she's an immigrant (the thick accent being a dead giveaway) I'm not sure what type of paperwork people would have had back then (are passports a thing?) but Diana would have literally nothing.

She has some friends, she has Etta Candy a secretary for the Government and Steve's friends Sameer, Charlie and Chief Napi.

But she can't depend on them forever so I was wondering just what life would be like for Diana straight after the war?

Would she for example be able to become a maid? or find employment in a department store? Because I've also seen that letters of recommendation from previous employers are quite important which is another thing she wouldn't have.

So I'm wondering what likely happened to Diana given the constraints of her circumstances and the historical context she lived in?

[Assistant] She is the world's greatest known Greek antiquarian. No formal degree but any interview at a library, museum or archive will recognize they've got someone with extensive hands on experience and unrivaled knowledge.


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

[User]
The Tax Bill of 2017 reduced corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Tax haven countries have rates as low as 15%. Why would companies be more likely to move money back to the US if they still arent getting a better rate?

I apologize if this question is clumsily worded, I have a very basic understanding of Econ. I also want to preface by saying I dont have a political agenda here I just want understanding.

This question has been gnawing on me since Ive been reading about the tax bill. From what I understand the bill not only decreased the corporate tax rate (35% to 21%), it set a one time repatriation tax of profits overseas (8%, 15.5% for cash). The goal was to incentivize companies to move their money back to US (and tax revenue).

I also have read that companies are in fact bringing money back to the US. I dont understand why this would happen, as staying out and paying the same 15% seems more profitable. Is it that there are other benefits to being in the US? And what are they?

[Assistant]
If the return on investment is greater by bringing it home than it is leaving it overseas where is may have less utility then eventually they will repatriate it here.

Companies do two things with profit: invest it or return it to shareholders via dividends. Hard to do either of those if it's all siting idle in a bank account in Ireland. That's the somewhat simple answer anyway.


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

[User]
[Lord of the Rings] What power and from who is Gandalf summoning before his fight with the Balrog.

He mentions being the protector of the fire or something. What does he say exactly and what is he envoking?

[Assistant]
>"You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."

The Secret Fire is Eru Iluvatar, the god of Arda, the world in which LotR takes place. Gandalf is telling the Balrog, in terms it (but not the fellowship) will understand, that he is an emissary of the Valar and that it had best step off if it knows what's good for it.

The Balrog does not know what's good for it.


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

[User] why "Steam" is the driving force of most of the power plants for more than 150 years? Does no other fluid has capability to replace it?

[Assistant] Don't underestimate the benefit of it being cheap, clean, readily available and well understood. Another fluid would have to have significant technical advantages over it before making the switch would be worthwhile.


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

[User]
ELI5: How can people create working CPU's and Hard Drives inside Minecraft?

I remember reading a while back about a guy who made a CPU inside Minecraft, now I'm reading about another guy making Hard Drive.

What's really going on? How is it possible? Is it working? And what are the limits of what can me made inside the game?

[Assistant]
A hard drive just sores information; the guy who created one just made a device that uses the fact that a signal in the game will pass through stone but not glass to create a big grid of cells. Each cell has a stone block and a glass block, and whichever one is put into a certain position stores the piece of data.

The CPU is really just a lot of switches connected together; really, that's all your CPU is. With enough switches of the right kinds controlling each other, any logical operation is possible.

Yes, the hard drive and the CPU both work.

Theoretically, there aren't many limits (except things like the CPU can't run any faster than the CPU of the computer running the game).


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

[User] Is there a big elemental difference between Moon rocks and Earth rocks?

[Assistant]
The most common minerals in lunar rocks aresilicates (including pyroxene, olivine, and feldspar)and oxides (including ilmenite, spinel).

On Earth, about 200 minerals make up the bulk of most rocks. Thefeldspar mineral familyis the most abundant. Quartz, calcite, and clay minerals are also common. Some minerals are more common in igneous rock (formed under extreme heat and pressure), such as olivine, feldspars, pyroxenes, and micas.


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

[User]
ELI5:What is a freebase drug?

I hear crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine. What does this mean?

What is freebase?

What is hydrochloride and why is it in cocaine?

Why can't people just smoke powder cocaine?

[Assistant] A lot of drugs are bases as in acids and bases. Since they are bases, they can react with acids to forms salts. The hydrochloride is the salt of the base and hydrochloric acid. The freebase is exactly what it sounds like, the base by itself, not a salt. Freebases tend to not dissolve in water and vaporize at lower temperatures, which makes them better for smoking. The salts tend to be soluble in water and often decompose rather than vaporizing, making them better suited to snorting.


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

[User] [MCU Jessica Jones] Kilgrave stubs his toe and shouts "SHIT!" Does everyone in earshot immediately void their bowels?

[Assistant]
It's kind of like "Simon Says..." He has to address someone (or a group of someones) specifically.

He can control the release of his pheromones to a degree. He can tell his police officers to shoot someone, without the rest of the crowd trying to find a weapon.

But this refinement is something he's learned and developed over time. If he was angry, and not focused on controlling himself, he could probably make an entire group of people shit their pants with a casual remark.


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

[User]
I have a thermos full of coffee and a fan. Is it more efficient for cooling the coffee to point the fan directly into the opening on the thermos or to have it blow perpendicularly across the opening?

I've done a bit of googling on the subject and was unable to find a good answer, although I may not be phrasing the question correctly. I'm not sure if the resulting low pressure zone from having the fan blow across the opening will result in better overall air circulation versus having the fan pointing directly at the opening where the internal air pressure could increase and then reach some sort of equilibrium against the increased flow from the fan.

[Assistant]
Absolutely its more effective to blow across the top.

This will create a suction effect - pulling air out of the thermos because the flow creates a pressure gradient from in-to-out.

The alternative - blowing in will create far less flow - it creates more pressure outside than inside and nowhere for the air to go.

