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

[User]
ELI5: If slaves in America were so expensive, why were they beaten and killed?

I recently saw "Twelve Years A Slave" and "Django" and it inspired me to do more research on the topic of slavery and the general associated economics. A few sources have suggested that a slave may have cost around $1200 around 1860. In today's terms, this would have been around $30,000. Put in perspective, a slave may have cost as much as a good car. Being relatively expensive, it seems that this industry spawned a related financial industry dedicated to loans (mortgages) on slaves. Much like a house, an individual slave was used as security (or collateral) on these loans. All this makes logical sense, but I still have a few gaps in understanding:

1) It appears that slaves were a major investment and very capital intensive. Death or illness should have had a large economic impact on the process. Morals and customs aside, would it not be in the best financial interests of the slave owners to maintain the health and productivity of their slaves?

2) Were the slave owners really so wealthy that they could kill something worth the cost of a modern car for no good reason? Even most modern wealthy people don't go around destroying $30,000 cars for fun.

3) Using slaves as security to back loans seems like very unwise collateral. A simple farming accident could render the security completely worthless. Present banks loan money on real security such as land and buildings which are obviously far more secure than a human life. Why would a bank in the 1800s even consider such a risky form of security?

4) In the event of a default, were the foreclosures or repos on slaves? Would the bank come and take the slaves if payments were not made on the mortgages?

5) After the abolition of slavery, I assume that the value of the security dropped to zero. Were there massive defaults? Did it bankrupt many once rich and powerful families and companies? Or, did the banks and financial institution simply write off the losses now that their collateral was worthless?

[Assistant] The level of constant abuse is vastly overdone in Hollywood movies. They want to express how terrible slavery was but don't have enough time to put it into perspective. So they show it all at once when it isn't exactly realistic; such things did happen, but not likely to be as often or all at once.


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

[User]
Do Gravitational waves affect (our perception of) time?

If we would be hit by gravitational waves would time run faster/slower for us and affect our perception of time, as gravity is able to "distort" time .

[Assistant]
>Do Gravitational waves affect (our perception of) time?

Yes, but in reality the effect is so small that it's not even close to measurable without *extremely* precise instruments, the kind that don't exist yet.

>If we would be hit by gravitational waves would time run faster/slower for us and affect our perception of time, as gravity is able to "distort" time .

A gravitational wave is a change in the curvature of spacetime; differences in our local curvature cause our clocks to run at different speeds than other areas with different local curvature.

When a gravitational wave passes through us, it is changing our curvature (very, very slightly), so that changes the rates at which our clocks run compared to other distant clocks (again: very, very slightly).

Hope that helps!


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

[User] When I look at a source of light in the dark, I see a large halo around it. Why don't I see this effect in a well-lit environment?

[Assistant]
You see the halo because of the contrast between the (presumably very dark) environment and the (presumably rather bright) light source.  Your eyes actually scatter a significant amount of incoming light over a set pattern with broad wings -- so each bright point of light yields a halo-like image on the retina.  The wings of the halo are faint enough that they get washed out in normal life, but at night there is high contrast between (say) a candle flame and a dark room around the candle.  Your retinal response is logarithmic, which downplays how phenomenal the contrast ratio really is (can be a factor of 10,000 to 100,000 between a candle flame and the walls in a typical small candlelit room!).  The stray light from the candle flame washes out the dark room and appears as a halo.

In a well-lit environment the contrast ratio between anything you're likely to view and its surroundings is not nearly so great, since 10,000 times brighter than "well lit" is "painful" or even "damaging".  For example the Sun has a similar optical halo that can be seen on a clear day with dark skies, but you're not likely to have ever noticed it.  (The optical halo there is also masked by a forward-scattering halo in the sky -- you have to use your thumb or something to obscure and reveal the Sun, and carefully observe how the sky around the Sun changes, to notice the optical halo there).


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

[User]
ELI5: What needs to happen for a plane to fly into other countries' airspaces?

When a plane crosses another country's airspace in its journey, what happens? Does that country's air force get all airplane schedules of the day ahead of time and verify that? Or is there a database of planes flying that we don't know about?

[Assistant]
If it's playing nicely then it will have a filed a flight plan and be carrying a transponder which identifies it, so air traffic control are expecting it and know which plane it is when it appears on their radar.

If not, and it doesn't respond to air traffic control asking what it's doing, then fighters would be scrambled to go and see what it is, and eventually shoot it down if the appearance of fighters doesn't make the pilot more talkative.


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

[User] ELI5:Why is classical music known by its composer, whereas lots of modern music is known by the artist who performs it, and not who writes it?

[Assistant]
It really boils down to the fact that life is incredibly different now that it was, say, a hundred years ago.

During the classical era, most music was commissioned by people of influence. Nobility, the church, etc would hire the famous Then, the distribution of this music is not like it is today. There were no recordings, so the only way to actually HEAR the music of the time was to hear it performed. Major cities throughout Europe had their own orchestras; it's not as if one famous orchestra of composer would travel in some grand tour, it was the music itself that traveled, and the name that was attached to that music.

Today, the face of the music is of the performer, because that's what we all can see. It's distributed via TV, radio, and mp3s. We hear the one artist's performance, not one song performed by the local musicians in each town.

EDIT: Tidied up the grammar a bit.


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

[User] ELI5: How does water "reset" bed hair?

[Assistant] Barber here. Your hair has certain a bonds that give it the shape that it holds, there are strong bonds that give it it's curly or straight nature. Water and heat will break down the weaker bonds that will reform when cooled/dried. Stronger bonds are broken and reformed chemically with permanent waving (perms) or chemical straightner. So warm water is the best way to fix bed head.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are all bigger holidays at the end of the month? (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

[Assistant]
Coincidence? New years is literally the beginning of the month, as is July 4th. Christmas was moved to be closer to the pagan holidays of Yule and Saturnalia, while Halloween basically took over for Samhain (which began at sunset on Oct 31st and ended at sunset on Nov 1st). Canadian Thanksgiving is Oct 12th, right in the middle of the month.

As well, American Thanksgiving can actually be as early as Nov 22nd.


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

[User] Why doesnt our moon rotate, and what would happen if it started rotating suddenly?

[Assistant]
It does rotate, but the time it takes to rotate around its axis is exactly equal to the time it takes to orbit the Earth. And as a consequence, we always see the same side of the Moon.

Now you might say: "That seems a bit too neat to be a coincidence!"

And you would be right, because it's not a coincidence. The tidal force (the same thing that makes the tide come and go out) causes the rotation of an object to sync up with its orbit. In this case, the tidal force of the Earth on the Moon has constantly pulled at the Moon until the rotation and orbit were synced up. This state is called a "tidal lock".

If something were to give the Moon a nudge that would alter either its orbit or its rotation, the same tidal force would gradually pull it back in sync again. It would just take a long time.

It also happens the other way around: The tidal force from the Moon isn't just making the seas and oceans move around, it also pulls at the solid bits of the Earth, ever so slightly slowing down the rotation of the Earth. If the Sun wouldn't gobble up the Earth when it expands in 4-5 billion years, than some 50 billions years from now the Earth would be tidally locked to the Moon at which point the same side of the Earth would always be facing the Moon and the length of a day would be much longer than the 24 hours it is now.


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

[User] [Superheroes] Why do crooks still attempt crime when they know there's a well established superhero keeping the peace, why go to the risk when your enemy is superpowered?

[Assistant]
Playing the odds. In Gotham, what are the chances Batman is going to be right there to stop you out of all the other crimes happening that night?

How about New York City? Sure, they have Spiderman, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four, but the city is huge with crimes happening all the time.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do animals learn basic life skills (walking, eating real food, etc) really fast compared to humans?

For example, a dog can walk and eat real food by the age of at least 6-8 weeks. A human can take up to a year or longer for those same skills. I'm sure this is the same in other animals. Why is this when humans are vastly superior to animals in capabilities.

[Assistant] It was an evolutionary trade-off. Our large brains helped us survive, but they made child birth difficult. As skull sized increased, either babies had to be born earlier with fewer initial abilities or the mothers had to have larger hips. The larger hips made it more difficult to run upright and thus survive, so over time, children were born earlier.


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

[User]
What to bring to an academic conference?

Im a PhD student in the humanities getting ready to present at my first in person conference.

Ive attended and presented in virtual conferences before, but I dont know what to bring to this one when Im not attending from the comfort of my own home. Do I need business cards? Should I bring snacks/a water bottle?

[Assistant]
Keep it light.  Try not to be the person with the huge bag that explodes the second you sit down.  Laptop or iPad, one notebook, pen, maybe a water bottle or coffee cup.  Hand sanitizer, etc. charger/battery pack.

Comfortable shoes.  Questions to ask.


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

[User]
[SpiderMan Far From Home] Why Did Mysterio out Spider-Man at his death?

Im clearly missing something obvious.

Obviously the end of Far from Home and the opening Premise of the latest Spidey Movie is based on Mysterio blaming Spider-Man for the terror attacks he committed and then saying his identity.

It seemed like this death rattle was planned, so he went into that London battle thinking Spider-Man would kill him when Spider-Man was defeated and countries away?

