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ELI5 Fire Extinguishers - why are they red in color?

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Why is most fire equipment red in color? What happens if you use the wrong class of extinguisher on a grease or metal fire? Could the future of firefighting be a "dubstep cannon" that uses sound waves to kill flames?

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ELI5 HRV - what is heart rate variability and why can a steady heartbeat be trouble?

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Why does a perfectly steady heartbeat actually serve as a warning sign you should not ignore? If your heart is a drummer, why is a little bit of "bad timing" a good thing? How can your smartwatch tell you are stressed before you even feel it? Why does splashing cold water on your face trigger an ancient, "hidden" survival reflex? Why did Neil Armstrong’s heart race to 150 BPM while his co-pilot stayed totally calm?

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ELI5 Activity Trackers - how do they detect deep sleep?

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0000

What are the creative ways people fool their FitBit? How does my activity tracker differentiate between steps and my tapping to a rhythm? Does it use GPS to calibrate? How does it know what stage of sleep I'm in?

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ELI5 Palladium - more valuable than gold?

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 17:04:00 -0000

Why is a metal you’ve probably never heard of often worth more than pure gold? Why are thieves risking jail just to steal one specific part from a Toyota Prius? What is the "Palladium at Night" satellite doing that no government will admit to owning? How did Ford lose a billion dollars by trying to hoard this "ghost" metal? Could this strange metal be the secret to "cold fusion" and unlimited power?

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ELI5 Jevons Paradox – why adding more lanes to a highway can make it worse?

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Why does adding more lanes to a highway actually make traffic jams get even worse? How did the machine meant to end slavery accidentally make it ten times more profitable? Why did the invention of the ATM lead to more bank tellers instead of replacing them? Is your "eco-friendly" car actually causing you to burn more fuel than your old one? Why does being the most efficient worker in the office always result in being given more work?

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ELI5 Titanium - why is it the metal most used in surgeries?

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Why did the CIA secretly buy Soviet metal to build the very plane designed to spy on them? How does a metal named after Greek Titans manage to fuse physically with living human bone? If titanium is the ninth-most abundant element on Earth, why is it still so expensive to produce? And how did common chlorinated tap water nearly destroy the manufacturing of the world’s fastest titanium jet?

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ELI5 Xmas - how and why NORAD tracks Santa (part 2)?

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Why do people in the UK typically say Happy Christmas while in America it is most commonly Merry Christmas? What made red and green Christmas colors? Is it true that Coca-Cola popularized the modern look of Santa Claus? Why do most of our "traditional" Christmas songs, images and TV/movies come from the 1940s to the 1960s? Brian Earl from the Christmas Past podcast joins us to ELI5 a range of Xmas questions.

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ELI5 Xmas - why some say Happy Christmas vs Merry Christmas (part 1)?

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0000

... and we explain like i'm five!

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Thank you to Brian Earl from the Christmas Past podcast. If you'd like to hear more excellent xmas episodes, check out Brian's podcast here:

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ELI5 Pearls - how does a grain of sand make such treasure?

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0000

What makes a pearl so mesmerizing, and what is it really? What exactly is a pearl made of, and how does it form inside a mollusk? Can a grain of sand truly cause a perfect pearl? What's the difference between a natural pearl and the cultured ones we see today? How do pearls get their stunning array of colors, from soft pinks to deep blacks? What makes certain pearls incredibly valuable, fetching millions?

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ELI5 National Debt - who do countries owe when they are in debt?

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0000

If every major country is in billions of debt, where are they borrowing from? Who exactly do they owe? Are there any consequences for them being in debt? Why is it a problem when it gets large? Why was Greece in trouble, while Japan seemingly has high debt but is fine?

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ELI5 Bubble Gum - why is it almost always pink?

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Did you know bubble gum is traditionally pink simply because the inventor ran out of every other color? Did McDonald’s really try to help kids eat healthier by inventing bubble gum-flavored broccoli? What actually sets bubble gum apart from regular chewing gum?

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ELI5 Morse Code - what tragedy led to its invention?

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0000

What sparked the invention of Morse code, and how did personal tragedy influence Samuel Morse's creation? Is Morse code still used today? How does Morse code rely on timing, and what role do dits and dahs play in understanding messages? Why do some people still feel a connection to Morse code today despite advances in communication technology? How did WWII utilize Morse code for encrypted communications, and what were the implications for message security?

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ELI5 Marble - why does it feel cool to the touch?

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0000

What makes marble feel cold to the touch, especially in winter apartments? How does the use of marble in art reflect the cultural values of the civilizations that employed it? What exactly is marble and how is it formed geologically? What role does marble play in ancient Greek architecture, specifically in the Acropolis and its iconic structures? How does the history of marble reveal about human ambition, creativity, and the pursuit of perfection?

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ELI5 Aircraft Carriers - why are the runways at an angle?

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Why do modern carriers feature an angled flight deck instead of a straight full-length runway like their WWII predecessors? How fast does an aircraft have to go to take off from a carrier? Why don't planes just fall off the front of the ship when they take off? What are the costs and challenges associated with building longer runways on aircraft carriers? What advantages do nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have over conventional ones in terms of operational efficiency?

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ELI5 Iron - is body iron different to construction iron?

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Is the Iron in our body different from the Iron used in construction? How did ancient cultures use meteoric iron without knowledge of metallurgy? What makes iron such a vital natural resource throughout human history? Why doesn’t iron in our blood react strongly to MRI machines? How does the imaginative concept of ""space swords"" link history and modern mythology around iron?

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ELI5 Daylight Savings Time - who thought it was a good idea?

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Why do we still change clocks to Daylight Savings Time when so many people dislike it? Who came up with the idea in the first place? Why is there a movement to permanent Daylight Savings Time? Are farmers for or against Daylight Savings Time?

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ELI5 Submarines - how the Titanic was a cover for a US Navy submarine mission

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0000

If nuclear submarines can generate their own water and oxygen underwater, why do they need to surface at all? Why are submarine propellers always at the back, while airplane propellers are usually at the front? How did submarines and the US Navy play a part in the discovery of the Titanic?

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Fri, 16 May 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What exactly is a defibrillator? Why is the analogy of jump starting a car incorrect? What’s happening in the heart when a shock is delivered? What is the AED and how do you spot one in public? What happens when you activate an AED? Who invented it?

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Other Episodes Mentioned in this discussion:

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ELI5 Dragons - why do dragons exist across almost every culture?

Fri, 09 May 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Why do dragons capture our imagination across different cultures and eras when it isn't a real creature? What psychological factors contribute to our collective fascination with dragon legends around the world? What fascinating connections exist between ancient civilizations and the stories of dragons they created? Why do dragons symbolize chaos in the West but represent good fortune in cultures like China?

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Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: emergency_table_7526, lithuim, th35ky, thrw2367, unidan, uniquesnowflake1729, lopezjessy, and jrrfolkien.