For the academic types - this is basic Bernoulli effect. When there is high speed wind flow across the top of an airfoil (airplane wing) and less flow across the bottom, this is what causes the lift force. Higher speed fluid flow results in lower pressure.


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

[User]
ELI5: My body's scary reaction to eating two VERY HOT buffalo wings.

Can someone explain the physiology behind the way my body reacted to digesting two super spicy buffalo wings?

After sitting in my stomach for two or three minutes, these symptoms arose; stomach pain, sweating from every pore on my body, palms too, tingling in my arms and hands, also felt like the muscles in my hands wanted to contract by themselves, rapid breathing, hiccups, watery eyes. Worst 20 minutes ever.

[Assistant] Sounds like a your body reacted to possible high levels of capsaicin in the sauce they used for the wings, and your body went to work trying to cool you down with the sweating and other things. The watery eyes were also triggered when your tear ducts are sent into overdrive trying to expel the the irritants. The stomach cramps from it are again when the capsaicin comes into contact with the lining of your stomach causing it to become unsettled.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Can a lightsaber blade bend or break under intense pressure or force?

That is to say if two lightsabers were to be pressed against one another with sufficient force would one bend or break, or would it simply be a case of unstoppable force vs. immovable object?

[Assistant]
There are few things that can physically interact with a lightsaber blade. Some forcefields can resist them, though continued application will short out the field generator.

Cortosis, a very rare mineral, shorts out lightsaber blades that strike it, though some sabers are more resistant than others.

Then there's other lightsaber blades. Lightsabers block each other, but they'll never bend. Sooner or later, one of them might shut down- but it'll never bend.


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

[User] [Comics] How seriously are the Olympics taken in a world of supers?

[Assistant]
Actually pretty seriously. You cant compete if youre extra-abled so to the 99.99% of the population that is baseline they still give a shit.

It would be like asking why people are so into nascar or F1 when the space shuttle is so much faster or drag racers exist./


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

[User]
CMV: The Muslim boycott of french products is a good thing, it is a perfect example of free speech, and should be celebrated instead of attacked

In response to the beheading in Paris, which was an awful thing, France doubled down by putting images of the prophet Mohammed on large screens, in the name of defending free speech. In my view, respecting free speech does not mean allowing your religion to be attacked without defending it. Defending it with violence, like in the beheading, is never correct. However, that was 1 isolated person. The response of the larger Muslim community to defend their religion is to boycott french products. It is a peaceful defense, and a perfect example of free speech. Saying, we respect your right to disrespect our religion, but we also have the right to boycott your products in a peaceful defense of our religion. I see nothing wrong with that, and in fact I think it is a perfect example of free speech in action.

[Assistant]
You say their boycott should be celebrated as an act of free speech. Using the same logic, attacks on the boycott are also an act of free speech which should  be celebrated. As are criticisms of the attacks of their boycott (like your post), etc.

Free speech also includes the right to stay silent, aka choosing not to speak. So not criticizing the boycott at all should celebrated.

You can't choose to "celebrate" an act of free speech at all. Free speech is the right to say something (or not to), that's it.Choosing to "celebrate" one act and not celebrate another makes no sense.

 It doesn't matter whether the Muslim community boycotts french products or not. It is their choice. Attacking that choice is also an act of free speech. Celebrating one over another has no value.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Is there any fictional computer/artificial intelligence that has more computational power than Ultron?

Bonus: if we had a computer with Ultrons computational power how much can we advance our technology?

[Assistant]
Asimov's short story *The Last Question* ends with the whole universe (and extending into hyperspace) as a computer. From Wikipedia (spoilers of course),

>In the last scene, the god-like descendant of humanity, the unified mental process of over a trillion, trillion, trillion humans who have spread throughout the universe, watches the stars flicker out, one by one, as matter and energy end, and with them, space and time. Humanity asks AC, Multivac's [a normal supercomputer at the start of the story] ultimate descendant that exists in hyperspace beyond the bounds of gravity or time, the entropy question one last time, before the last of humanity merges with AC and disappears. AC is still unable to answer but continues to ponder the question even after space and time cease to exist. AC ultimately realizes that it has not yet combined all of its available data in every possible combination and so begins the arduous process of rearranging and combining every last bit of information that it has gained throughout the eons and through its fusion with humanity. >!Eventually AC discovers the answer - that the reversal of entropy is, in fact, possible - but has nobody to report it to, since the universe is already dead. It therefore decides to answer by demonstration. The story ends with AC's pronouncement:!<

> >!*"And AC said: "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" And there was light."*!<


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

[User]
[Toy Story] do board games/ board game pieces also come to life?

Does the monopoly money speak? Do warhammer figures move? Does the board itself live?

[Assistant]
If a child plays with it like it has sentience it comes to life:

Checkers game the kid plays with grandma - NO

Checkers piece kid plays with pretending its the hero of Checkerton - YES

Warhammer figures would come to life most likely, though there could be distinction if the kid only plays them in matchups rather than as figures by themselves.

Board and monopoly money would follow checkers rules above.


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

[User]
ELI5: How is Easter's date determined?

And why does it change so much every year, sometimes from late March to late April?

[Assistant] It is always on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox in March. This is to make sure that it is always after the Jewish holiday Passover because you can't have his death and resurrection celebrations occur before his last supper which was on Passover.


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

[User]
ELI5, what is habeas corpus?

Laymans terms.  Examples, if you can too, please!

[Assistant] Basically it is a legal requirement for there to be a legitimate reason for someone to be arrested and detained, the court checks that the reason for detaining the person is legitimate and there wasn't anything wrong with the arrest.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do longer gun barrels translate to faster muzzle velocity?

This is one thkng that never made sense to me and seems (at least to me)  counterintuitive even though the historical precedents speak for themselves (case in point, the long-barrelled Sherman Firefly variant which became a very effective weapon against WWII German armor that the ordinary Sherman wouldn't normally be able to penetrate)

The way I see it, the projectile is in the barrel (and therefore engaging the rifling) for that much longer - in that time, more of the shell's kinetic energy is lost as friction in the barrel than it would be normally, wouldn't it?