And his beef was with Iron Man who stole his ideas. But he shifted his beef to Spider-Man because he was Starks superhero son instead of saying that Stark Industries went rogue and killed him to ensure there is no new Iron Man? Or Fury/Avengers killing him for the same reason? Peter in particular?

[Assistant]
Because he's a dick.

At the end, Spider-Man was a serious threat who was screwing up his entire plan. His reveal was a final 'Fuck You' to the guy who beat him.

He didn't go in planning for Spider-Man or dying, he simply threw together some contingency plans when the new variable became an issue. Notice how in No Way Home >!The charges were dropped almost immediately. Mysterio didn't actually do a frameup, he just said 'Spider-Man did it all!' when he was losing.!<


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40k] Why haven't the Tyranids invented farming?

So, it's repeatedly reinforced that Tyranids only care about biomass. They're not malicious- they don't want to kill people or establish dominance or anything like that. They just want food. They're also clearly a very technologically advanced and intelligent species. Not in the same way a human is, sure, but advanced enough to fight space empires and clever enough for complex galactic strategies.

So why are they still going around eating planets like giant insectoid hunter-gathers? Why not start farming?

Land on a planet, take it over and raise the local inhabitants as livestock. If the local inhabitants are hard to farm for whatever reason (lifespan, breeding rate, solitary)? You're the tyranids. You have ludicrous magic bioengineering. Make them into cows or something. Or just use cows. Kill the people and raise the cows/sheep/blarbles/whatever for slaughter. Use the armies you were using anyway to eat planets to stop anyone blowing up your farm planets.

Hell, just make "cow" swarm organisms. You can make creatures that can fly through space faster then light speed, you can rustle up a cow. Land on an uninhabited planet and let it reproduce. Viola, an endless stream of biomass and I doubt anyone will risk stirring up the Hive Fleet to save a bunch of weird cowbugs.

It seems easy to get a sustainable and reliable source of biomass without the need to keep throwing yourself at space marines every few weeks. It's what *humans* did when we needed a lot of food, and we did it when wheels were the cutting edge of technology. Why hasn't the Hive Mind ever considered the idea?

[Assistant] I suspect that the Tyranid swarms, much like the Xenomorphs from *Alien*, were originally engineered as a doomsday weapon.  They don't seek a purpose beyond sterilizing a planet to make enough biomass-based weaponry to sterilize the next one.


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

[User] Question about whale blow hole muscles: are the muscles designed to keep the blowhole open or closed? Does it take more muscle to open?

[Assistant] They are sphincters, much like your arsehole. And also like your arsehole, there is an outer one which is consciously controlled, and an inner one which is unconsciously controlled. So its a bit of both really.


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

[User] ELI5: why is it easier to balance on a bike while going faster rather than slower?

[Assistant]
NOT because of gyroscopic force, as many people think...

If you look at a bicycle, where the front wheel attaches is further forward than the head tube (where the fork attaches to the rest of the bike).  This is an important design feature, because it means that when the bike veers to one side, the front wheel has a tendency to turn to that side, causing the bike to turn instead of fall over.  It's a sort of auto-correction: even if you just shove a bicycle forward with no one steering it fast enough, the bike may turn, but will resist falling until it slows down to the point that it makes too drastic of an adjustment and falls over.


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

[User]
[SHAZAM] Does the marvel family have equal powers?Does their power divide the more of them transform?

Does Billy and his foster siblings get equal speed strengh, powers etc. When they transform? Or are they weaker than Billy?

[Assistant]
It has varied from universe to universe.

The Post-Crisis Universe had the power being literally shared between Captain Marvel, Captain Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr, and if all three were transformed, they weren't as powerful as they would be if only one was transformed.

That has not proven to be the case in other universes.


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

[User]
CMV: The anti-racism scene is getting a little out of control

Dont get me wrong, I dont condone racism at all. Its great that these issues have been brought to light in the past year, but sometimes I feel like things get taken too far its absurd.

People are quick to call out every smallest little thing as being racist, and if you dont also vocalize that, then you are supporting the other side. Being silent is not the same as supporting racism. There are so many unjust things in the world and obviously not everyone is speaking up about every issue but that doesnt mean they condone it.

And then there are these changes weve seen being brought upon as a result of this whole movement, some of which just seem symbolic, unnecessary, or even absurd. For example, a long-time host of a show I watch who is white was switched for a black host, which is both unfair to long-time followers of the show and to the original host who had been there from the start. Another example is GitHub renaming master branch to main due to association with master/slavery. I dont understand where this is coming from because the word master can have other meanings, as in master volume or masters program... Are these gestures supposed to be viewed as a step towards the right direction?

I dont know what real change is supposed to look like, but the scene now just feels symbolic, forced, even touchy and hostile in that if you dont go along with all this then it makes you the devil. Again, Im not at all condoning racism, but certain things just feel like an act sometimes, reminds me of the Emperors New Clothes...

The truth is, everyone will pass judgement on each other and its inevitable. Not just race, or gender, or sexual orientation... but just as individuals, from the way we look to how our voice sound to our personality, none of which are any less valid. Well all face different challenges and limitations and its not fair. Sure, its great to bring awareness to specific issues like race but parts of this is just starting to feel out of sorts.

Not sure if anyone else feels the same way. If not, please enlighten me.

[Assistant] So a television show fires a host that happens to be white and his replacement happens to be black -- and you automatically assume it's the guy's skin color that got him the job. Doesn't that show how far we still need to go on the issue?


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is cannibalism so bad for our health?

One thing that always comes up in any conversation about cannibalism - not that it comes up OFTEN in my circles, I just want to clarify - is that cannibalism is bad for the health of whoever or whatever is partaking. Why is this the case, and why are some species able to indulge in cannibalism on a regular basis with seemingly no adverse effects?

[Assistant]
Diseases often have trouble jumping from one species to another. The closer related to you your food is (evolution wise) the smaller the gap the disease needs to jump. This is why eating bushmeat from apes is more risky than eating some less closely related animals.

The above is true especially for viruses. Parasites are another problem. One thing that has been big in the news are prions.

Prions aren't really living things at all. They are just certain types of proteins which cause the proteins inside of you to become like them by their mere presence. In particular the prions everyone is worried about are ones that are inside your brain and nerves. If you eat another humans brain who has such a prion disease you will become infected yourself.

Normally this is not such a big deal as people aren't in the habit of eating each others brains.

However in cultures where cannibalism was practiced, such disease can become a problem. One example is Kuru also called the laughing diseases which used to be found among cannibals in places like New Guinea.

Another example is mad cow diseases which became a problem when stupid people got into the habit of feeding cows the ground down remains (including brains) of other cows.

In fact mad cow became such a big problem that enough cows with it ended up in the food chain to possibly infect humans despite the species gap. Creutzfel-Jacobs is what the disease is called that many think is what happened if you eat cannibalistic cow brains.

The TL;DR of all this is that if you plan to eat humans make sure to only pick healthy looking ones, stay away from their brains and avoid eating any known cannibalis who seem to have the shakes.


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

[User]
What's the difference between actual sleep and just laying down when fighting off a disease?

I've currently got a cold, so my body needs rest to fight it off and recover.

What's the biological difference between having an actual sleep, or just laying horizontal and watching tv/reading ?

Is my immune system doing the same thing?

Do I actually need more sleep when sick, or does physical inactivity suffice?

[Assistant]
Your body is doing different things when sleeping and when just laying down, resting.
While sleeping most systems of the body go in a less active mode. The brain lowers its activity and does mainly "maintenance" work, organizing/sorting and "cleaning" stuff. Heart rate goes down, breathing slows, digestive system goes into a less active mode, body temperature drops, hormonal activity changes etc. Immune system is more effective with fighting disease during sleep as some agents that fight disease are higher in levels during sleep. Also sleep deprivation might lower white cell count - the "warriors" that fight disease. Also, when your body relaxes and is not strained it has more resources to fight.
And we reach to the next part - just laying down, relaxing. While not as effective as sleep, for fighting disease it's still more beneficial than normal activity, because less resources are used for activity that is not connected directly with fighting disease, hence the body can "schedule" more resource for fighting the disease.
Since a human, unless extreme situations, can not sleep for very long periods of time without waking up, when you are ill, it's still better, to lay down and relax, while awaken, than doing usual activity (which would be hard anyway). The need to lay down and the feeling of being exhausted is a sign, the body is trying to divert resource elsewhere and it's losing energy, that would otherwise be used for normal activity. Putting as less stress on the system as possible, while it's fighting with an external agent is beneficial, hence "keep the bed" advice :).


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

[User] Is there a fundamental difference between a replicator and a transporter in Star Trek?  What is the source of the matter for the replicator?

[Assistant] Replicators take "waste" matter and break it down and resequence it as the desired matter. The cup your morning earl grey came in is placed back on the replicator and reclaimed to provide the base matter for your nightly glass of synthale. Other waste matter is broken down in other systems and utilized the same way by the replicators.


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

[User]
[ATLA] Since Sozin and Roku were born on the same day, what would have happened if Sozin had been the Avatar instead?

Would he still start the War? Would it even start sooner? Would he even be allowed to leave for the customary 12-year Avatar training?