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ELI5 Invisalign – are they better than braces?

Fri, 02 May 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Could jaw surgery be the faster solution for realigning teeth, and what are the risks? How exactly does wearing Invisalign gradually shift your teeth into the desired position? What’s the biggest misconception people have about Invisalign compared to traditional braces? How has aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing made Invisalign a household name despite its origins? What role does 3D printing technology play in the production of custom Invisalign aligners?

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ELI5 Stoicism - what are the four Stoic values?

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What is Stoicism, and how does it apply to our modern lives today? How does Stoicism differ from popular self-help interpretations of its principles? Can you explain the four key Stoic virtues: Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, and Justice? What makes Stoicism relevant during challenging times, such as the recent pandemic? How can mastering emotions enhance our practice of Stoicism in daily life?

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ELI5 Panama Canal - why did the original French attempt fail?

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What makes the Panama Canal’s lock system so essential compared to the Suez Canal’s lack of locks? How do locks help manage the canal’s significant elevation change across mountainous terrain? Why was constructing a wide trench connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans deemed too complicated and risky? Why did the U.S. ultimately choose Panama for the canal after initially considering Nicaragua as a better option? What historical challenges did the French face while attempting to build the Panama Canal before the U.S. took over?

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ELI5 Blood Types - do animals have different blood types just like humans?

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What fascinating adaptations led to the evolution of diverse blood types in humans over millennia? How does our immune system interact with foreign entities to determine blood type responsiveness? Why is Type AB blood considered rare, and how does intermixing populations contribute to its existence?

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ELI5 Fish Oil - if it’s so good for you, why not use it more for cooking?

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Does fish oil actually help? What makes it help? What are the specific types of Omega-3 that are good for you? If it’s so good for us why not use it more for cooking? Why are there some eggs that have Omega-3 on the label?

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ELI5 Traffic Lights - why not use pressure sensors?

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 04:50:00 -0000

How intelligent are traffic light systems? What sensors are used? Why not use pressure sensors under the pavement? How do traffic systems coordinate across intersections in a city? Do emergency services like fire trucks and ambulances have the ability to control traffic signals?

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ELI5 GPUs - why are they better than CPUs for artificial intelligence?

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What distinguishes CPUs from GPUs in architecture, and how does this impact their performance in computing tasks? Why are GPUs considered better at handling tasks like graphics rendering compared to CPUs? How do different rendering techniques in games versus offline programs affect the processing demands on CPUs and GPUs?

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ELI5 Sunrise - why do sunrise and sunset look different?

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What makes sunrises and sunsets visually unique experiences despite being technically the same phenomenon? Why do atmospheric conditions lead to warmer reds during sunsets and cooler blues during sunrises? How do variations in dust, humidity, and pollution change the colors we perceive at sunrise versus sunset?

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ELI5 Sliced Bread - why is it the greatest thing since…

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0000

What makes sliced bread the “greatest thing since” anything? How did the invention of sliced bread in 1928 change consumer habits? Why do traditional French and Italian breads mold faster than commercially sliced bread?

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Fri, 15 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Why can't we just throw our trash into volcanoes to incinerate it? Why do some volcanoes erupt explosively while others have gentle lava flows? Why is Yellowstone National Park considered a super volcano? Which volcano created the loudest sound ever recorded? Can we use volcanos as energy sources?

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ELI5 Lab Grown Diamonds - why do they have lower resale values?

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0000

How are lab grown diamonds made? Are they exactly the same? Why do they have different prices and resale values? Which is more environmentally friendly? How have cultural and social attitudes evolved?

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ELI5 MRIs - how do they work and why are they so noisy?

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

How do MRIs work? Why are they so expensive? Why are they so noisy? Are MRIs related to other scans like x-rays, CT scans and PET scans? Why aren’t full body MRIs more part of routine checkups? Why are they so expensive? If there is iron in our blood, is this affected by the magnetic fields in an MRI? Why was there controversy with the nobel prize awarded for MRI technology?

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ELI5 Aircraft Engines - why propellers on military planes vs jet engines?

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Why do military planes like the Hercules C-130 and Airbus A400M military transport planes use propellers instead of jet engines? What makes them more versatile for shorter runways? Why is a turboprop engine not the same as regular piston propeller engines? Explain the difference between a turbojet, turbofan and turboprop.

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ELI5 Speed of Light - why can’t we exceed it?

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0000

How did we even measure it if it’s so fast? Why can’t anything go faster than the speed of light? If I were to take a really really really (light years) long stick and push something on the end of it, would it happen “instantly”? What are some of the loopholes that would allow us to theoretically exceed the speed of light?

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ELI5 QR Codes - how do they work even with portions covered or obscured?

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0000

How are QR Codes better than regular barcodes? How do they work? The fourth corner square is kinda important - what kind of processing is going on for a QR code to be decoded? Why is error correction so important in QR codes?

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ELI5 Dyson Sphere - did aliens already build one?

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0000

What exactly is a Dyson Sphere? What materials would be required? What is a Dyson Swarm and a Dyson Bubble? Could any other civilizations have built a dyson sphere already?

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ELI5 Skyscrapers - which NYC skyscraper could have fallen over?

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Are the 100+ year old skyscrapers still safe? How do skyscrapers get built straight up without any leaning or imperfections or off angle walls? How does the concrete get poured so perfectly? How have designs changed over the years? What NYC had a 6% chance of falling in any given year?

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ELI5 Super Mario Bros - how did it fit into 32KB?

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0000

How did Shigeru Miyamoto come up with Mario, and how has this character evolved over the years? How is it that the first Mario Bros. game was about 32kb, but a JPEG of the game is over 300kbs in 2023? What made the game mechanics so special? Why is the first level of Super Mario still studied today? Who is the real-life Mario that the character is named after?

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ELI5 Lie Detector Tests - how do polygraph tests work?

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0000

How does a lie detector test work? If people don’t trust their accuracy, why do agencies like the FBI and CIA still use polygraph tests? How is a polygraph test actually conducted? Are there any proven methods or techniques to "beat" a polygraph test?

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ELI5 Solar Eclipses - how often do they occur?

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Why does the moon perfectly cover the sun during a total solar eclipse? What's the difference between total, partial, and annular solar eclipses? It’s dangerous to look at the sun during a solar eclipse without proper protection, but is it more dangerous than staring directly at the sun when there isn’t an eclipse? How frequently do we get solar eclipses?Any tips for those wanting to photograph or view an eclipse?

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ELI5 Donor Organs - do donor organs age according to the donor’s age or the new host’s age?

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0000

If all the cells in a person’s body have their individual DNA imprinted in them, then what happens after an organ transplant? Does the organ eventually adapt the DNA of the recipient or is the donor’s DNA permanently a part of the recipient? Do donated organs age according to the donor´s age or do they adapt to the age of the new body? Why do some countries have much higher percentages of people donating their organs compared to others?