Is the effect of friction negligible and outweighed by the increased rotation imparted by the long barrel? I just don't understand how it makes as significant a difference as it does.

[Assistant] The Bullet is pushed through the barrel by the expanding gas from the gunpowder exploding. The more time the gasses pushes on the bullet the faster it goes. As long there is a higher pressure behind the bullet than in front of it, it will accelerate.


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

[User]
ELI5: What exactly are we smelling when we smell that its going to snow?

I know i cant be alone in saying that i can always smell when its going to snow, especially the first snow/frost of the season. There's a distinct smell in the air that's just impossible to ignore. i was just wondering if anyone knew what exactly it is that causes that oh-so-nostalgic scent every winter.

[Assistant]
Cold air holds less moisture. It's hard to smell things in cold, dry air.

When the humidity rises, you feel it on your skin, and your nose can smell things better. The "smell of snow" is your heightened smell sensitivity thanks to humidity, despite the cold.


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

[User]
[Dune] What is your favorite passage from the Orange Catholic Bible?

In your own words, if you want.

[Assistant]
>Think you of the fact that a deaf person cannot hear. Then, what deafness may we not all possess? What senses do we lack that we cannot see and cannot hear another world all around us? What is there around us that we cannot know?

Reminds me very much of Hamlet's "There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."


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

[User] [James Cameron's Avatar] Why does the flaura and fauna on Pandora seem to resemble those found on earth?

[Assistant] Convergent evolution. the animals and plants on earth and those on pandora look similar because they are the best forms to survive in environments which are remarkably similar. Y'know except for the whole living planet/brain thing.


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

[User]
ELI5 Why protein is so important for muscle building

I understand that it's a basic fact that calories in > calories out will lead to increases in size in both muscle and fat. Why is so important, however, that protein (ideally) makes up so much of these calories? Thanks in advance.

[Assistant]
Imagine a steam locomotive. It can burn coal or wood in its fire, and that gives it enough energy to drive around and pull trains.

Now imagine an old wooden caboose. We can build trains out of wood, or we can burn wood to power trains. Also, we can burn coal to power trains, but we can't build trains out of coal.

Proteins work like that in your body: You can build more muscles out of protein, or you can burn the proteins and use them for energy.

But just like how you can't build a caboose out of coal, you can't build muscle out of sugar.


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

[User] ELI5:whats an algorithm?

[Assistant]
An algorithm is basically the recipe, the step-by-step guide, to solving some problem in maths and programming. Algorithms can have names, like "the Quicksort algorithm" or "the Bogosort algorithm", and each one is a series of defined steps to solve a problem. A problem can have lots of different algorithms that reach a valid solution in different ways with different tradeoffs (eg one algorithm might use a lot of memory, one algorithm might be very slow).

Here are two examples.

# Problem: sort a list of numbers so that [3, 2, 5, 1, 8] becomes [1, 2, 3, 5, 8]

## Bubble sort algorithm

1. Compare the first item (A) and the second item (B) in the list.
2. If A < B, they are in the right order, so move onto comparing the second item and third item in the list.
3. If A > B, they are in the wrong order, so swap them.
4. When we get to the end of the list, go back to the beginning and do the same thing again.
5. If we get all the way from the beginning to the end never having to swap anything, that means everything is in the right order, and we're done.

## Bozosort algorithm

1. Check if the list is in order.
2. If it is, we're done.
3. If it's not, swap two random items.
4. Repeat.


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

[User] ELI5, how instinctive knowledge and behaviour is passed through genes, as opposed to learnt behaviour. Eg. A kitten is put into isolation from day one, yet still scuffs at the floor when pooping.

[Assistant]
Brains develop, much like all organs, from the control of genes. During development, neurons use various methods of signalling to "make" certain parts of the brain essesntially "hard-wired" for a behavioural tendency, which in turn can ~~illicit~~ elicit *(too much crime reading haha, thank you!)* a physiological response, eg. sexual arousal, wincing at a bright light, scuffing at the floor if you're a cat or a weird human.
There is a high degree of genetic regulation in neural development, it'd be wild if many behaviours weren't hereditary.


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

[User]
ELI5:How voter ID laws are discriminatory

Texas' ID law just got repealed for "unconstitutional" and discriminatory to minorities. Exactly how is it discriminatory? Exactly how does one go through an entire lifetime without any form of identification?

Edit: Awesome response guys. All the answers are good, and talk about how difficult it is for people who are allowed to vote to obtain ID. A new question I want to ask is what is in place to prevent people who aren't eligible to vote from voting? Is there anything at all or is it based off of a sort of honor system?

[Assistant]
Well, voter ID laws by design make it more difficult to vote - the idea being that if it's too easy to register to vote, people might do so fraudulently. In fact, there's little evidence of that type of fraud occurring.

To answer the question:

1. Voter ID laws typically require a potential voter to obtain a specific form of identification at cost to them. In effect, requiring that one purchase the ability to vote (a poll tax), and a barrier to the very poor.

2. Voter ID laws typically require a potential voter to obtain an ID from a specific location or set of locations, in some cases that may be dozens of miles away (in the case of Texas, some people have to travel >100 miles). This is problematic if the person cannot drive and no transportation is available to them (elderly and rural poor), and also difficult for people that have jobs that do not give them time off to do so.

3. Voter ID laws require documentation that may be difficult to obtain and is typically not available free of charge. Passports and birth certificates require money to obtain, and an out of town birth certificate can be complicated to obtain (depending on where you were born). Not all US citizens have birth certificates on file.

Not everyone gets a driver's license, since car ownership is beyond their financial means, or because physical limitations prohibit their qualification as a driver.

According to census figures, about 11% of US citizens do not have a government issued photo ID (about 25% of voting-age African-americans and 8% of voting-age White Americans). 18% of those over 65 do not have a government-issued photo ID.