[Assistant]
The influence of the Avatar's reincarnated spirit, plus Raava being the spirit of light, means that all Avatars are compelled to be helpful and kind in pursuit of balance. (note that being kind doesn't always mean being nice to everyone. Kyoshi was a major example of that) Their world-travels and years of training means that they connect with people all around the world, and strip away any prejudices they might have had in their young lives. Avatar Sozin would have ended up almost exactly like Roku, though maybe a little more heavy-handed in his approach to things, much like Kyoshi had been.

If Sozin was still born the heir of the Fire Nation on top of being Avatar, he would have relinquished his throne in favor of a sibling or close relative. Because being the Avatar is far more important than the leader of a single nation. And the sages/white lotus/other organizations would have impressed upon him that fact. We have no idea what Sozin's family was like, so they still might have had the same processes that Firelord Sozin had, and perhaps still started the war. It wasn't until after Sozin took the throne that he instituted many reforms that transformed the Fire Nation into its most well-known incarnation. Before that, many people in his nation were highly spiritual and would not have balked against the advice of the sages.


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

[User] Eli5 Why does Jupiter not explode when meteors hit it considering its 90% hydrogen?

[Assistant]
Combustion needs oxygen.
Even on earth it is possible to have too much fuel to oxygen to burn. Engines can flood with too much gasoline in the cylinder to burn, or there can be too much fuel to oxygen in the ratio to combust.

Jupiter is like 90% hydrogen and 9% helium with the rest in small percentages. Nowhere near enough to oxygen to combust. Even more so with helium being an inert gas that does not react to most things.

An example is gasoline. After 7%-ish at atmospheric pressure there is too much vapor to support an explosion.


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

[User]
ELI5, how can an electrical grid be minutes away from month long blackouts? What wouldve happened that devoted employees avoided?

Ive seen lots of posts lately on Texas being minutes and seconds away from months long blackouts. What couldve happened, what was avoided that caused that?

[Assistant]
Operators shut down switching equipment that was very close to overloading.  Well, "seconds" may have been hyperbolic, but this equipment is extremely specialized and there are not huge stockpiles of unused equipment waiting for someone to want it.  Losing too much switching equipment might lead to months of rolling blackouts as replacement equipment was manufactured.

Most world power grids are susceptible to this sort of thing, nobody has a spare power grid to use for fallback.  A large solar storm or coronal mass ejection could fry enough transformers that it would take months for worldwide power to return to normal.


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

[User]
[MCU] why is it that there was a random blue blob in the middle of Missouri that killed atleast a dozen people but never even talked about by anyone?

this had to be a really random occurrence. what was the blue stuffs chemical make up were they able to get rid of it or is it still sitting there now? you would think stark might feel some interesting in this other world substance. if it was talked about in aos let me know i dont watch that show.

[Assistant]
Because disasters happen, and tend not to be dwelt on by people not directly involved.

In 2014, eight people were killed when a building blew up in Manhattan. In 2013, 15 people were killed in an explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas. In 2008, 14 people were killed in a sugar explosion in Georgia. To the general population, these are just things that happened and were quickly forgotten.

The details of the Missouri blob were probably quickly covered up by one or another of the many US intelligence agencies - remember, this is after the fall of SHIELD. That left some kind of chemical leak killing a few people, and as far as the general public are concerned a few people dying in the middle of nowhere is just not worth discussing.


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

[User]
I am full-stack software engineer and I am looking to get into robotics as a career. How screwed am I?

I've basically maxed out my abilities as a software engineer. Meaning I can build just about anything from scratch and do a decent job at it. And before you go off on me saying I don't know shit or nowhere maxed out my skill set, you are right. What I am saying is I am more so burnt out that I don't feel like improving my skills as a software dev anymore even though I can perform at a high level.

Robotics has always interested me especially because I believe it is an integral part of the future. I would love to get involved and use my skills as a software engineer to jumpstart as a robotics engineer. Is this even possible without going back to school? Where do I start? Any advice is much appreciated. I am so burnt out by my day job I can barely function. I need a new fascinating challenge.

Thank you!

[Assistant] Of course it's possible. Don't have to go back to school. Robotics is the combination of several disciplines tho. A good start is to start or brush up on C/C++ and maybe start learning about Embedded Systems.


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

[User]
ELI5: How video games work from a code perspective.

Is it all one big while(1) loop?

[Assistant]
Game developer here.

Basically, it's a huge loop - or multiple loops. When you launch the game, it loads stuff like textures, models, sounds and so on, and then it begins the "main loop", where it processes the input, updates all objects that need to be updated, and finally draws everything on the screen.

In practice, it's a bit more complicated than that. For example, physics might have an own loop that runs 30 times per second, other "non-visual" code runs 60 times per second, and graphics may run as fast as possible to ensure seamless representation on the screen.

Also, there's the problem of resource handling: if the game is huge (10 GB for example), it can't all be loaded at the beginning. Usually games load the needed resources just when they are needed (between levels, for example), and the unneeded resources are unloaded. This all may happen in the "main loop", or the main loop may be shut down, before the resources are loaded and re-started after the loading is complete. Some games require seamless progression through the world (WoW and other MMOs), where the game may load and unload the resources all the time in the main loop (or another loop running at the same time).


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

[User] Why isn't the ISS spun for "gravity"?

[Assistant]
The absence of (apparent) gravity is the main feature of the ISS. Why would you want to ruin that?

There was a proposed single module that would have rotated to generate low (~1/3 g) appparent gravity for astronauts to sleep in, but that didn't make it to the ISS.


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

[User] eli5: Our saliva is the first stage of digestion and starts to break down food. Why does sucking our thumbs not break down our flesh?

[Assistant]
First: saliva is 99% water, so anything in it will be in very low concentrations (which is why you should chew thoroughly before, so you can mix the saliva and help with very small portions).

Second: most of the enzymes present are for breaking starch and fat, both of which are not found in the outside of our thumbs.

Third: our ~~thumb~~ thumbs (and most of the body as well) are protected by the skin, made primarily of a protein called keratin (it rhymes). This is a very hardy structural protein, the same in our nails, hair and in some animal horns.


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

[User]
ELI5: How exactly do vacuums suck up air?

All I see is a spinning cloud of dust. How do vacuum cleaners and chambers work?

[Assistant]
We think of fans as blowing air, but if you look from the back side of the fan, it is sucking air in. Hold a candle behind the fan and you can see the smoke get sucked into the fan. All fans suck on one side and blow on the other side.

There are lots of ways to make fans, and some designs are really good at sucking. A vacuum cleaner uses the kind of fan that really sucks. It's still just a fan, though.


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

[User] [GI JOE] Would the Cobra super weapon from retaliation actually work?

[Assistant]
Absolutely. It's actually been a proposed weapon platform, but was scrapped due to the cost associated with it, and a UN accord which makes it a crime to deploy weapons in space.

It wouldn't be quite as shown, but the basic principle is true.


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

[User]
Does the speed of digestion change based on how hungry or starved you are?

Does the speed of digestion (acidity/strength of stomache acid?) change if you are more hungry and slow down if you are full? Or is it fairly consistent regardless of your current state of hunger?

[Assistant] It does not speed up. If anything it slows down due to blood being directed to other organs, this is especially true when starved. Your metabolism slows down aswell. There is no reason for the body to speed up digestion when there is nothing to digest. This is a huge waste of energy.


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

[User]
ELI5: how is a serving size determined?

For example, how does the Hershey company know that a package of King size Reese cups is a serving? How does Pringles know that 1 oz of cheddar cheese Pringles is a serving? What is a serving based off of?

[Assistant]
It's all made up.

At least in the US, there's no standard. All they're required to do is show the amount of servings in the product and what each serving represents. i.e. the company arbitrarily decides how many grams/ounces/any random measurement equals 1 serving.


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

[User]
[spirited away] not entirely sure if this fits here but what do the workers at the bath house spend their money on?

We never see them leave the bath house so whats the point in obtaining all the money they make? is it possible that they dont have anything to spend on and this is just contributing to the theme of toxic consumerism?

[Assistant] That roasted lizard was a coveted snack and implied to be very expensive. There is most likely an array of exotic delights they can purchase over and under the counter. Not to mention all the food stalls on the markets.


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

[User]
ELI5: How come an individual's appearance seems to "change" depending on your feelings towards the said individual?

Eg. When you fall in love with someone, they seem to look prettier/more handsome than how everyone else perceives the individual, and then they return back to "normal" once you're over him/her.

[Assistant] Attraction is more than just finding someone to be physically beautiful.  As your desires in a mate mature the non-physical criteria start to carry more weight.  As you get to know someone deeply you become aware of all of their various qualities in a way that outsiders do not.  Ideally you are very attracted to many of those qualities.


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

[User]
[DC/Marvel/Speedsters] When the Flash is doing anything at super-speed, does he have to be running?

I see characters in comics doing things in super speed all the time but I don't know if they have to be running in order to introduce themselves to speed.

The solution for many things in the Flash TV show is "run faster" so I'm not sure how that works for everything speed related.

[Assistant]
Superman and Flash had sat down and had a very lengthy conversation in less than a second. The Flashs can engage their speed while lying down on bed do they can take a long nap in a microsecond.