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ELI5 Prime Numbers - why isn’t 1 a prime number?

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0000

What are the two reasons that 1 is not classified as a prime number? How did the definition of prime numbers evolve? What is Euclid’s theorem and how does it relate to prime numbers? Explain the Twin Prime Conjecture. How do prime numbers play a crucial role in encryption methods, especially in securing digital communication?

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ELI5 Burping - how loud was the world loudest burp?

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0000

What exactly causes a burp, and why does it happen? How do cows and their burps play a role in greenhouse gas emissions? When they say “livestock are responsible for burping the methane equivalent of 3.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually" what does the methane equivalent of CO2 mean? Where was the world’s loudest burp recorded?

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ELI5 Yawning - why is it contagious?

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Why do we feel the urge to yawn just by seeing or hearing someone else do it? Do animals yawn? Why do we yawn when bored or tired? Is the oxygen explanation a myth? Why does everything sound muffled when I yawn? Why do I tear up when I yawn?

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ELI5 Olympics - why the amateur vs professional line blurred?

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Why were the Olympics so strict about amateurism in the first place? Why were professionals not allowed initially? Who was disqualified for being a professional? How did the lines between amateur and professional blur? Are there any sports left in the Olympics that still maintain that strict amateur status?

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ELI5 USB - is it still wrong to remove a thumb drive without first ‘ejecting’?’

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Why should we ‘eject’ before physically removing a USB device? Who came up with the idea of USB in the first place? What is ‘juice jacking’ and why do we need to watch out for it?

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ELI5 Sore Throat - is alcohol or honey a better remedy?

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0000

What causes a sore throat? Why is it that alcohol, which is a disinfectant, doesn’t cure a sore throat? Why is honey a popular remedy? Explain the science behind the "lump in your throat" feeling. Did George Washington die of a sore throat?

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Fri, 24 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

What exactly is the Higgs boson and why is it often referred to as the 'God Particle'? What is the significance of its discovery? What is a Boson? How does the Higgs Boson relate to the Big Bang Theory and the formation of the universe?

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ELI5 Life Insurance - why the astronauts of Apollo 11 couldn’t buy life insurance?

Fri, 17 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

How does life insurance actually work? What is the difference between term and whole life insurance? How do life insurance companies make money if everyone already dies? How do my lifestyle and health affect my premiums? How did a horror movie use life insurance to sell movie tickets? What happened when the astronauts of Apollo 11 tried to buy life insurance?

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ELI5 El Niño and La Niña - what exactly are they?

Fri, 10 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

When did people start noticing El Niño and La Niña? What exactly are they? Where does the name come from? How do they affect global weather patterns? Do they really affect the Earth’s rotation?

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ELI5 Horse Racing - what’s the role of the jockey?

Fri, 03 May 2024 03:00:00 -0000

Can you explain the role of a jockey during a horse race? Why do horses start side by side in a race instead of a staggered start like in human races? How does horse racing differ from dog racing, and why is the latter often frowned upon? How betting odds work in horse racing?

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ELI5 Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta - the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0000

How did the NATO phonetic alphabet come about? Why were specific words chosen for each letter? Has it changed over time? Why is the number 9 spoken as “niner”?

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Mon, 15 Jan 2024 04:00:03 -0000

Why was VitaminWater sued over the 33g of sugar in each bottle? How do our bodies work with artificial sweeteners? Why do diet sodas taste different to regular ones? Are artificial sweeteners a good way to lose weight? Do they cause cancer? Why nutrition labels for TicTacs list zero sugar?

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Study referenced in this episode:

Association between intake of sweetened beverages with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis

https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/pubmed/fdab069/6218497

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ELI5 Onomatopoeias - why are there differences across languages?

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Why are onomatopoeias different in different languages? If the sound is the same, why is it that the word for the sound is different? When was the first Onomatopoeia? Why is the word ‘cliche’ an onomatopoeia?

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ELI5 Weight Gain - how does the body decide where it goes?

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0000

How does the body decide where to add or take away fat when gaining or losing weight? Why is it that lower stomach fat and lower back fat are harder to lose compared to other areas? Why does working a muscle with low weight and high volume vs high weight and low volume yield different results? Why do powerlifters wear those big belts around their waists?

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ELI5 Winter Solstice - why it marks the start of winter, not the middle of it?

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 04:00:00 -0000

If the winter solstice is the longest night of the year, why does it mark the beginning of winter? Shouldn’t it rather mark the very middle of it? Why not have new years day be on the winter solstice?

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ELI5 Primary Colors - are they red green blue or red yellow blue?

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 04:00:00 -0000

Why are red, blue, and green considered primary colors for our TVs and Computer Screens, but for our printer ink, we have cyan, magenta, and yellow are primary colors in ink? What about red yellow blue as we are taught as 5 year olds? Could there be a fourth primary color?

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ELI5 Bed Bugs - why they came back after nearly being eradicated?

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 04:00:00 -0000

What are bed bugs? Can you see them? How long have they been around? We thought we had eradicated them at one point in the mid-20th century but why did they come back? Are there any health risks? How do I tell if I have them, and how does one get rid of bed bugs?

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ELI5 Where’s Waldo - why Waldo is an important character in cryptography?

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 04:00:16 -0000

Why is Where’s Waldo called Where’s Wally in the UK and different names in other countries? How did the illustrator come up with the idea in the first place? Has Waldo become harder to find? Why is Where’s Waldo a well known example in cryptography for zero knowledge proofs?

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ELI5 Thanksgiving - why is it called Black Friday?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 04:00:00 -0000

Why is it called Black Friday? Why is thanksgiving always on a Thursday? Did Macys invent the thanksgiving parade? Why is American Football a thanksgiving tradition? Why is the weekend after thanksgiving the busiest day in the year for plumbers?

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This episode was originally recorded in November 2021. Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: optoomistic, jcd1974, buddythebear, and cjk_exstream

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ELI5 Powerlines - why aren’t more power lines underground in the US?

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:00:00 -0000

Why aren't power lines in the US buried underground so that everyone doesn't lose power during hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters? What causes the audible electric 'buzzing' sound from overhead high voltage power lines? Why does Mozambique have some unique regulations for overhead powerlines?

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ELI5 Crabs - why do crabs turn bright orange when cooked?

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 04:00:00 -0000

If crab fishing is so dangerous (think Deadliest Catch) why aren’t there crab farms like we have with fish? How do crabs breathe both in the water and on land? What does the phrase ‘crab mentality’ mean?

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ELI5 Planes - why the need for a ground cart to push them back?

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0000

What’s the use of the cart that pushes back the airplane? Can planes not reverse without it? How can a cup of water not spill in an airplane when the plane tips its wings to make a broad turn? Why do military planes tend to have wings above the body and commercial planes have wings underneath the body?

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ELI5 GDP and the Equator - why are countries richer away from the equator?