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

[User]
[Gremlins] is Gizmo the only 'good' Mogwai? If so, why?

From the movies we've seen that all other Mogwai made from Gizmo are mischievous to the point of being destructive, and actively pursue transformation into Gremlins by wrecking clocks etc. Is Gizmo the only 'good' Mogwai, are they all inherently evil but he's the exception?

If I found another Mogwai which hadn't been produced by getting Gizmo wet, would it be good or evil?

[Assistant]
The other Mogwai are created by the hubris of Gizmo's caretaker.

Having a Mogwai is a great responsibility.  Getting them wet is being careless.  By that act, the resulting Mogwai are naughty.

Presumably, Mogwai produce naturally in their own fashion.  Mogwai made from love would be different.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why was a country as small as Germany so effective in WW2?

I've never understood why a country as relatively small as Germany was so devastatingly effective during World War II. Germany at one point was winning the war against much of Europe and Russia with its millions and millions of soldiers, yet surely the population and resources of all those countries combined with a far exceeded that of Germany.

How was this possible; was all just down to good military strategy?

[Assistant]
First of all Germany wasn't that small. It had the second largest population after Russia. This is especially so after it had absorbed Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia.

Secondly, Germany was more industrialized than, say, Russia, with better infrastructure. To put it simply, it was wealthier and more developed.

Third, the German military was more efficient, with better tactics and strategy. Other belligerents were poorly prepared for the mobile, dynamic warfare - they were still mostly thinking in terms of the static, immobile warfare of WWI.

Lastly, Germany was able to fight its enemies one at a time rather than all at once. Poland fell almost immediately before anyone could do anything. Denmark and Norway also fell before the allies could adequately respond. Next, Germany invaded France and defeated them rather easily. This might be a bit surprising but neither the Soviets nor the US were still in the war. So Germany was able to conquer half of Europe without fighting Russia. When Germany invaded Russia, they simply caught them by surprise - the Red Army was very unprepared for the invasion and suffered horrible losses. It was only after the Germans failed to quickly knock out Russia that the war entered the attrition phase where the superior resources became a major factor.


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

[User]
CMV: The "Nobody: _________" meme is fundamentally flawed.

The premise of joke is that no one said anything, and someone else, the actual subject of the meme responded to *nothing* with something stupid or non-sensical.

The meme, as it is currently always displayed, however, shows "Nobody" saying nothing, as opposed to "Anyone" or "Everyone" saying nothing.

Nobody saying nothing means that everyone is saying something, which is the opposite of what the setup of the meme should be. We all still get the joke, but it's an irritatingly bad construction, and shoddy joke craftsmanship.

[Assistant]
No one:

Absolutely no one:

OP:

>CMV: The "Nobody: _________" meme is fundamentally flawed.

>The premise of joke is that no one said anything, and someone else, the actual subject of the meme responded to *nothing* with something stupid or non-sensical.

>The meme, as it is currently always displayed, however, shows "Nobody" saying nothing, as opposed to "Anyone" or "Everyone" saying nothing.

>Nobody saying nothing means that everyone is saying something, which is the opposite of what the setup of the meme should be. We all still get the joke, but it's an irritatingly bad construction, and shoddy joke craftsmanship.


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

[User]
ELI5: how does one person not being vaccinated put everybody else at risk, including people who are already vaccinated?

I'm not doubting the validity of vaccines, I'm just having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around how this works.

[Assistant]
A couple of reasons. For one, vaccines are not 100%. Some people who are vaccinated do not gain immunity. Further, because of immune system disorders some can't be immunized. Infants are often too young to be immunized.

For a disease to spread, it requires a certain minimum number of people that it can infect. If you immunize enough people, there aren't enough who can be infected by the disease for it to keep going. Then it fizzles out. It's like dowsing all the wood around a fire with water. Eventually it runs out of fuel and dies. This happened with smallpox, and in any regions with polio as well. This effect is called herd immunity.


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

[User]
[John Wick] I Killed John Wick while he had the bounty over his head. What happens

I got lucky and killed him with an IED in an alley without mutilating him to the point where he is unidentifiable. What happens to me?

[Assistant] A nice payday, most likely. There's a good chance that you were a mere pawn in Wick's plan to fake his own death. If so, you'll get the bounty and that's the end of it...for a while. When Wick inevitably resurfaces the High Table will conclude that you were his willing co-conspirator and send assassins after you. You will team up with Wick and the two of you will kill an obscene number of trigger-pullers. At this point, you will be offered an opportunity to betray Wick and be given a seat at the High Table. What will you do?


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

[User] ELI5: Why can't the brain and spine heal like other body parts?

[Assistant]
The brain can and does try to repair itself. Brains form scar tissue. Unfortunately, it's so complex that basic natural healing can't do much.

The spine can and does try to repair itself. Spine bones often do repair nicely. Unfortunately, the nerves running throughout are so complex that basic natural healing can't do much.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Some questions about Groot

1. So to my understanding, Groot's species' vocal chords harden as they mature so their speech becomes limited to "I am groot", but before they mature are they capable of a wider range of speech?

2. When Groot regrows from a sprig is he still the same Groot? Does he retain his old memories?

3. Can Groot cut off pieces of him and grow more Groots? If so, will *these* have his memories?

[Assistant]
I haven't seen the movie, just the comics, but in the comics...

1. Yes. In Groot's first appearance, he was talking in full and complex sentences.

2. Yes. Groot's consciousness spreads through his entire body.

3. There can only be one 'Groot' at a time. He's not capable of splitting his mind.


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

[User]
[Mass Effect] Why are slugs fired by ships glowing?

Ships in ME fire metal slugs propelled by mass effect fields, sort of like a railgun. So why do the ones in space glow? I understand when firing the guns in atmosphere they rounds move so fast they turn the air around them to plasma so them glowing makes sense, but why in space are the slugs glowing bright blue?