In Marvel, there are less speedsters, but the concept is basically the same. QS can draw a picture in a second while sitting down.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do we know the information leaked by Edward Snowden is true?

It seems like he's in a great position that *anything* he says will be considered the truth and if anybody denies that it's the truth they are just covering up for the government.

With the resources that the United States has, if this information was so destructive to the efforts of the NSA and other agencies, why aren't they pursuing him more? I would tend to think that the CIA has operatives in Russia (or wherever he is now) that could collect him pretty easily if they really wanted him.

[Assistant] Because he isn't just saying things. He is providing original documents and files. So far the gov has said what he's leaked was illegal to leak because it's classified but they haven't said what he's leaked was untrue.


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

[User]
ELI5: How is 2.5 gallons enough water to get our waste from the toilet to the sewer, and eventually to the water treatment plant?

Edit: OK, I am not sure where I got 2.5 gallons from because it turns out standard toilets in the US are 1.6 gallons, as the comment below states. It still seems crazy to me that 1.6 gallons can push waste all the way from the toilet to the sewer. I feel like it would stop at some point and need more water to get to the street.

On a side note, I find plumbing and water treatment fascinating.

[Assistant] It just has to make it to the sewer which is easy enough especially as they're usually sloped on the way there. The sewers already have other water coming from any number of sources plus may be fed a trickle at the head of the pipe to keep things moving.


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

[User]
When I yawn while listening to music, why does the pitch briefly shift down?

The change in pitch lasts for the duration of the yawn, while the ears are "expanded."

Also, you are now yawning.

EDIT:  It really is the pitch, the volume changes but the pitch of the note definitely does as well.  Like an old gramophone slowing down or a car horn dropping in pitch as it drives by.

[Assistant] When you yawn or swallow, your Eustachian tube opens to equalize the pressure in your middle ear. Your middle ear is also the location of the three middle ear bones (*malleus*, *incus*, *stapes*) that act to transmit vibrations from your eardrum to your cochlea so you can hear. Thus, if you yawn or swallow, the Eustachian tube opens, changes the pressure in your middle ear, dampens vibrations, which in turn dampens sound.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do people who crack games get said games to crack ?

How do people who crack games get the games before they crack them? How do they get the source files on their pcs so they can crack them  ?

[Assistant] A man is reading a list of instructions on what to do. Let's say this particular list of instructions tells him how to let you into a theme park. As he goes through the list of instructions he asks you for your ticket, but you don't have one so you can't get in today. After his shift you know where he keeps his instruction list, but it's in German! And you don't speak German. But you take a copy anyway. Tomorrow you try to get in, and you follow the man along as he's reading the instructions, and when he gets to instruction 52, he asks you for a ticket, and then turns you away for not having one. After his shift, you go to where he keeps his instructions and cross out line 52. The next day you get into the theme park because he didn't check for your ticket.


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

[User] ELI5: What is money laundering and how does it work?

[Assistant]
Lets say you're a bully with a racket extorting lunch money from other kids. Eventually you get enough for a new bicycle, but you can't buy one without your parents wondering about where you got the money. So you open up a lemonade stand. They can't watch you all the time so as far as your parents know you're selling a ton of lemonade, so when you bring home your new bicycle it doesn't look suspicious. You don't have to work to hard at the stand because actual profit is secondary to appearing legit, and owning a real business can provide yet another extortion activity, the neighborhood kids come and buy $5 glasses of lemonade so they don't get beat up; and their appearance helps the stand look legitimate.

Edit- Thanks for the Gold!


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

[User]
[general] Why are escape pod emergency releases not inside the pod itself?

So Im in my last year of engineering academy, and I finally get to do my first rotation on an actual starship.

During the Safety induction, they covered escape pod protocol, including launch failure. For some reason I can't fathom, the emergency release is inside the main ship, and the handbook states one person should stay behind and "heroically sacrifice themselves".

Why not put the mechanism inside the pod, so that everyone gets to escape?

[Assistant]
Because the emergency release is a mechanical override for the systems on the ship that hold onto the escape pod.

The ship itself handles holding the pods, AND launching them out. Those systems simply don't exist on the pods side.


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

[User]
ELI5: When a baby is in the mothers womb, and is developed enough,does it produce human waste from the nutrients the mother provides to it? If so, where does it go or how does the body adapt to that.

Edit: Thank you for all the info! Much appreciated.

Edit: I woke up this morning and was blown away by the amount of answers and popularity this got. Thanks all and Happy 4th!

[Assistant]
Yes. Just a couple of months into their development, little humans begin peeing freely into the amniotic fluid that surrounds them in the womb. Then, foreshadowing all the gross stuff that babies do once theyre born, theyll consume that urine as they swallow the amniotic fluid. Every last one of us has spent several months drinking our own pee.

In utero pooping is less common. Fetuses get their nutrients from food that their mothers digestive systems have broken down, and the waste from that food stays with mom and is taken care of on her end (Thanks, Mom!). Fetuses do ingest some stuffmucus, bile, fine fetal hairs called lanugo, cells lining the inside of the wombthat needs to get disposed of, though. All this stuff gets broken down by the fetuss digestive system and forms a viscous, sticky mass of feces called meconium.

Meconium is almost odorless and mostly sterile. It usually stays in fetuses bowels until theyre born, but some kidsaround 13 percentjust cant wait, and let it loose in the womb. This can be a problem, since feces is now floating in the amniotic fluid that the fetus swallows and takes into its lungs, and meconium-stained amniotic fluid, as the docs call it, can lead to serious respiratory distress.


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

[User]
CMV: Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets are in aggregate better than Word, Powerpoint, and Excel

First of all, the automatic saving feature is great because I don't have to worry about saving all the time. Secondly, everything is always backed up on the cloud/drive so you don't have to worry about losing files on your computer. Third, it is FREE, as you can use all the google services at no cost to yourself. The sharing feature is very intuitive and you can collaborate with many people on your documents. Heck, all three google services are more intuitive and easier to use than the microsoft services which are cluttered with too many features and not well organized. Moreover, with google docs you can work easier with others too because google things are free so you can work with people that cannot afford the more expensive word, powerpoint, and excel.

[Assistant]
" Third, it is FREE, as you can use all the google services at no cost to yourself. "

As long as you play nice with every Google product. But if you get banned from YouTube suddenly you've also lost all your documents and spreadsheets! That seems pretty disastrous compared to using Openoffice or Word!


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

[User] [Rick and Morty] Why isn't there more automation at the Citadel?

[Assistant] Because when you have someone doing the jobs, they have less time to think of how to get into your position. The jobs aren't even necessary at all, it's just to keep the people on the bottom at the bottom.


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

[User] [Pokmon] what makes great balls so much better at catching Pokmon than pokeballs?

[Assistant]
Speaking in broad terms, when you attempt to capture a Pokemon in a Pokeball, you convert it to energy and store that energy in the ball. However, during that process, a stronger Pokemon can fight to reverse it and break containment of its energy. Once it does so, it reverts to physical form.

Great balls/ultra balls/etc are simply built with higher-strength containment, making it more difficult for Pokemon to struggle free. In addition, you can tune balls to make their captures from a greater distance, thus making it difficult for Pokemon to physically knock away the balls.


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

[User]
[Dragon Ball Super] Why was King Vegeta so mad that Broly was in the elite nursery?

He calls him a low ranking baby taken in off the street but the Saiyan doctors said he was the son of Colonel Paragus. Is Colonel not a high/elite rank in the Saiyan army?

[Assistant]
High rank, but still a filthy commoner.

Vegeta is an aristocrat, if you aren't born nobility you are trash. Sure Paragus proven himself to be a capable warrior, but he still wasn't nobility and his baby hasn't proven shit.

Assuming, of course, their colonel actually lines up to the English rank. Ranks tend to get confused when translated.


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

[User]
ELI5: How does self-disappearing ink work?

I got one of these pens for free with a calligraphy practice workbook. After about 5 minutes, the ink just vanishes as if nothing was written. I've tried it on multiple different papers and the same result occurs so it shouldn't have to do with a specific kind of paper. How does this happen?

[Assistant] Disappearing ink is usually reacting to carbon dioxide in the air around us, creating carbonic acid through an interaction with an agent in the ink, which causes it to "disappear" as sodium carbonate. Sometimes, the ink is photosensitive instead, which will cause it to disappear due to exposure to light.


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

[User] [DC] Could a devolution device (like the kind made by Gorilla Grodd in the Justice League cartoon) be used to weaken Doomsday?

[Assistant] This could possibly be a viable way to defeat doomsday. Considering how he was created, it could devolve him to one of his weaker forms, maybe even his original form depending on how much power the devolution device has.


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

[User]
Is the way of making philosophy based on "first principles" dead?

I read somewhere that Quine's "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" invalidated the pursuit of "first principles" from which truth could be determined and a system of philosophy could be constructed from. It is true? Are there philosophers still working in this way?

[Assistant] Systematic philosophy is alive and well, though it certainly is not as popular as in the early modern period.  Just for a few names, in the analytic tradition there is Mario Bunge, and in the continental tradition you have Alain Badiou.  Overall the continental traditions nowadays is much more amenable to systematic philosophy, in part because of authors like Quine and Russell in the analytic tradition arguing very forcefully against systematic philosophy.  In some of the early sorts of battlecries for the analytic tradition you see their response to systematic philosophy, for instance Russell addresses it in the last chapter of *A History of Western Philosophy*.  He describes a new vision for philosophy where we deal with individual problems instead of trying to solve everything all in one go.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do people use 0-60 mph to benchmark the acceleration of cars?