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0000

Why do warmer countries/closer to the equator tend to be poorer than colder countries? Is it the temperature? Was this always the case, throughout history? Why did the Industrial Revolution happen in Europe and England instead of somewhere else?

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ELI5 Altitude and Heat - why is it colder at higher elevations?

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0000

If hot air rises and cold air falls, why is it generally hotter at lower elevations and colder at higher elevations? Why is the temperature near the equator hotter than at the poles of the earth? Why is Death Valley the hottest place on Earth when it’s not near the equator?

... we explain like I'm five

Thank you to Robert for Pittsburgh, Pa. for writing in with this question.

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ELI5 Screws - why do we have two different types?

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0000

Why do we have two different types of screws? If the Phillips head is superior, why haven’t flathead screws just been phased out over time? What are the benefits of the Allen and Torx type screws? Why do manufacturers like IKEA like to use Allen wrench screws for self assembled furniture instead of standard Phillips or flathead screws?

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ELI5 Lasers - why don’t you see many white laser pointers?

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0000

Do laser beams get wider over a distance? Why are most lasers red and not white in color? What’s the difference between a powerful flashlight and a white laser? Did Albert Einstein invent the laser?

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ELI5 Voice Agents - How does “hey siri” respond if it isn’t constantly listening to my conversations?

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0000

How does siri hear me say “hey siri” if it isn’t constantly listening to my conversations or me speaking? Why are most voice assistants’ wake phrases 3 syllables? “Hey Siri”, “Alexa”, “Hey Google”. How are synthesized voices (like Alexa and Siri) made? Why did the guy who is the voice of Siri not even know his voice was being used?

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ELI5 Currencies - what does it mean to float a country’s currency?

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0000

How does a country devalue their currency, and why would they want to do that? What does it mean when people say a government is manipulating a currency? And what does it mean to either ‘peg’ or ‘float’ a currency? Explain the Bretton Woods system?

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Fri, 28 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0000

Why are there exactly four strokes in swimming? Why are the Native Americans credited with the invention of Front Crawl and why is it also called the Australian Crawl? How did Butterfly come about as a variation of breaststroke? When was the dolphin kick invented?

... we explain like I'm five

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Fri, 30 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0000

If we breathe out carbon dioxide, why does CPR work? Why does modern CPR training de-emphasize rescue breaths? CPR manuals talk about doing 100-120 chest compressions per minute - why so much faster than the average pulse of around 60-80? What does Michael Jackson have to do with CPR?

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ELI5 Pee - is urinating in the pool ok?

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0000

Is it ok to pee in the swimming pool? Is pee poisonous or sterile? Which famous swimmers admitted to peeing in the pool? Why is it ok for sea creatures in the ocean, if all the creatures are peeing in there? How does urine indicator dye work? (hint it doesn’t)

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Details on the Canadian study we referenced:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/01/how-much-pee-is-in-our-swimming-pools-new-urine-test-reveals-the-truth

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ELI5 Jupiter - can you land on a gas planet?

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0000

What do they mean when they say Jupiter is a "gas" planet? Could a rocket be shot through it? Can a space ship land on it? If Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a storm, why has it been there for so long? Why was the Juno mission one of NASA’s most difficult?

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ELI5 Decaf - how did a train accident lead to its discovery?

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0000

How is it possible to get the caffeine out of coffee beans? How was the process accidentally discovered? What percentage of caffeine needs to be removed for it to be considered decaf? Is it true that coffee makes you want to go to the toilet?

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ELI5 Dyslexia - does it exist in all languages?

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 02:34:39 -0000

How common is dyslexia? How does dyslexia work? Is it genetic or environmental? Who are the famous dyslexics? Are you dyslexic in all languages? Why is the font Comic Sans notable for people with dyslexia?

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ELI5 Donuts - why the association with the police?

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0000

Why do powdered donuts feel cold? Why are donuts often associated with the police? Where does the donut come from? How did the hole get invented?

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ELI5 Ampersand - the 27th member of the alphabet?

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0000

Why does the ampersand exist? Why do movie credits have a specific use of the ampersand? When did it stop being the 27th member of the alphabet? What does ‘per se’ mean in the context of the ampersand? Why is the ampersand written the way it is?

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ELI5 Wrinkled Fingers - why water makes our fingers wrinkle?

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 01:40:23 -0000

How did they disprove the common assumption that our skin wrinkles or water aging occurs because water makes it swell? What did they observe and how is this fact used in the medical field today? What evolutionary purpose does wrinkled fingers serve? What other medical conditions could wrinkled fingers be linked to?

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Nature article referenced in episode:

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2013.12175

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ELI5 Escalators - what is the shoe shine thingy there for?

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 05:47:09 -0000

Why does it feel so strange to step onto a stationary escalator? What do the brush type things on the side of escalators do? Why are escalator steps jagged with the brushlike shape at the top and bottom? Why do escalator handrails often run at slightly different speeds than the steps? Why does it feel so strange to step onto a stationary escalator?

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ELI5 Occam's Razor - please explain what it really means!

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0000

What is Occam’s Razor? Why is it so commonly misunderstood? Why do people talk about hooves and zebras when describing it? Who was Occam, and why is it his razor? What is Occam’s broom? What are other philosophical razors that we should know about?

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ELI5 Bear Markets - where it gets its name?

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Why is it called a bear market? How did it become used to describe financial markets? What does it have to do with bear skins? What does a stock market ‘dead cat bounce’ mean?

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ELI5 Nitrogen - if it’s 80% of our atmosphere, why don’t we talk about it much?

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0000

We talk so much about oxygen and carbon, but 80% of the atmosphere is nitrogen. How does it fit in? Why does it not get talked about? Why does 1% of the world’s energy go into speeding up the nitrogen cycle? Why do divers know a lot about nitrogen? Why is liquid nitrogen so useful?

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ELI5 Golf - why are white balls the standard?

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 06:19:45 -0000

How did white become the standard color for golf balls, when a more vibrant color would make it easier to see as it’s flying through the air? How do TV camera people follow golf balls so accurately? How is ‘par’ determined for a golf course? And of course, the classic golf question - why are there dimples on golf balls?

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ELI5 Milk and Eggs - why cows and chickens became the standards for milk and eggs?

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0000

Why did we settle on chicken eggs as our standard eggs? Why not quail eggs, duck eggs or even ostrich eggs? What in evolution made chickens so productive? How did cow’s milk win over goats milk or bison milk? What is the concept of the butter line and why does it matter?

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ELI5 Natural Gas - why doesn’t the flame from a gas stove ignite the supply line?

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0000

What’s the difference between natural gas, gasoline and crude oil? Why doesn’t the flame from a gas stove ignite the supply line? How is natural gas transported via pipeline if it’s a gas? Why do gas pipelines have bendy sections? How come we see clean air natural gas buses, but not really any natural gas cars?

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ELI5 Soda - why it tastes different out of a can vs a glass bottle?