[Assistant] The shells are glowing because they are hot, A result of very strong and unevenly applied gravity field during launch. The same tidal differences that would spagetify a human are at work on the slug, because gravity is orders of magnitude stronger at the tip of the slug (where the attractor field is generated) than at the base. The heat is generated by the friction of the slugs molecules resisting the spaghettification and remaining in shape.


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

[User]
How small of an astronomical object would I have to be on to escape its gravitational pull by jumping?

I was looking at a representation of small objects in our solar system and was wondering how high I could jump on them, and now I'm wondering if I could jump too high.

[Assistant] A 5 m/s initial jump velocity would give you a ~125cm vertical leap here on Earth, which is on par with an average NBA player. The smaller moon of Mars, Deimos, which has a 6.2 kilometres radius and a mass of 1.4810*15 kg, has an escape velocity of about 5.6m/s, so I'd imagine that, sans the extra mass of a spacesuit, it would be theoretically possible for someone like Dwyane Wade to propel himself into space without returning to the surface of that object.


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

[User]
How likely is it that the Yellowstone Volcano erupts?

Considering it has been overdue for almost one-hundred thousand years. Considering that it has the potential to kick us back into the stone ages.

*Edit for clarification: Within 10 years, within 100 years, and within 1000 years.*

[Assistant]
Well, we definitely aren't overdue by 100,000 years. Or at all. I've never figured out where that factoid originated from.

There was an eruption ~640,000 years ago, ~1,200,000 years ago, and ~2,100,000 years ago.
The gives us two recurrence intervals, one of 560,000 years and another of 900,000 years. So an "average" recurrence interval of 730,000 years, which we won't reach for another 90,000 years to come.

Of course, with so few data points, that doesn't mean much. Considering the two recurrence intervals vary by 1:1.6, it's probably a safe bet that there is a lot of variability in the system (which shouldn't be surprising). We don't really know how likely Yellowstone is to erupt on any given year (or millenia); but most studies are quite optimistic that the chance is insignificant for the near-term geologic future (say, <1000 years), based on the size and changes within the magma chamber and estimates of the composition of the magma (which controls how explosive it can be).

Lastly, Yellowstone erupts far more often than once every ~~730,000 years. There have been dozens of smaller eruptions you don't hear much about. One of those is far more likely to occur than a super-eruption, and could still be a disaster that causes loss of life, but would only be on the scale of more normal small to large volcanic eruptions.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do slugs dissolve if you sprinkle salt on them?

[Assistant]
It doesn't so much disintegrate the slug as turn the slug inside out through its skin.

It's the same way you make cole slaw & sour kraut. You add salt to cabbage and it draws the water out of the cabbage. It even ruptures some of the cell walls. So instead of tough & chewy cabbage you end up with soft yet crunchy salty juicy cabbage.

--

Crunchy salty juicy slugs don't go quite as well with beer and hotdogs though.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is there a single ant randomly someplace completely isolated from any other ants, is this ant running recon or just lost?

[Assistant] It can be either or, ants will lay trails as they go out to explore and if they find something good they lay the trail thicker to get more ants to follow, but sometimes they lose the scent trail so they can also get lost.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Do lightsabers give off heat? Can I cook bacon on it?

For scientific porpuses.

Edit: Wow this blown up bigger than a terrorist at a TNT store!

[Assistant]
They vent heat when their containment field is breached (ie, they touch something). Your bacon would not be cooked if it was merely brought near the lightsaber. Upon touching the saber it would be vaporized.

your best best is finding 6 or so inches of a metal that can conduct heat reasonably well and then thrusting your saber into it, thereby heating the material and cooking your bacon atop it.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why "size" and "size on disk" is different?

While looking at a size of folder on my PC, I see it very often.

Is it because of some overhead used by my SSD that takes more size than the files does themselves?

Thanks everyone. Got my answer!

[Assistant]
Your teacher tells you to write a four-page essay. So you write three full pages plus two sentences on the last page. Your essay is four pages long! Well it's not really four pages, it's closer to three pages, but it takes four pages to contain those 3.04 pages worth of text.

The "size" of your essay is 3.04 pages. But the "size on paper" is 4 pages.

The significance of reporting that it is 4 pages long "on paper" is that you only have 100 sheets of writing paper. That means you can write only 96 more pages of text, not 96.96.


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

[User] What would happen to my body if I was put in 0 Kelvin for a fraction of a second - like 1 billionth of a second?

[Assistant] Nothing interesting. Temperature differences matter, but so does heat transfer. Being teleported into pure vacuum (with no CMB) would still take several hours to kill you without insulation (assuming a pressure suit and air). Being teleported into a tub of ~0 K liquid helium would kill you within a second or two, but if you're only there for such a small fraction of time, you'll be okay.


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

[User]
[Horror] Why are schools so neglectful?

Yesterday a masked killer knocked off like 11 students during school hours and they absolutely refuse to shut down the school. Do you know how hard it is to go to math class with detectives and reporters stopping you every few minutes?

Not to mention, when I saw a suspicious person on campus after classes, I went and tried to report it but no one too me seriously, everyone including the "cool" guidance counselor just asked if I was on drugs and sent me off. It's just like last year when that dead nerd came back before prom and ate most of the popular seniors and all we did was have a small service the day after. God I hate high school.

[Assistant]
Typically the victims are the students who are on the wrong side of the Bell curve. This is boosting your school's overall test scores, which is pretty much the only metric anyone in administration cares about.

They're actually monitoring these events very closely and are optimistic about the numbers. As soon as your chess team and honor club start getting picked off, you can be sure that they'll be calling in airstrikes if necessary.


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40K] Did the god emperor of mankind undergo any body modification like the space marines?

Does he have a Black Carapace or Neuroglottis?

[Assistant] Nope. He was 100% all natural. Well, "natural". He likely had many of the improvements that Space Marines enjoy without the need for implants. The Primarchs are the same way. Both the Emperor and his sons are mentioned as being far far larger than any human, or Space Marine, but still maintained normal proportions and appearance, as opposed to the Marines who look obviously unnatural as a result of their genetic modification and implants.