Why not use 0-50 and what is significant about going to 60 mph?

[Assistant] Because the actual benchmark is 0-100 km/h, which get's rounded down to 60 mph. 0-100 is a nice round number, and since everyone except the US uses the metric system that's the standard. So the significance is that 60 miles is about 100 km.


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

[User]
ELI5: US Presidential election 2016 megathread

Most of the common questions have already been asked multiple times, and searching the archive is recommended.

Other wise, this post will serve as a location to repost past questions, and any new ones.

[Assistant]
Why is the Electoral College still a thing? Has there been any effort to move away from it?

Seems odd to have a system that allows a President to win while losing the popular vote. Why not award proportional amounts of votes from each state to their results? Has there been an effort to move away from the system?


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

[User] [Fairy Tales] What was Rumplestiltskin going to do once he got the baby? Also what is he and how did he get his powers?

[Assistant] It's implied that he's a fairy/Fair Folk. They're often known for kidnapping children and sometimes even adults. What they do with the kids isn't really known. Some stories claim that they eat the children. Other stories like Thomas the Rhymer say that they just hang out with their captives, not really doing anything horrible and then bring them back to our world with special powers only for the captives to learn that they were gone for years despite not aging at all. Others still like the ballad of Tam Lim claim that the Fair Folk owe a tithe to hell which they pay with the humans as offerings.


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

[User]
ELI5: Synthetic meat

Does anyone know what has happened to the synthetic meat we were all promised many years ago that would be just as good as the real thing (One step closer to Blade Runner ). It's now 2018 I haven't seen one synthetic burger.
and is it really that good for you... or not ?

[Assistant]
No one has figured out how to make it cheap enough yet.  Consider the price of ground beef, if you have a multimillion dollar lab making lab-grown beef then you're going to need to make millions of pounds to have it pay for itself.

There are a bunch of companies work on it, but none of their products are commercially viable yet.


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

[User]
ELI5: if black friday is all positive revenue why don't they do deals and stuff more often than once a year?

If 'being in the black' is profit for companies, why do they limit their deals to one day of the year?

[Assistant]
Deals and discounts are usually done for two reasons.

1. To get rid of any long standing inventory to free-up room for new orders

2. In anticipation of high volumes of demand (surge in amount of customers)

When demand is expected to be extremely high, companies can afford to mark down items and offer sales, the minimal loss in revenue from marking down products is in theory supposed to be easily made up by the added amount of revenue the company will receive from the increase in demand.

Companies aren't usually only striving for one of the above reasons, Black Friday is inherently a combination of both. Stores experience large surges in the amount of shoppers, so they start off by marking down the prices on inventory which they are trying to get rid of first. Usually the items marked down in price the most are items which have been on the shelves for quite sometimes, or are items which are being replaced by newer models (or seasonal).

Deals similar to Black Friday aren't done other times during the year, due to the cyclical nature of retail shopping. It is much more difficult to sell products like televisions or other electronics during the year as compared with the holiday season. Some companies in fact lose a good amount of money maintaining their inventory during the year, only to regain all the lost revenue during the holiday season due to the increase in consumer demand.

TL:DR

Giving discounts is not cost effective unless there is an increase in overall consumer demand for the products you are selling during that time period.


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

[User]
What physically happens to SSD drives that make the memory blocks wear with each write operation?

It's common knowledge that SSD drives have a limited number of writes and it must minimize the amount of times each memory block is rewrited, to make it last more, bla bla bla.

But, why does it happen? I mean what is the physical reason behind this? What is happening inside the drive that make the memory blocks wear with each use?

[Assistant]
Flash uses a floating gate transistor that permanently stores a charge in a totally electrically insulated floating gate that isn't connected to anything. Hot carrier injection or tunneling is used to force electrons though the insulator and into the floating gate at very high voltages where they are essentially trapped forever (until reprogrammed again) and electrostatically cause the non floating gate to be on or off depending on the content of the charge trapped in the floating gate. Thus representing one or zero.

The high voltage and tunneling of electrons through the insulator breaks down the dielectric insulator with each erase/program cycle as electrons tunnel through the material and change the molecular state and electron composition. Basically the high voltage tunneling poisons the insulator with free electrons (?) until the dielectric starts becoming a conductor and progressively leaking so much that the floating gate can no longer hold a isolated charge. It just conducts and drains instantly through the insulator when you try to fill it and can't ever be a "1" again.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter / General science fiction and fantasy] How does the Avada Kedavera work? Does it work on types of inorganic life?

Does it stop the heart?  Cease brain functionality?  Flip all of the target's cellular "alive/dead" switches at once?  Perverse quantum immortality into a sort of quantum suicide?  Depending on how it happens effects the second question: who can it kill?

Could you stop the Terminator with it? (It's a universal kill switch)

What about an AI like Deep Think (Hitchhiker's Guide)? (I causes brain death)

How about an AI that has a noted "heart/soul" like Optimus Prime? (It stops the hear or rips out the soul)

Could a person with a pacemaker live through the curse?  (It ceases a specific function, which can be overcome by modern technology)

Are cyborgs like Darth Vader or General Grievous organic enough to be effected?  (It ceases a specific function, which can be overcome by future technology)

Are hiveminds like the Borg or the Geth immune?  (Brain death situation)

How about golems? (Magic based inorganic life)

Trolls with silicon brains?  (Magic based semi-organic life)

Thomas the Tank Engine? (Faith based inorganic life)

[Assistant]
When Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort duelled in the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore animated the centaur in the Fountain of Magical Brethren to use as a shield, which exploded when struck by a Killing Curse. That said, a decent *reducto* would have had a similar effect, it's possible that the statue broke because it was physically ripped apart instead.

Additionally, the effectiveness of all magic spells is based on a question of mass and to a lesser extent distance. For the same reason you can't *accio* the moon and kill us all, an average lone wizard would not necessarily kill something big like a dragon, mountain troll or giant with a killing curse. This, coupled with their relative intelligence, is why giants make for effective troops in wizarding wars.


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

[User] If you mix oil and water in a bowl and wait for a while, you will see gravity seperate them and put all of the oil on top. How is this consistant with the law of increasing entropy?

[Assistant]
I probably won't explain this fully or with the highest degree of articulation, but here we go...

It minimizes the surface area where water and oil interact, which frees up the the largest amount of molecules from restrictive interactions, thus giving maximum entropy.

If you imagine a single oil droplet in water, a large hydration shell of water molecules. Those molecules are basically stuck in that configuration, giving them high entropy (but minimizing enthalpy).

If the oil were to suddenly dissappear, then those 'trapped' water molecules could then more freely move about and incorporate back into the bulk solution, forming and breaking countless hydrogen bonds as they move around and mix. Allowing for that movement within the bulk solution gives the greatest entropy.

Now, you can imagine many many oil droplets. Each would have their own hydration shell of water, reducing entropy. As the oil droplets come together, their volume would increase disproportionatly with their surface area. This results in the same amount of oil with less surface area, and thus a smaller group of 'trapped' water molecules.

A similar phenomonon is one of the main drivers for protein folding (burial of hydrophobic regions in the solvent-inaccessible interior, while hydrophillic regions are on the outside).


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

[User]
ELI5:How did the ancient Polynesians find places like Tahiti, the Cook Islands and Hawaii

I visited Hawaii for the first time this year and I am fascinated with Polynesian culture.  How did they look out at the ocean and know how to sail to such small remote islands?  Obviously, their astral navigation was extremely sophisticated but how did they know something was...out there...

[Assistant]
There are whole books on the subject.

Basically, if you live on the sea and can read the signs, you can tell that an island is near even though you are hundreds of miles away. It has to do with the cloud patterns, the birds, the wave patterns and the wind.

For example, if waves are passing an island, they will be distorted around the island. This distortion persists for many miles.

Also...luck. If you are able to be at sea for a couple of months, you can explore a lot and still return home if you find nothing.


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

[User]
[Avatar: TLA] Do you think the Avatars influence will dwindle over time?

If we take from real world examples, the growth of technology and the human population itself could start to overshadow the Avatar. Would they even need the avatar then? How would the avatar handle a world where nuclear weapons exist?

[Assistant]
A world where nuclear weapons exist will either use them, and end, or not, and not. They're a null factor when it comes to the Avatar, and the main effect they'd *have* on the Avatar is giving them something else to worry about.

The thing with the Avatar is, as long as people respect and believe in them, there is no reason *any* amount of technological advancement could ever outpace them. Because their power to bend all four elements is just... a neat bonus, on top of the *true* strength of the Avatar.

Their spirit.

Not Rava, though that helps, but each Avatar themselves has, by definition, the soul of a hero. Each one will do their best for the world. And as long as people are willing to stand behind that, technology may change the *scope* of the world, but never the Avatar's influence on it.

Add to that the literal magic that technology will never be able to meaningfully replicate, and you've got a being that will not dwindle as humanity grows, but grow right alongside it.