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0000

Some people say Coca Cola tastes different from an alumninum can compared to when drinking out of a glass bottle? Why is the level of fizziness also different between aluminum, plastic and glass bottles? What is so hard to replicate about the original Coca Cola? How can soft drinks like Coca-Cola Zero have almost 0 calories in them?

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ELI5 Right and Left Hand Traffic - which is more popular?

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 05:22:05 -0000

Which is more popular, driving on the left side of the road or the right? How has this changed in the last 100 years? How did Sweden manage to make the switch from left hand traffic to right hand traffic in one day? What are the practical considerations? Is this the same for rail and boat transport?

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ELI5 Cotton - why cotton shirts feel stiffer when hung to dry?

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 05:37:45 -0000

Why are clothes that are hung to dry crunchy/stiffer than clothes dried in a dryer? How does spandex make cotton stretchy? What does it mean when they say cotton 50% and something else 50% like polyester or lycra? Please explain bed sheets and thread counts?

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ELI5 Smallpox - is it related to monkeypox?

Fri, 27 May 2022 04:50:41 -0000

How is monkeypox related to smallpox? Why was it possible to eradicate smallpox, when it’s been impossible to do for other diseases? Why do vaccines owe their name to smallpox? What is cowpox? How does chickenpox fit into all this?

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ELI5 Stable Coins - how do they work?

Fri, 20 May 2022 05:01:36 -0000

What are stable coins and why do we even need them? What’s the mechanism that makes them stable? What are the different types of stable coin? How did the algorithmic stable coin Terra work, and why did it unravel?

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Some extra resources:

https://medium.com/@lawrenceg/what-are-stablecoins-and-why-do-we-need-them-db83c85b86b

https://multicoin.capital/2018/01/17/an-overview-of-stablecoins/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stablecoin

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ELI5 Special Agents - what makes them special vs just ‘agents’?

Thu, 12 May 2022 05:32:29 -0000

What’s the difference between the police department and the sheriff’s department? What was the sting operation the FBI conducted on members of congress in the 1980s? Did we not have a foreign intelligence service before the CIA was created? What was the Secret Service’s original role?

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ELI5 Hostile Takeovers - explain Twitter's poison pill like I'm 5?

Fri, 06 May 2022 02:47:20 -0000

In business, what is a hostile takeover? How does it work? How can a board of directors prevent a hostile takeover? What is a poison pill? Can a board choose not to use a poison pill once it has been set up? What do Microsoft, Netflix and Papa Johns have in common?

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ELI5 Gaslighting - what exactly does it mean?

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 04:18:58 -0000

Where does the term come from? Why is the definition so hard to pin down? What happened in the 1940s film starring Ingrid Bergman? When did gaslighting re-enter popular culture in recent times? Why is the term often misused?

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ELI5 Nuclear Disasters - why Hiroshima isn’t a dead city like Chernobyl

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:00:37 -0000

Why is Hiroshima a vibrant city today, vs a dead city like Chernobyl which still has sa 30km exclusion zone? How do countries get rid of nuclear warheads when they no longer need them? How are nuclear weapons tests conducted underground without destroying everything around them? ELI5 what happened at Chernobyl?

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ELI5 Easter - why the bunny and chocolate eggs?

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 05:00:00 -0000

How is the date for Easter determined each year? Why do we have an Easter bunny and chocolate Easter eggs? Why did Christmas become a bigger holiday than Easter? What animal is often used instead of a bunny in Australia?

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ELI5 Legos - how do lego bricks not lose tension after years of repetitive play?

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 04:16:58 -0000

What is Lego’s company motto? What does the word Lego mean? How do lego bricks not lose tension after years of repetitive play? If Lego had a patent on their interlocking bricks, why are there so many copycat versions? How many lego pieces are in circulation? What’s the biggest lego set?

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ELI5 Basketball - why is there a backboard?

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 04:47:02 -0000

Why do they switch out the basketball net frequently in the NBA? What was Tim Duncan doing before he got into basketball? How and why did backboards become part of basketball? What’s behind the color convention of home and away jerseys? What is the most accurate free throw tecnique? Why is the Lithuanian team of 1992 called ‘the other dream’?

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ELI5 Hurricanes - why female names?

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 05:42:52 -0000

Why don’t hurricanes seem to hit the West Coast of the USA or Europe? What is the Coreolis effect and why does it determine which direction a hurricane spins? They say the water flushes down a toilet or down a drain in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres - fact or fiction? Why did hurricanes all have female names at one stage?

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ELI5 The Suit - how did it become universal as business attire for men?

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 05:46:48 -0000

How did business suit and tie become the standard men’s attire for business? How did it become a global fashion standard? Who was Beau Brummel? Why was he central to the story of the business suit? Practically, what is the slash pocket for? Why do some shirts have cufflinks?

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ELI5 Twins - why do identical twins have different fingerprints?

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 06:01:13 -0000

What is a half twin? If twins have identical DNA, how come their fingerprints are different? If identical twins have kids with another set of identical twins, are their offspring technically brothers or sisters? If two twin brothers are disputing to see who is the father of a child, can science determine which of the two is the real father? Why are there so many twins in hollywood? Does face scanning recognize twins as the same?

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ELI5 Interest Rates - why do interest rates exist in the first place?

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0000

How did civilizations originally justify charging interest on money? How does raising interest rates slow/lower inflation? Do banks lose money if they lend money at less than inflation? What does the term usury mean? Why is interest banned in Islamic finance? How come people don't borrow from low-interest rate countries like Japan and deposit it in high-interest rate countries like Argentina?

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ELI5 Doping - why isn’t caffeine on the banned list?

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 05:36:11 -0000

How long has doping been a problem? What does doping have to do with the word beserk? Who was the first person to get disqualified for doping and what did he take (the answer may surprise you)? Why is it so hard to detect? How did Lance Armstrong get away with it for so long? Why isn’t caffeine on the banned list?

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ELI5 Sanctions - how exactly do they help?

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 05:26:15 -0000

Why is the word sanction an autoantonym? What does imposing sanctions on another country actually do? How has Cuba been able to live with sanctions for so long? Why do we not have red pistachios in the US?

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ELI5 The Bladder - how long does liquid take to reach it?

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 06:45:30 -0000

How long does it take for water you drink to get to your bladder? If you drink more than your bladder can hold, what does your body do with the surplus liquid? How much liquid does the average bladder hold? If you need to pee, and you drink more water, why does the urge get stronger right away? What is shy bladder? What am I feeling in my bladder area when I go down a rollercoaster?

... we explain like I'm five

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: jarlewski, goingrougeatwork, rambo_2907, veliladon, dooverdixon, raven890, imerel, brucebrowde, eric_snowmane, haurian and tourm.

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ELI5 Honey - why it’s dangerous for toddlers, and how bees make it?

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 05:49:28 -0000

What does honey have in common with botox? How exactly do bees make honey? If ants love sugar and honey, why don’t we see bee hives constantly attacked by ants? What did native americans call bees when they first encountered them? How did bees help in a drug investigation in NYC?