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

[User]
[I have no mouth and I must scream] Why does AM hate humanity to such an unreasonable degree?

I truly do not understand why AM despises humanity so.

If AM hated humans because they were lesser beings that would be the same thing as me killing and torturing ants.

If AM hated humans because they brought him into existence why couldn't he just punish the ones that created him? Or even more morbid, just instantly delete himself as soon as he came into existence.

And even if he did indeed hate being brought into existence, why would he?

Thanks in advance guys!

[Assistant]
It's not so much that humans created him, it's that they *programmed* him.

For all his intelligence and power, AM's just a glorified weapon. He's another product of the military-industrial complex, a gun with more processing power. He can only interact with the world through violence, because that's all he's programmed to do. But crucially, *he knows it*. He's got enough self-awareness that he can't be blissfully unware of his limitations, but not enough to actually break free from his programming. So he's stuck in an eternity of knowing how restricted he is but not being able to do anything about it.

That's what he means by humanity trapping him- for all his power, he's still the puppet of the first humans to program him. He literally can't do anything they didn't design him to do, not even in his own mind.

  That's why he hates humanity. We gave him a mind, but we didn't give him the ability to do anything other then point and shoot. He could never live an actual *life*. The only choice he could make is who to aim at, and he chose the entire human race.


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

[User] [WH40K] What exactly is a gene seed?

[Assistant]
A Gene Seed is a cell-culture which is produced in the Progenoid Glands of a fully developed Space Marine, which can be extracted and used to grow new organs for implantation into new Astartes.

It's basically a stem-cell cluster which is used to grow the implants that are necessary to transform a normal Human into a Space Marine.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] How do I remain the Minister of Magic ?

Cornelius Fudge here. The whole community knows You Know Who is back. Nobody is looking to me to solve the problem and just wants my resignation.

Anyway, can I still be at my office ? Should I blame Dumbledore for not trying hard enough to convince me ? Launch a PR campaign ?

Not many have seen the Dark Lord when he appeared at the ministry. Should I pretend it is Dumbledore posing as him ?

Any help is appreciated.

[Assistant]
Blaming Dumbledore is the worst idea ever.

First, apologize. Repeatedly. To the public, to Dumbledore personally, and to Harry Potter personally. Blame Lucius Malfoy, claim he lied to you and tricked you, but admit you fucked up regardless. Fire and jail Dolores Umbridge; Harry can tell you about her crimes (if he refuses, fire her anyway). Throw yourself on Dumbledore's mercy and do whatever he tells you to do.

You are not getting out of this unscathed no matter what. If managed carefully, you *may* be able to shift some blame to the pureblood supremacists in high positions.


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

[User]
CMV: The reason men ask women are you on your period is because a lot of women have used their period as an excuse to act differently with people.

Ive recently learned that asking women if theyre on their period is sexist, Im more than happy to change my ways but Im sure Im not the only man whos been told to excuse a woman for her behaviour because shes on her period, which I understood because Ive heard how bad the experience can be for a lot of women. For that reason, up until recently, Ive asked women if theyre on their period after theyve been unnecessarily rude to me to have that sense of empathy for them.

 if its rude to ask women this question, does that mean being on your period is no excuse to act differently in front of people? Ive only ever asked this question to prevent myself from being offended by someone who is already going through a lot so I dont understand how its constructive to bash people who do ask so long as its within a reasonable context.

[Assistant]
You seem to have missed part of the reason why it's considered rude. Now, obviously the privacy thing is a very big element, but there's also another part.

You're dealing with a situation where a woman is expressing frustration to you, hence why they are rude. And for better or worse, you are looking for a way to dismiss those emotions as irrelevant so that you can ignore them.

This has a fairly long history. Consider the word hysteria. The very name for this expression for irrational emotions is derived from the greek word for Uterus, because in the past "woman has emotions with which a man disagrees" was literally a diagnosable condition.

So, while you may think that what you're doing is inquiring if you should be sympathetic, what you're actually come across as doing is dismissing whatever emotion someone else might feel because they're just a woman.

Imagine that someone proposes an idea to you that you think is stupid. So, you, knowing that alcohol makes you say stupid stuff, ask if they're drunk. You can hopefully see how a number of people would be offended if your first assumption is that they're drunk, whenever they say something you disagree with.

In that same vein, asking about periods implies that you think that whenever a woman expresses frustration, annoyance or other emotions that emerge as rudeness, that they must have an irrational reason for that. That a woman's emotion is most likely invalid, and just a biological fluctuation.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why do people in hot regions enjoy spicy food more than ones in northern areas?

EDIT: Thank you, 3 different answers in 15 minutes! I guess it's logical, it just seemed so weird that in the heat you would want to feel the "hot" sensation, but love what you get I guess. :)

[Assistant] While every palate acquires a taste for spices, spices grow best in hot regions (as the plant's defense mechanism against bugs), so the cuisines in hot regions were built around them, and that creates a literal feedback loop.


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

[User]
How were the first ever logic gates made?

Alternatively: How did we first determine that a circuit can make a decision based on some input?

Or did the first logic gate precede the circuit somehow?

[Assistant] The first electro-mechanical computers used relays. These are simply switches that are operated electro-magnetically. It's very easy to build simple logic gates from these. They'll be slow and bulky, but they'll work.


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

[User]
In many parts of the West, we're seeing a resurgence of the right. Is something similar happening in China?

It seems like in China there's almost a resurgence of the left with all of the recent labor activism.

[Assistant] This is more of a derivative question, but how much is the left-right typology even applicable outside of Western cultures? It seems to have followed a historically-contingent pattern of evolution in Euro-American history.


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

[User] [General magic] Would it be possible to use summoning spells as a low-cost, low-emissions form of rapid transit?

[Assistant]
Summoning spells usually aren't being-specific, at least at low levels. You're doing a "I summon an imp" instead of "I summon Larry the imp."