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

[User]
Since most devices nowadays operate on low voltage, would it be more energy efficient to have a separate low voltage DC circuit per house?

Apart from appliances in the kitchen and some other household appliances, I don't think there are many devices left that operate directly with 230V (or 110V) AC.

Even modern TVs, while not necessarily being low power, seem to at least be fairly low voltage for me.

Yet, each household only has a (comparably) high voltage AC circuit whose power has to be transformed into low voltage DC for every device separately.

I imagine that you could solve a lot of energy loss by getting rid of all the little internal or external power transformators, couldn't you? Or is it impractical to distribute low voltage DC over a whole house? What about for each apartment?

[Assistant]
Because the voltages are lower, the currents are higher and the resistive losses will be higher.  This leads to several problems, the wires get hotter which can become a fire risk and the voltage at the other end of a wire is much less than was put into it (so where you put in 5 volts you only get say 4.5 volts out).  When you plug something else into the DC source it will increase the current and will change the voltage drop (and similarly when you unplug something)  so you will need some form of regulation on the output socket which will re-introduce the inefficiencies you were trying to remove  you may also want thicker cables to reduce the resistance and that will be expensive.

Changing AC voltages to a different AC voltage can be done efficiently with a transformer, the regulation of the output voltage is where most of the waste energy goes and it is unlikely you can remove that element.

Another issues is not all devices will operate on the same voltages (some, like PCs, require multiple voltages), so either there will multiple DC voltages outlets or you have a single voltage (probably around 20V) there will be a need to step the voltage down in each device.

Then you get to the practicality, you'd need two sets of wiring and plugs around the house with a guaranteed way that they could not be mixed up (mains down the DC would upset a lot of things), and you'd need companies to start making things that can be plugged in  until there is a market they won't and until there is a ready supply of goods that can use it, builders won't put it in house as extra expense.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is the recent drop in gas prices a bad indicator for the overall economy?

I tried to read several news articles about this, but none of them actually explain it.

**Edit:** To clarify, I have a pretty good understanding of *why* the price is going down. Supply/demand, speculation, liberal conspiracy theories and all that jazz. My question is how does this impact the economy negatively, as so many news articles seem to indicate? In other words, what are the consequences of all this?

[Assistant]
It's because oil prices are a fairly good indicator for how well people think the economy is doing.

The central idea is that everyone, and every business uses some form oil to conduct operations. As such, higher oil prices tend to reflect an increase in business activity and lower prices reflect a slow down. (if 1 million people lose their jobs, commutes are reduced, production is reduced, demand for oil falls and then prices fall.)

Now the tricky part is that the oil price you see on TV is actually the price a few months down the road. The oil price displayed on the news is what's know as an oil future, basically someone is buying a contract to receive oil a few months from now at whatever the price is expected/predicted to be. This allows for a magnified effect on oil prices due to the effect of speculated trades.

These trades are purely based on what an investor think the price of oil will be. They reach this conclusion by looking at data from various economic sources in order to gauge the economy and then buy/sell oil based on what they think will happen next. These trades then have a huge effect as the increase/decrease in price will only encourage more speculative trade that will further fuel the price increase/decrease.

**TL;DR: Overall gas prices themselves don't necessarily have a large impact on the economy, but the economy has a large impact on gas prices, that's why so many people look to it in order to gauge economic performance.**

**Oil is a good indicator for how well the global economy is doing, but the "indicator" can be affected due to speculative trading.**


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

[User]
[Spider-Man: Homecoming] What powers Spidey's suit?

Minor spoilers:

What is the power source for Spider-Man's Stark-provided suit? There's enough juice to run a JARVIS-level AI, a holographic HUD, various enhanced sensors (like thermal and x-ray vision), cameras that record everything the mask sees, a spy drone ...

It's Stark-tech, so my first guess would be an arc reactor, but we've never seen one smaller than a hockey puck, and there's a distinct lack of big-glowing-disk anywhere on Spider-Man's suit.

[Assistant]
A mixture of dynamos and the ultra-efficient batteries that Stark uses to power most of his silly gadgets like the glovewatch and his glasses.

Peter has Super-Strength. Tony designed the suit to resist Peter's movements to a degree, both as a way to charge the suit's batteries through kinetic force and to restrict his combat ability. This is why he's less graceful than he might otherwise be in the redblue, and why some suggest his Spider-Sense isn't very present while wearing it. It is - the suit's just fighting him without him realizing.

This kinetic resistance is the reason Peter messes up a few times - most notably during Civil War he mentions the suit messing up his landing, while in Homecoming he misses that one support structure.

Both of those can be attributed to the dynamos charging the suit. The batteries themselves are embedded in the same layer as the chip he pulls out. This kind of stuff shouldn't matter for what Stark wants him to do (neighborhood shit) but is irritating otherwise, and likely can be toggled off for important fights as needed.

Probably the biggest change in Iron Spider (the suit at the end) is transferring to a distributed Arc power system, allowing both more advanced weapons/tech to be implemented and less resistance in the same overall package.


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

[User]
[King of the Hill] Did Cotton genuinely believe that Hank worked as a pump jockey, or was he just trying to tick Hank off by saying that?

Given that Buck claimed that he "used to knock skirts with" Cotton, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Edit, one month later: Changed placement of quotation mark.

[Assistant] Someone on here a while ago suggested that Cotton continues to rag on Hank because he never lives up to his full potential. We see Hank display an impressive array of skills throughout the series, even being able to run heavy equipment, yet he works for a scumbag who doesn't respect him and often puts his own company at risk. Hank should be running a business, not working for Buck.


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

[User]
ELI5 if standing up straight is supposed to be proper, why does slouching seem so natural?

I try and stand/sit up all the time but it always feels forced while slouching just feels right and comfortable. How is that?

[Assistant] Proper posture is better for your body in the long run. Slouching feels easier because you're using less muscle to stay upright. But decades down the road, slouching may be your only option if you don't avoid it now.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does it cost money to do a reverse lookup on a phone number, or a person, when a lot of information is readily available for free?

[Assistant]
It's because
A. The company collects all this info in one place to save you the time. That's what you're paying for, not the number owner's details.
B. It's a service that people are willing to pay for, so there will be people willing to provide it.


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

[User]
What happens when a government goes bankrupt?

In the talks about the bailouts for Greece the goal seems to be to prevent the Greek Government from going bankrupt. But what happens if they would? I posted some numbered questions to better display my confusion.

1: Do the countries assets get seized by the creditors?

2: Does the country descent to anargy?

3: Do they get kicked out of the EU?

4: What would the implications be for the stability of the Euro?

Thanks in advance folks!

[Assistant]
1. Government debt isn't backed by any asset, it's not like a mortgage backed with a house. Even if it were you'd need an army (most likely) to go get it.

For the rest of the questions countries can't go into bankruptcy like an individual, Governments default on their loans, not declare bankruptcy. What the bailouts are trying to do is to prevent a Greek default, by giving the Greeks enough money to run a government and make payments on their government debt.

If the Government fails to payout on a loan this devalues all the greek loans and any new issue of debt will have to offer a high interest rate.  This high interest rate is problematic because then the government budget is consumed by something that doesn't benefit the economy and then this would lower GDP.

Because they are part of the Eurozone they can't just print more money and risk hyperinflation.

2: Note the Greece has already had a technical default on one of their loans and they haven't had complete anarchy.

3: The president of the Euro central bank stated that he will do everything to keep  Greece in the euro zone.

4: If there were larger scale defaults by Greece, the Euro plunges and is more unstable. If Greece is removed from the euro zone the euro rises.

Hope that helps.


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

[User]
[DC] I'm a normal citizen of Gotham and I want to thank Batman for all his work. What's the best way I can do that ?

So he would notice it.

[Assistant]
Write to the justice league, and send your thanks that way.

Otherwise, you could also thank the Batman for his work by making his job easier, and help improve Gotham even more, so he has less work to do, or it's less difficult for him to do it.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are there so many different bolt and screw designs (Hex wrenches, flathead, etc.) ? Wouldn't it be easier to have one universal tool?

[Assistant]
No, All have different uses, and in turn are optimum for different types of jobs. Moreover cost can also be a driving factor for what to use. And lastly whether your screw driver, impact driver, hammer drive, etc... will slip should also be considered.

For instance Lag Bolts (Giant screws with hexagonal 'nut' ends) are great for anchoring 2x4 shelfs that will support ALOT of weight. Since they can be 3", 4" or 6" and beyond - you need to use a socket set with an impact driver to really make sure that bolt will not slip.

Alternatively, if you were framing a deck, and needed 2.5" screws Philips will work just fine - but green deck screws should be considered (costly) and the t-25 bit "star shapped" will not strip easy (and again will cost more).

Right tool for the right job, bro.


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

[User] [SCP] If SCP-682 adapts to anything, what happens if you take its blood and put it into a human being? Would it kill them, turn into human blood, or do some weird third option?

[Assistant]
This guy thinks like a scientist. Theres no data on this currently and any data that might exist would no doubt be protected by mimetic kill agents.