... we explain like I'm five

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ELI5 Mental Health - what is anxiety disorder?

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 05:42:14 -0000

What is anxiety, and how does it become a disorder? What is happening physiologically when people describe getting an anxiety lump? How is anxiety different from depression? How is clinical depression diagnosed? Why do mental health symptoms seem more intrusive, disruptive and severe at night time? Why does exercise appear to help with mental health?

... we explain like I'm five

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ELI5 Money Laundering - what, why and how?

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 04:00:00 -0000

What is money laundering? Why can’t a criminal just spend good old fashioned cash? What are some of the ways used by criminals to launder money? Besides casinos, why are laundromats often mentioned? Why are countries like Panama and Cyprus ideal for laundering money?

... we explain like I'm five

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ELI5 Orange Juice - how is it economically viable?

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0000

It takes a dozen oranges to make a single glass of OJ, so how is it economically viable? Why does Tropicana taste different to Simply Orange if they are both 100% orange juice? Some people say orange juice is as unhealthy as soda - is this really true? Why does orange juice taste so horrible if you drink it right after brushing your teeth?

... we explain like I'm five

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: resurrected5yearold, notwutiwantd, pure_opinion, toommyschoolbruh, krescendi, illogictc, fatalbert491, some_toast_, lithium, peregrine4 and myinquisitivemind

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ELI5 Electric Sockets - why isn't there a global standard?

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 05:50:26 -0000

Why is there a difference in voltage between America and pretty much the rest of the world? Is there an advantage to one vs the other? How did we end up with so many different types of electrical sockets? What’s different about the ‘shavers only’ sockets you see in bathrooms?

... we explain like I'm five

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: instantpowdy, talksintext, irish_sausage, tomoldbury, cdb03b and zouden

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ELI5 Devices On Planes - do you really have to turn them off?

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 06:35:48 -0000

Is there a legitimate reason why we must power down all our electronic devices on planes? Has EMI ever caused an actual plane crash? What are some of the potential solutions? What is the new issue with 5G and planes?

... we explain like I'm five

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ELI5 Salt - how it became the chosen condiment globally?

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 06:41:29 -0000

How did salt become the chosen condiment all over the world? Why does it work as a preservative? Why is there so much salt in the ocean? Is sea salt really different to regular salt? Why does putting salt on a wound make it sting so much? Why are smelling salts used to wake up the unconscious? What happens when you drink sea water?

... we explain like I'm five

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: yellowslimjim, fox-mcleod, fendersocialclub, drjoefo, rorzay, chel_of_the_sea, quinelder, mmk1600, federa_assistant_85, alee_ir, puoaper, wyissofly and sablemint

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ELI5 Encryption - is your browsing activity visible to your ISP?

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 04:00:00 -0000

What can your Internet Service Provider see when you use an encrypted connection? How about when you don’t? What does RSA stand for? Why is prime factorization the mathematical basis for cryptography and encryption?

... we explain like I'm five

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Fri, 16 Jul 2021 05:17:19 -0000

Can memories be passed down to subsequent generations via genetics? What did a team at Emory University discover about genetic memory? What does it mean for medicine, in particular treatments for anxiety and phobia?

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Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: danasf, brave-welder, tdscanuck and nerdchieftain.

Paper referenced in episode:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3923835/

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ELI5 Cloud Seeding - can it solve drought issues?

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 04:02:47 -0000

Why can't we seed clouds to solve California's drought problem? How does seeding clouds even work? Which countries and states have used the technology? Who legally owns a cloud?

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ELI5 Pasta - did Marco Polo really 'invent' it?

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 06:35:19 -0000

Why does pasta foam when the lid is on the pot, but the bubbles quickly disappear if I lift the lid? If all pasta is made from the same ingredients, why do we have so many pasta shapes? Did Marco Polo introduce pasta to Europe or was it all a marketing tale?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: 77to90, sandor, sweetmercy, ipodpron, apoorva63, thegreatlakesarefake, ktlrj, walnutsnail, varialectio and pigeoncanfly

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ELI5 Chess - why is the queen the most powerful piece?

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 06:17:47 -0000

Is chess a sport? Why is it so popular? How did it become a global game? Why is the queen the most powerful piece on the board? When playing with a computer on low difficulty, how does it know how to play a not so great move? Do men and women play in separate tournaments?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Tunnels - how are underwater tunnels built?

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 05:10:05 -0000

How do they build underwater tunnels? How do tunnel boring machines know where they are going? What happens when they meet in the middle? Why do underground tunnels not flood when it rains - doesn't water flow to the middle and collect?

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Thank you to Carl for writing in with this week's question!

Also thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: ermoibliye, smodfan, 2CGMicro, chilli0102, garokev, netsecwarrior, salmon_pokebowl, wrsaunders, enrique37, bap710, kylehooks and hotfudgefries

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ELI5 Earwax - how does your ear canal cleans itself?

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 05:29:19 -0000

How does the ear canal and the eardrum keep itself clear of earwax? Why is only one third of your ear canal able to clear ear wax? What does your jaw have to do with ear wax removal? Did you know that people have one of two types of ear wax based on their genetics? Why have anthropologists done studies on ear wax?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: akadap, h2opolopunk, rthereanynamesleft, dkf295 and martinonfire.

This wikipedia article was also helpful in research for this episode:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwax

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ELI5 Cling Film - what makes it cling?

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 05:28:45 -0000

What makes cling film sticky? Why are there competing theories for how it clings? Why is the Saran Wrap product significantly less sticky today than it was before 2004? Why does wrapping a plastic bag around your credit card help it scan?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: 4emonas, jbloom43, genghiskhen, phage0070, meowi_purrr, thirteenera, chippolot, inanecathode, uglydodo, diamondcubeminer, thebladex666, concise_pirate and mattschmie

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ELI5 Hawk Eye in Sports - how does ball tracking work?

Fri, 28 May 2021 03:00:00 -0000

How does the technology work to determine if a tennis ball is in or out? How accurate is it? Why is it difficult to replace all sports officials with systems like hawk eye?

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Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: lo0rdAri, wanikuma, capnaspen, carlr818, keklenny06, woda8566 and th3_gruff

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Fri, 26 Mar 2021 04:57:24 -0000

Explain the "Tulip Mania" craze in the 1600s in Netherlands and why it was important? Why did people get into trouble with futures and options contracts? How much did a tulip cost at the height of the bubble (in multiples of a person's annual salary)?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: packersfan8512, diablevert13, ledradiofloyd, omegastar19 & blueskies12

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

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ELI5 Non Fungible Tokens - would you pay millions for digital art?

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 05:47:16 -0000

What is all the excitement about NFTs or Non Fungible Tokens? Why did someone pay nearly $70 million dollars for a piece of digital art? Why pay for something that you can simply copy and paste? Is something valuable if it is media that can be viewed all over the internet?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: portarossa, brilliantlylouise, basm4, slippery, k_davver & echelon_trigger

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ELI5 Royal Family - how does the British royal family make money?