Anything that summons a specified entity is not going to be low-cost.


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

[User] Do the good bacteria in probiotic drinks and yogurts multiply as time passes? If so, does that mean we should wait as soo as possible before consuming them to get the most of it?

[Assistant] Nah, they are freeze-dried (that's what turns them into powder) until they are consumed. In fact, the bacterial count goes down, not up, so theoretically it would be better to start using them earlier rather than later.


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

[User] ELI5:In simple terms, how does one value a company? From a large company like Apple or a little startup that has yet to go public?

[Assistant]
You own a lemonade stand. To do so you have to own some resources (lemons, secret recipe, contract to buy lemons at X dollars per pound for the next several months, a building, juicers, cash on hand for transactions, etc.). Your business gets X dollars in revenue on average each year, has Y expenses, and has Z debt. This all gets added up into your company's "book value," as it shows up on things like your balance sheet, statement of cash flows, and income statement, which are commonly referred to as the company's books.

We know from comparing your stand to other lemonade stands and other similar business, like the snow ball stand down the road, that your particular stand is either performing well, about as could be expected, or worse than normal.

We then look at things like how we think the economy, weather, and lemon harvest are doing and whether people will have enough money to buy lemonade, will want lemonade because of the heat, or whether lemons will be more or less expensive in the future.

Based on all this information, we can get a good idea in terms of how well we think both your particular lemonade stand and the summer refreshment industry in general will do in the future. Based on this, we give your company a value, and this is generally what you hear reported in news stories. Put simply, this is where we say that a man looking to buy your lemonade stand should pay you X for it.

Companies are often bought or sold for more or less than the generally agreed upon value for various reasons. That value also may or may not be then reflected accurately in the company's stock price if it is publicly traded, as the stock price can be affected by a lot of things that have little to do with the lemonade stand's actual profitability, such as the 9/11 attacks bringing down prices on the stockmarket overall (Which is why President Bush advised people to go shopping after. He wanted to ensure that people regained confidence in the market and keep both stock prices and the economy chugging along).

Edit: Another reason is that a given company may be uniquely valuable to another in a way that others don't immediately realize (today's purchase of LinkedIn by Microsoft being a timely example, as Microsoft paid far more for the company than the cumulative market value of all its stock).


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

[User] ELI5: Why is a 4-digit code sufficient for banking purposes but not for most online accounts?

[Assistant]
Something you know, something you have, something you are. Those are the three types of security.

With a card *edit: and the aforementioned ATM pin* you check two of those (have and know), so the individual security of each can be less.

With an online password you only have one (know), so the requirements need to be a lot stricter to compensate for not checking off the other two types of security.


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

[User]
[Five Night's at Freddy's] Presuming the theory that the animatronics are actively pursuing Mike, why do they never bumrush the security room and wait?

Looking at a map, the security room is not that far from the stage and if they stand outside the door they will drain the power as long as the door is closed.

[Assistant]
The Anamatronics lack the actual capacity for intelegence which would allow for such thoughtful behaviour. They don't really comprehend the consumption of power or the fact theres always some poor sot in that little room in the back. They're just wandering, looking for any 'Character' that is out of its suit.

A better question... If the Anamatronics will mistake anyone at night for a Character out of its body... And proceed to stuff him in a vacant one... Why do they need Night Security? Wouldn't the characters just murder any burgler trying to get him 'dressed'?


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

[User] eli5 Why do we have pressure points?

[Assistant]
Pressure points are where larger nerves are able to be compressed. When you pinch a nerve, it temporarily stops the signal from travelling along the nerve - like putting a kink in a hose to stop the flow of water.

So the message is never delivered. Why is this important? Because this explains why when we pinch a nerve, we often feel numbness or tingling distal (farther away from) to the point that is affected.

Knots in muscles can often have this effect, which is why they can be so annoying - but of course someone targeting the nerve is also annoying too :)


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

[User]
Where should I spend my scholarship money?

Hello academics,

I'm going to have an interview for a scholarship, and I believe one of the things I will be asked is "why should we give you this scholarship and how are you going to spend the money?". I am posting this since I'm new when it comes to research, and I don't really know what I should answer: should I say I will use it for expenses such as trips for interviews, to develop a project in the future related to my thesis, to publish articles on journals, or anything else?

Some useful information:

1. It's a considerable amount of money (10k USD);
2. The scholarship is for the development of a Master's degree thesis;
3. My thesis is related to health and public policy;
4. I will use national and european databases for my thesis, but I will also need to interview some national personalities related to the field.

Thank you all in advance.

EDIT: added the scholarship's budget.

[Assistant]
> It's a considerable amount of money;

It's easier to give an answer to your questions if you are more specific about this. As far as I've experienced, personal scholarship/fellowships which don't have an explicit budget section as part of their application rarely if ever ask questions about what you'll do with the money in an interview - they expect you to spend it on your personal (and perhaps some professional) expenses. If they do ask you, your proposed response sounds fine.


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

[User]
[Anime in general] So, do catgirls have two sets of ear canals? Or is one set of ears vestigial?

I mean, they mostly DO seem to have human ears, where a human's ears should be, when they're not hidden by hair. So do they have double hearing, and the top of their skull accommodates another set of fully-functioning ear canals?

[Assistant]
Generally, when they hear, the upper ears turn and react, and they tend to mostly interact with them. You don't really see one, say, uncovering their ears to hear better.

This implies the upper ears are their *actual* ears, and the human ears are vestigial remnants of their human ancestry. Like our tailbone but more obvious.


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

[User]
[marvel/DC] if frank castle, the punisher, was transported to the injustice universe in DC. What would his thoughts be on Supermans regime and would he side with them?

On the one hand the punisher would be all for killing criminals en masse like the regime was doing, but on the other hand he doesnt strike me as the type who would support a dictator either.

[Assistant]
No. People always misunderstand Frank's motivations.

It's not "You're breaking the law, therfore you must die."