This SCP exist solely to destroy. If its blood was injected into someone the chances are that someone would die in the most painful way possible. Im not talking death by poison either. Pretty sure it would do everything from mutate your arm into a giant spike that penetrated the rest of your body to turning your stomach acid up a notch and burning you from the inside out. It would not be pretty.


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

[User] [Despicable Me] Are Gru's minions paid? Does he give them free housing and food? How does Gru get the money for this?

[Assistant]
>Are Gru's Minions paid?

As far as we can tell, no.  But, according to the Minions movie, the Minions don't want to be paid.  They're biologically wired to serve the biggest and meanest person they can find to the best of their ability.  It's actually shown that Minions that don't serve a villain wind up with severe depression and restlessness.  Gru is basically Supervillain Numero Uno when he recruits them, so they serve him without question.

>Does he give them free housing and food?

Based on the context, yes.  They still need food and water to survive, and, since they don't really have any other job besides "Gru's Minions," the costs incurred fall on Gru's shoulders.  And, since Gru seems to hold some kind of affection for them, he's probably more than happy to keep them around while Gru's genuine love and willingness to care for them has established an ironclad loyalty within the Minions that keeps them from switching sides to another villain.

>How does Gru get the money for this?

The same way all Mad Scientist Supervillains do:  develop high-tech weaponry to sell, steal and fence precious items, hold the world (or sometimes the moon) for ransom, etc.  Worst comes to worst, he can always get a quick loan from the Bank of Evil to cover any unexpected bills.


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

[User] If my salt intake is too high, can I just drink a lot of water to cancel it out?

[Assistant]
Salt (Sodium) makes you retain water.

Adding water to a high salt diet means you'll be retaining lots of water.

This makes you hypertensive.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is bad for pretty much everything.

Sorry, this turned out more ELI5 than science.


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

[User]
ELI5:When does light stop?

Today i was walking along a lake on a beautiful sunny day.  I noticed the reflection of the mountains off the lake.  I realized that what i am seeing are photons bounced off the lake, but then i realized they were 1st bounced off the mountain, and they came from the sun.

  When does the photon stop?

[Assistant] Whenever light hits something, some of it is absorbed and gets converted into another form of energy (heat), while some of it is reflected. When you the light hits your eyes, it is absorbed by your retina.


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

[User] [FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF/GROUNDHOG DAY] If caught in a Groundhog Day style timeloop, would Edward Rooney finally be able to catch Ferris (and would that break the loop)?

[Assistant]
so you're asking, if Rooney had literally infinite chances to catch Ferris (who would never adapt or change his plans) would he catch him?

Yes, absolutely. Bill Murray managed to rob a bank. Catching a child is significantly easier.

However that wouldn't break him out of the loop. Bill Murray broke his loop when he grew to be a better person. In the same way, Rooney would have to learn not to be so petty and vindictive. Once he learned that, and still caught Ferris (because that's his job) then the loop would break.


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

[User]
[Vampires] In general fiction, what would happen if a vampire was forced into a house ?

There's the lore saying a vampire cannot enter a house uninvited.

But, what would happen if he was forced into a house ? Maybe while he was sleeping or something ?

Also, what would happen if a house was built around a vampire ?

[Assistant]
The vampire would not have "entered" the house, it would have been "placed" there.

Besides, if the human dwelling in the house placed him there that would count as an invitation.

Nothing would happen if a house was built around a vampire as a vampire is only forbidden from "entering" a house he has not been invited into.


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

[User]
[Witcher] What qualifies as a surprise in the law of surprise?

You could have many things qualify as having something you don't know you have at the time of the offer of the surprise. Your wife could be pregnant and also have obtained a valuable while you are away, plus you probably obtained some things with little value.

How do you determine which of these items to surrender under the law of surprise? Is it which item was acquired first? Is it the most valuable item obtained while away and if so, how are the values appraised?

[Assistant] It's what is genuinely a surprise to you. If you knew your wife was pregnant when you made the pact then it's not a surprise. If she has twins and you thought it was one child then it's a surprise. If your pregnant wife gives you a gift from her late cousin that's a valuable trinket then it's a surprise to you. Trying to choose the lesser value surprise to weasel out of the pact is frowned upon but not exactly forbidden. It's just Fate has a funny way of punishing those who don't honor their deals. You could even give up a surprisingly good harvest in lieu of a child or monetary gift and as long as the debtor accepts it you're fine. Children of surprise are rare but more famous than farmer Ted's bumper crop or fishmonger Carla's anniversary gift.


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

[User]
CMV: Where possible, picking up items with your feet is superior to picking up items with your hands.

There are a bunch of benefits to picking up items with your feet:

* Can be a lot more convenient when since your grabbing appendage has to travel less distance
* Your hands can be used for a lot more than grabbing things that are below your waistline
* Great for when your hands are full
* Is a lot more fun as you can pop objects up in the air and catch them with your hands (this is a lot more boring to do with hands)
* Improves body spatial awareness (I don't know this for certain, but it seems obvious)
* You get more efficient the more often you do it as you can multitask
* You can do cool tricks like flicking a sock or piece of clothing over your head and catching it
* Its just more fun than using hands

I know this is a bit of a light CMV, but I'm curious to hear what people think.

Happy CMVing!

[Assistant] While maintaining balance ability in one's old age is critically important, picking up items with one feet in old age may cause unnecessary risk of falling or twisting a joint poorly. At least for the elderly picking things up with hands or with the aid of a grabber is considerably safer.


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

[User]
[General Zombie Media] What are some legit tactics that Marines and soldiers can utilize against zombies?

(For reference, well do both slow, walking Walking Dead-type zombies as well as the freakishly and inhumanly fast zombies from Train to Busan/Peninsula/Kingdom. Also, were not going to use the zombies from the World War Z novel. As much as I love that book (definitely check it out if you havent already. Absolutely recommend it), the zombies there were imo written so that theyd be immune to our military and break all of our laws of physics, biology, etc. so for that reason, we wont use them).

Assuming that no other powerful military hardware like our artillery pieces, armored vehicles/MBTs, aircraft, missiles, etc. were utilized (because otherwise this would be WAAAAAY too easy for the military since Zeke cant bite you if it turned into pink mist) were used and only guys (and girls) armed with either traditional M16A4s or M4A1s were what was given to you, how would you develop a doctrine to combat the undead?

 Personally for me, I think that making suppressors standard-issue would be a no brainer. Id also make everyone be as fast as possible so probably no or only a little body armor and wed go back to LBEs/Load Bearing Equipment. Marines and soldiers would be utilized like modern dragoons where they dismount from a vehicle, pick a couple zombies off or harass the herd, then after a designated amount of time (say, 10 minutes), everyone hauls ass out of there and head off to the next spot. ACOGs would also be issued out as the standard optics for their rifles and everyone will also have both an OKC-3S bayonet as well as an E-Tool for melee combat.

[Assistant]
I mean realistically what we do now works fine. Modern soldiers are very precise and shouldn't have any issues with head shots especially if the zombies are slow.

Assuming it even reaches that point. Zombies have no air defense, don't know how to scatter when artillery is inbound, and frankly have zero countermeasures against literally just being run over by tanks. Or even just some guy driving his car. Zombies are terribly combat ineffective against everything unless they outnumber the enemy hundreds to one. They also don't have the intelligence to make group movements in search of prey, instead preferring to aimlessly wander in the same general place. This results in swarms that can be engaged and disengaged whenever the military wants.

Additionally Zombies are awful at multiplying. Their only method of reproduction requires they face off against their biggest predator - us. How many zombies can a squad of soldiers kill? How about a few police? That neighbor with a shotgun? What about you just driving a car? Anything more dangerous than a child holding a rake should be able to manage a positive kill to death ratio and that's before we start looking at the ridiculous number of bodies an Abrams tank should be able to wipe away.

Zombie media loves to show the aftermath but never really likes to show the early days. The rare times the military is shown they are facing thousand to one odds surrounded on all sides but the reality is even if some areas were overrun they would be quarantined and dealt with quickly. In the real world Zombies would get decimated by modern military forces so hard that we'd actually feel bad for them.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do humans forget important things, but maintain embarrassing things like when we called our teacher mom?

[Assistant]
Negativity bias. For whatever reason, the brain seems to put more emphasis on negative things than positive things, even when both things are equally intense. For example, losing $20 will seem more significant than gaining $20.

Because negative things seem more significant, they are more easily remembered and weigh more on your mental state.

Side note, that's why bad news seems to happen more often than good news. People respond more to bad news, so it gets spread more.


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

[User] How does space have a temperature if it's just vacuum?

[Assistant]
Remember that "temperature" is a pretty handwavey concept. We can't measure temperature directly. We can measure *changes* in temperature, by seeing how something metallic expands or contracts over time for example. Or we can measure the radiation coming off an object and make a guess as to its temperature based on how well or poorly that object approximates a perfect heat emitter. And so on.

But to say that something *has a temperature* is always going to be slightly squidgy.

In the case of outer space, when we say that it has a temperature and that its temperature is about three degrees absolute, what we mean is that a perfect black body in that environment will settle down to thermal equilibrium at that temperature. That temperature corresponds to the point where the object is emitting the same amount of thermal energy via radiation that it absorbs from its environment.


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

[User] ELI5:What is the difference between an atom bomb, a hydrogen bomb, and a thermo nuclear bomb?