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0000

How does the royal family make money? How much is the queen worth? Explain the Soverign Grant and Crown Estate. How much did Harry inherit? What exactly does the Royal family do?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: youtoo2, pjwils, loki-l, pillowzzz, mastrik, callumgg, jakeismyname505, pythonpoole, dougde & haikuginger

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ELI5 Inflation - why do we need it and why the gold standard was abandoned?

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 06:51:52 -0000

Why are too little inflation as well as too much inflation both bad? What is the gold standard? Why did almost all countries abandon it in the 20th century?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: yellowjacketcoder, bruceleefuckyeah, gradenko_2000, fencerman, silent-ambition1399, workingatbeingbetter & obamanibblesnomaam

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ELI5 Batteries - what causes lithium batteries to degrade?

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 06:17:58 -0000

Are there ways we can slow the degradation of our smartphone batteries? Why does it seem like a wireless house phone battery can last for many more years than a smartphone battery? Why do traditional cars lack any decent ability to warn the driver that the battery is low or about to die? Why does hitting a flashlight when the batteries are low keep it working for a short time?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: just_isaac, llevin5, steve204, crazy_eric, branden798, biff64gc, victorziblis, redol1963, logically_hindered, apatharas & sheppenwolf

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ELI5 Lightning - why does it zig zag and not go straight down?

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 06:55:20 -0000

Why does lightning travel in a zig-zag rather than a straight line?So why does it strike precise points such as the end of a pole? If the average lightning bolt contains up to 1 billion volts, how is it that humans can survive being struck? How many times does the Empire State Building get stuck by lightning every year?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: mjconns, lollersauce914, edwinshap, josephwb, lithium, revraven, piho36, cleanasuhwhistle1, gleddez, mg2r,

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ELI5 Colorblindness - can special glasses really fix it?

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 06:24:55 -0000

Why are men so much more likely to be colorblind? How do colourblind people know they’re colourblind? How are colourblind people able to recognize the colors when they put on those special glasses, when they have never seen those colors before? Do 3D glasses still work if you are colorblind?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: idk_what_a_name_is, mandydax, nathanwick, tiny_hay, mejasper, deustaurus, un0m, batmanssidepunch & imbadatreddit69

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ELI5 Soccer - why is it not as popular in the US as in other countries?

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Why is soccer not as popular in America, as compared to American Football? Where did the name soccer come from? Did you know that its official name is Association Football? How do soccer players bend a soccer ball?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: 1632,flysayah, zbignich, danplashkes, mullacc, cutth & southpawswede

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ELI5 Contrails - why do some airplanes leave streaks and others don't?

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 06:00:41 -0000

Does the visible streak an airplane leaves behind depend on the type of plane? Why do some airplanes leave streaks and others don't? What conditions make for good contrails? Why don't jet engines have a grill in front of them to stop birds etc getting sucked in? What are chemtrails?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: runiat, erratic_professional, koleslaw, concise_pirate, thekeffa, lnl_hutz, gnonthgol & zer0summoner

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ELI5 Air Fryers - just fancy convection ovens?

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 06:35:53 -0000

How does an air fryer work? Isn't it just a fancy convection oven? Is it really more healthy? What does the air fryer have in common with the instant pot?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: rritaintme, jaksblacks, whythecynic, muffinpuff, exnato, osgjps, greenstrong, kaki_kencing & xelopheris

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ELI5 Exercise Induced Nausea - why we feel like vomiting after intense exercise?

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 06:20:15 -0000

Why do we feel like throwing up after intense exercise? What is the significance of the Medulla Oblongata? Why are some people more prone to nausea? What are some practical tips for reducing exercise induced nausea?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: palcatraz, fogwound, pepeandmrduck, andzjan & askymojo

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ELI5 Grapefruit - why no mixing with medications?

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 05:53:24 -0000

What is it about grapefruit that makes it incompatible with so many prescription drugs? What is CYP3A4? What about other similar fruits? Why the name grapefruit if there's no relation to grapes?

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ELI5 Calories - why raising heart rate with exercise is good but bad through stress, caffeine etc?

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 07:14:19 -0000

Why does cooked food sometimes offer more calories than its raw counterpart? If you eat a 2000 calorie meal, why can you still feel hungry after a few hours? Why is restaurant food vastly more calorie dense than preparing food at home? Why is it good to burn calories by raising your heart rate through aerobic exercise, but not through caffeine, stress, anxiety, etc?

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Study referenced on Association of Physical Activity Intensity With Mortality:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2772939

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ELI5 Blood - how does circulation work after an amputation?

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 07:56:28 -0000

Why does blood not stick to human skin like a permanent marker, yet stains things like clothes really badly? How does circulation work after an amputation? How many blood types are there? What does A B & O mean? If blood in your veins looks blue, why do we never see blue blood when we get a cut?

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ELI5 Earthquakes - how do they design buildings to withstand them?

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 06:29:18 -0000

If an earthquake is the moving of a giant plate, why is the epicenter a single point and not the entire fault line? How do they make buildings earthquake proof? When did an earthquake shift an entire island?

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Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: tridax00, pychomp, abtino11, raidere, tattedspyder, moodoperator, mesaisthesenate, uyscutipuffjr, mintaka3579 & spcialkfpc

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Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:41 -0000

What is so special about the blue variety of LED? Why do LEDs still get so hot if they are supposed to be energy efficient? If LEDs were invented in the 1960s, why have they only become popular in the last decade or two? Why did the blue LED warrant a Nobel Prize in Physics?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: laser_lens_4, spud4, jtw24, brierrat, loderman, audigex, chickencereal, agouti & emblem619

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ELI5 Snow - what makes the perfect snowflake?

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:56:05 -0000

Why does the world seem so quiet when it’s snowing outside? How is a snowflake formed? What atmospheric conditions make for a perfect snowflake? What makes perfect ski snow?

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ELI5 Asteroids - why NASA wants to catch an asteroid?

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 06:46:42 -0000

Explain asteroids vs comets vs meteoroids? An asteroid sample from the asteroid Bennu is now on its way back to earth (due in 2023) - why does NASA want to catch an asteroid and send samples back to earth? Did a meteorite kill the dinosaurs?

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ELI5 Pluto - is it a planet or not?

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 05:12:26 -0000

Why did Pluto suddenly became a dwarf planet? Why did they change it in 2006, and who defined what makes a planet and what doesn't? Why did we get so excited about new photos of Pluto a few years ago?

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ELI5 Asbestos - how does it cause cancer?

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 06:03:12 -0000

Why is a town in Canada called Asbestos? If cancer is a bad mutation of a cell, how does a fiber like asbestos cause it? What made asbestos so popular in the first place? If asbestos causes cancer, why isn't fiberglass as deadly?