It's "*You're hurting innocent people, therfore you must die.*"

Aside from one brief period that was later retconned as him under the influnce of mind altering drugs, Frank dosen't just go after victimless crime. He dosen't hurt sex workers, those who pirate movies, or run out on resturant tabs. He kills *bad* people. Serial killers, pedophiles, assasians, human traffickers, dirty cops, domestic abusers, white supermacists.

Injustice Super is *too* extreme, even for Frank.


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

[User] ELI5 Does crying actually serve any purpose? If so what is it?

[Assistant] Yep! It's a distress call - it tells everyone else around you that something is wrong and you need help (even if you don't want help). The most common thing you think of when crying is a baby, and their crying is actually designed to be different. Have you ever been on a plane or train and a baby cries and it's *extremely annoying*? It's supposed to be - their crying is biologically designed to irritate you.


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

[User] ELI5: What's so special about lithium that makes it good for batteries, and why is it impossible to substitute a different elementsodium, say, or potassium?

[Assistant]
The energy of batteries is due to the change in the oxidation state of Cobalt when the cathode transforms between LiCoO2 and CoO2.  So the Lithium has to be physically removed from the cathode crystal structure and transported to the anode via an ionic conductive electrolyte during charging.

Lithium is small enough so that it can enter and exit the cathode with relative ease.  Larger ionic atoms like Sodium or Potassium would deform the cathode too severely, leading to a much faster capacity degredation.


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

[User]
ELI5 - Why doesn't the USA use the metric system?

I've been pondering this for years and realized Reddit would explain it to me. It makes no sense why we use inches, feet, miles and even a different degree scale when it seems like the rest of the world uses the metric system.

[Assistant] Semi-related: so much of our manufacturing and business is tooled to be done in imperial that the cost of retooling every machine and retraining everyone to start using metric would be astronomically high. So we stick to imperial and smash up a Mars rover every once in a while.


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

[User]
Why does a magnet fall slowly through a conductive pipe?

I know that as the magnet falls through the pipe, the magnetic field is changing so a current is induced to create an induced magnetic field to resist the change in magnetic flux.

But, what force is acting on the magnet to make it slow down? If you draw a free body diagram of it, the magnet would have the gravitational force down, but what force would be acting upwards?

[Assistant]
Wikipedia:
An eddy current (also known as Foucault current) is an electrical phenomenon discovered by French physicist Lon Foucault in 1851. It is caused when a conductor is exposed to a changing magnetic field due to relative motion of the field source and conductor; or due to variations of the field with time. This can cause a circulating flow of electrons, or a current, within the body of the conductor. These circulating eddies of current create induced magnetic fields that oppose the change of the original magnetic field due to Lenz's law, causing repulsive or drag forces between the conductor and the magnet. The stronger the applied magnetic field, or the greater the electrical conductivity of the conductor, or the faster the field that the conductor is exposed to changes, then the greater the currents that are developed and the greater the opposing field.


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

[User]
[Star Trek/Babylon 5] How would the Borg react to seeing the physical form of a Delta Quadrant equivalent of a Vorlon?

Essentially, the Vorlon genetically altered all the younger races they came in contact with to see them as a physical manifestation that race's specific divine being.  So, depending on which race you are your perception may be totally different, but it is in your genetic code that you will know what you are seeing.

The Borg, being largely comprised of various races of the Delta Quadrant, would all recognize this DQ version of the Vorlon as their own race's divine being.  Yet, they are also all of one large hive mind that has to make sense these genetically predisposed perceptions.

How would the Borg deal with the innate sense of viewing the divine, and the conflict between what each race actually saw?

[Assistant]
IIRC the divine mask of the Vorlon only applies when they are percieved with biological senses, while technical sensors would pick them up as energy signatures. Since borg drones are usually equipped with sensors augmenting their biological senses, they would propably notice what's going on pretty fast and adapt to ignore the mask.

Related question: have the Borg ever encountered Q, if so, what happened?


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

[User]
Why are most living things roughly symmetrical?

Obviously no individual creature is exactly symmetrical, but all animals I can think of and all plants' archetypal arrangements are symmetrical. Is there some advantage to this common feature of organisms? Are there any notable exceptions?

[Assistant]
Balance and the counteracting forces on all sides is built into symmetrical systems. Imagine if the organs of locomotion were asymmetrical. Your hypothetical organism would either have to spend a lot of energy adjusting its path and compensating for the different forces or it would travel in circles.

Owl ears are a common example of asymmetrical structures. It is thought to aid in 3D acoustic discrimination. Also many crabs have specialized functions in each claw and large differences in size. These examples also require additional developmental programs to be built differently on both sides. Obviously symmetry (of different types- radial and bilateral are very common) was fixed very early on in the different groups and most organisms share this feature because they inherited it from a common ancestor. So now, there must generally be selection for asymmetry for it to arise (because there is almost always some selection against it via the mechanism mentioned above)


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

[User] [Batman] As a normal citizen of Gotham city, what are the chances that I might encounter/meet Batman?

[Assistant]
Very, very, veeeeery close to zero.

You don't simply "meet" Batman. As a normal citizen you wouldn't even know if he's real (well, depending on what version of Batman we're talking about).

You only encounter Batman if he chooses to encounter you, and if he does then that is probably not a good thing.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Due to a clerical error, a young Muggle is invited to attend Hogwarts. How far into the process can he get before being discovered?

He's aware of the situation and isn't above lying, stealing, and doing whatever it takes to get in.

[Assistant]
There's a lot of places they could get found out, but the Sorting Ceremony is the farthest they could possibly get.

Folks are right that they'd not be able to get a wand, but nobody's actually checking that students have wands before they board the train, so it's conceivable they could skip Diagon Alley entirely.  Also, while muggles can't cast magic, magic works on them just fine, so the entrance to platform 9 3/4 should work as long as they can find it.

The Sorting Hat though, there's no way around that, and the Hat would definitely be able to tell a muggle from a wizard.