[Assistant]
* An atom bomb derives its energy from enriched uranium or plutonium undergoing nuclear fission.

* A hydrogen bomb uses an atom bomb to initiate nuclear fusion in lithium deuteride or other fusionable substance.  Obviously the atom bomb contributes some of the energy.

* "thermonuclear bomb" is roughly a synonym for hydrogen bomb.

* There is also something called a "boosted fission bomb".  This is basically an atom bomb, but adds a small amount of tritium/deuterium which undergoes fusion.  This contributes a small amount of energy by itself, but causes much more fission to take place, increasing yield.


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

[User] My web app works on my localhost... now what?

[Assistant] Next, you want to make it face the internet at large. That means either hosting it on a server in your house, and port forwarding and putting up with awful data rates and such, or renting some cloud hosting space. Then, if someone knows the IP address of the server, they can visit your site. Then you'll want to get a domain, so and point it at that ip address, so that it looks like a website.


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

[User]
What would the results be if the United States eliminated all agriculture subsidies?

Not just limited to some farmers going out of business but wider effects in the United States and worldwide.

[Assistant]
New Zealand did this in 1984.  It resulted in significant changes to raising meat more efficiently.  A quick Google can provide details.

Today, New Zealand products enjoy a price premium in China due to their reputation for producing quality food products.  In other words, they're competing on quality instead of price.


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

[User]
How Is adderall related to meth?

I saw that the adderall has amphetamine salts but Ive never taken a chemistry course so Im wondering what exactly does that mean to its relation with meth.

How are they the same? Are they different?

[Assistant]
Chemical structure is highly similar but that ultimately means very little because changing even one part makes for a drastically different substance.

Its kinda like how humans share a ton of genes with bananas but we are nothing like bananas because the differences we have in our genes (I believe we are 41% similar to bananas if Im remembering right)  amount to a whole LOT of differences in the practical world.


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

[User]
ELI5: Does anything actually stop a foreign army from invading a 'Neutral' country?

I'm not sure if ELI5 is the correct subreddit for this, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

I don't even really know how to ask this without answering my own question. What actually stops a foreign country from invading and taking over a Neutral country? I've been doing a little research on what makes a country, such as Sweden, neutral during a conflict and came across this:

> As long as the country is officially recognized as neutral, no country can legally form plans to invade it or use it as a base of operations.

Here's what I would be thinking if I was the General of whatever army and wanted to go in and take the Swedes' stuff: Who cares? "Legally" we can't invade, but what's going to happen? The U.N. is going to sanction me?

For example, in WWII Germany invaded Denmark and Norway (both Neutral), so the Allies decided to invade and occupy Iceland (also Neutral) to better defend the Atlantic against the Nazis. From what I've come across, there were no repercussions for either side. The Allies did pay for anything they "broke" in Iceland, but that's far from any real consequence. If Germany had been successful on the Eastern Front and beaten Russia and Finland, they likely would have gone after Sweden (another Neutral country). Switzerland most likely only avoided invasion by the Nazis in WWII because the Swiss bankers would willingly help Nazi officers hide and store money in their country.

Hopefully someone can enlighten me because I don't see any real reason to leave a Neutral country alone during the next world war.

[Assistant]
The same reason you already said: money.

If any developed country gets invaded, other countries have everything to lose.  Also, politics don't work that way in developed countries.  Allies, treaties, UN.  The UN might not do much, but the countries in the UN will have something to say about it.

So, you can invade, but when you try and get carpet bombed repeatedly, over and over by every other country, your country will be in a lot worse position than originally.  Not quite worth it.


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

[User]
[star wars] What was the public reaction to Alderaan's destruction?

How did the public react to the utter annihilation of a peaceful planet by a weapon of incomprehensible devastation controlled by power hungry psychopaths?

[Assistant]
The Destruction of Alderaan was the largest and costliest mistake in Galactic History.  To fully understand why we have to fully understand just what Alderaan represented to the Galaxy as a whole.

Alderaan was, above all else, a peaceful world.  It was a beacon of pacifism, hope, political discourse, and strength through the various storms that tore through the Galactic Republic over it's ~25,000 year history.  The planet weathered Sith occupation, stood above the corruption that plagued the Republic in its final years, and was generally one of the most well-known planets in the Galaxy.

For instance, did you eat a Nerf steak last night?  Or have you ever called a scoundrel you know a 'Scruffy-looking Nerfherder'?  Those are just two examples of how deeply ingrained Alderaan was in the Galactic culture.  It was as well-known of a planet as could possibly be.

And the Empire destroyed it.  They blew it up in the name of the Tarkin Doctrine: an essay written by Wilhuff Tarkin to Emperor Palpatine concerning security threats in the Outer Rim Territories.

>"Rule through the fear of force rather than through force itself.  If we use our strength wisely, we shall cow thousands of worlds with the example of a select few.  These examples would need to be highly visible worlds..."

Tarkin was a fool.

The Destruction of Alderaan had the exact opposite effect on the Galaxy.  While intended to induce submission, the instantaneous slaughter of two billion innocent lives did the exact opposite.  Instead of inspiring fear this event inspired rage.  Angered citizens rose up against Imperial occupation, igniting battlegrounds across the stars.  The Empire tipped its hand by destroying Alderaan as well: faced with the knowledge of how far the Empire was willing to go, freedom fighters began taking equally-drastic measures in their resistance.  Imperial Officers defected in droves.  And, most importantly, due to military victories in the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance firmly declared itself as a viable opposition to the Empire.

**TL;DR:** The Destruction of Alderaan was really important.


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

[User] ELI5 Why does the body, as a self defensive response to some sicknesses, swell the nose so you can't breathe?

[Assistant]
Swelling is part of the bodys response to fight viruses and other bad guys that try to make us ill. The swelling (inflammation) increases blood flow which brings tons of good bad-guy-fighting material (like white blood cells). It also increases heat to the area which helps speed up chemical reactions.

Once the bad guys are caught, torn apart or moved, the next step is to get them expelled from the body (such as via pus, mucus or snot).

Our nose swelling comes from irritation (eg blowing it a lot) but it doesnt swell to stop us breathing. Our nose gets blocked because theres some bad-guy-filled snot that needs gone. When theres a lot of it it can cause some difficulty breathing.


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

[User]
[MCU] Is the eternal flame more powerful than an infinity stone?

In Thor Ragnarok Hela walks by the tesseract and goes "that's not bad" but she says that the eternal flame is an example of real power.

[Assistant] The ability to resurrect the deceased and also retain all of their memories and combat skills is an example of real power. Without the Power Stone or an innate ability of real power, the Space Stone is a glorified car.


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

[User]
CMV: Men having children after the age of 50 is unfair to the child

The average life expectancy for a male in the U.S. is what, 75 years old? That means if a man has children at age 55 he'll potentially have 20 years with them - assuming he's in good health. He might be able to squeeze out an additional 10 - 15 years old life which means that he'll be leaving his kids behind when they're in they're 30's which is still far too young.

Men having children beyond the age of 50 limits the length of their interaction with their kids. It is also a burden for the children because having an elderly parent means that they likely lack the energy to do fun, engaging activities.

If a man has a child at age 30 then there is no guarantee that he will live long enough to see his kids reach their 40's. However, he is definitely more likely to see that than a 50 year old man is.

I understand that it's "not about how much time you spend with your kids here on Earth, but how much love you show them while you're here" but I think it's unfair to put them in a predicament in which they more than likely have a limited amount of time with you.

[Assistant] Life expectancy is an average. The main reasons male life expectancy is lower than females is because of reckless activities, work place deaths, and suicide. Men are roughly twice as likey to die in an auto accident, five times more likely to die on the job, and 50% more likely to commit suicide.  Most of these deaths are happening before 50. So, while a 1 day old male is expected to live to 71, once he reaches 50, his life expectancy becomes 84.


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

[User]
Why do mitochondria have their own separate 'mitochondrial DNA'?

Do other cells or organelles have their own separate DNA? Is it some relic of the very distant past?

[Assistant]
It is in fact a relic of the past. Early in the history of life, we believe the eukaryotic ancestor enveloped an aerobic bacterium, but rather than digesting it, it lived within the cell. Eventually, the eukaryote and the bacterium would exchange genetic material, and the two would become interdependent on one another. This is what we call endosymbiotic theory. And there is predicted to be 2 primary events (mitochondria from aerobic bacteria, and chloroplasts from cyanobacteria), and 3 secondary events (green algae and their chloroplasts being taken up by other eukaryotes).

You can recognize these events through a few characteristics: extranuclear, circular genomes, independent reproductive cycles, and multiple membranes.


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

[User]
ELI5 how does the same hormone exert different effects in different target cells?

Sorry if this is a repost. I couldn't any similar questions.

[Assistant] Think of a hormone as a key that turns that flips switches and turns on chemical pathways of cells. The switches they turn on are called cell receptors. Think of them as on and off switches that are turned on by the turning of the hormone key. Hormone (keys) flip very specific switches. Some cells have switches that can be turned on by the hormone key, others do not. Some cells have many switches and when they are all flipped on, they have bigger or different effects. If a cell has that specific hormone receptor (switch), then it will be activated by the hormone.