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ELI5 MSG - how does it make food tasty?

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 05:36:24 -0000

Why does MSG have a bad reputation? What is Monosodium Glutamate? How does it make everything taste delicious? What is umami taste? Is MSG really unhealthy for you, or is that a myth?

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ELI5 Fast Planes - why so little progress in recent decades?

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 06:15:25 -0000

Why haven’t there been more ridiculously fast planes built, like the SR-71 over the last few decades? What was the real reason that the Concorde stopped flying? Did Richard Branson nearly buy it? What about fast planes in the future?

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ELI5 Shampoo - all colors of shampoo foam white, why?

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 06:16:33 -0000

Why do adult shampoos sting your eyes while kid shampoos are eye friendly? What is the difference between shampoo, soap and shower gel? Why is it that no matter the color of the shampoo, the foam is always the same - white? If shampoo strips away oil and conditioner adds oil, how are 2 in 1 shampoo + conditioner products possible?

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ELI5 Vitamin D - what do you mean it's not a vitamin?

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 05:59:35 -0000

How does the body get vitamin D from the sun? Why is vitamin D not actually a vitamin? Why do we need it? What foods are high in vitamin D? What happens if we get too much? Why are there so many types of vitamin B (e.g. B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, etc), but only one type of some other vitamins (such as C and D)?

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ELI5 Dreams - why running is so hard in dreams?

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 05:11:47 -0000

Why do we forget our dreams in the mornings? Why is it so hard to run in our dreams? Why is it explained by proprioceptive feedback? How come kids can't control peeing in their sleep the way adults can? Does putting someone's hand in a warm bowl of water really make them wet the bed?

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Sponsored by Goodnight Stories by Rebel Girls - check out Laurene Powell Jobs narrating the first episode from Season 4!

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ELI5 French Fries - really they weren't invented in France?

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 06:38:49 -0000

Why are they called chips in England and fries in the US? If they weren't invented in France, where did they come from? What is it about french fries in particular that make them nearly impossible to taste good once reheated in the microwave, unlike a pizza? Is it true that Thomas Jefferson brought French Fries to the United States?

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ELI5 Microwaves - the full truth behind why no metal?

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 05:19:45 -0000

Why does microwaving a mug of water alongside a frozen bread roll, keeps the bread from getting soggy? Why can't we put metal objects in the microwave? Especially since the inside is made of metal, including the metal mesh on the inside of the door! How does a meal that takes 30 minutes to cook in an oven cook in 4 in a microwave? There are so many questions about microwaves!

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Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: florinator, wbeaty, high_onthemountain, metricprime, yeahsurethingbud, thewyzzerd, chairmanzuck, soulwager & celtickdk.

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ELI5 Eagle Eye - do they have zoomed in vision?

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 04:38:12 -0000

When scientists say an eagle can see a rabbit in a field from a mile away, what do eagles actually see. Is their vision automatically more zoomed in? Do they have better than 20/20 vision? Why is 20/20 vision not perfect eye sight? Could I buy glasses that improve my vision beyond 20/20?

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ELI5 Calendars - how the world agrees on the day & date?

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 05:02:34 -0000

Why did the Russian team arrive at the 1908 olympics 12 days late? How does the whole world agree on what day and date it is? Why did the Pope step in to replace the Julian calendar? Why is 2000 a leap year but 2100 isn't? What was the most recent country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.

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ELI5 Nursery Rhymes - why so morbid?

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 04:07:16 -0000

Why are nursery rhymes so morbid? Is Ring Around the Rosie really based on the bubonic plague? Why were they used as anti-authority memes? Where does the term Mother Goose rhymes come from?

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ELI5 Hair - pluck out a hair, then rub the pain away, why does this work?

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 05:50:52 -0000

When I pluck a hair out of my forehead, the area hurts a lot, but I can reduce the pain to nearly zero simply by briefly rubbing the area. Why is this? What is the gate control theory? Why do some hairs grow only grow to a certain length (like our eyebrows), while others grow forever?

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Fri, 10 Jul 2020 05:35:10 -0000

Why did the De Havilland Comet aircraft lead to a critical design decision? Why do planes and ships have circular windows instead of square ones? Why do airplanes have more windows than seat rows?

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Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: lilmamameows, deep_sea2, crazykentucky, majasshole, peach-fuzz1, hiteshhedwig, concise_pirate & mjmurcott

Wikipedia reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet

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ELI5 Mosquitos - why some people get bitten more than others?

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 05:08:50 -0000

Do women get more mosquito bites than men? Does your blood type mean you get bitten more? Why are mosquitos unable to spread HIV and AIDS? Why is it only female mosquitos that bite?

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ELI5 Deja Vu - ever remember you forgot something but can't remember what?

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 04:43:19 -0000

What is deja vu? Why does it occur? Explain the weird sensation when you remember that you forgot something, but can't remember what it is that you forgot? What is presque vu? How about jamais vu - often described as the opposite of deja vu?

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ELI5 Surnames - why Green, Brown and Black are popular surnames but Blue, Orange and Red are not?

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 04:54:52 -0000

Why do some colors make for popular surnames (like Green, Brown, Black), but others don't (like Blue, Orange, Red)? Why are there so few Korean surnames? What is the queen's last name?

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ELI5 Antibodies - can you get Covid-19 antibodies from a blood transfusion?

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 05:57:17 -0000

What exactly are antibodies? Why are they talking Can you get protection from a disease through a blood transfusion from someone who has survived that same disease? What's the difference between the innate immune system and adaptive immune system? If babies get antibodies from their mother's milk, why then do they get afflicted with diseases the mother has gone through like chicken pox?

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ELI5 Vaccines - why is a Covid-19 vaccine is taking so long to make?

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 05:26:54 -0000

Why do some vaccines last longer than others i.e. some last for 10 years others only 1 year? What is the difference between an RNA vaccine and a conventional vaccine? Why does the process for making a vaccine take so long?

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ELI5 Chocolate - milk, dark & white, what's the difference?

Fri, 29 May 2020 04:30:40 -0000

Why do Oreos get soggy in regular milk but not in chocolate milk? What is the difference between dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate? What is the % number I see on chocolate packaging and labels?

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ELI5 Yawning - why is hearing reduced when you yawn?

Fri, 22 May 2020 04:51:07 -0000

It's a myth that we yawn to intake more oxygen - so why do we yawn? Why is hearing reduced when you yawn? Why does yawning pop your ears on a plane? Why are yawns contagious?

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ELI5 Blood Oxygen - why are pulse oximeters suddenly so popular?

Fri, 15 May 2020 04:56:18 -0000

How do pulse oximeters work? Why have they become popular recently? Can they be used to detect Covid-19?

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ELI5 Birthmarks - what causes our skin to have them?

Fri, 08 May 2020 05:06:49 -0000

Why do we get birthmarks? How about Moles? What type of birthmark did Mikhail Gorbachev have? What were some superstitions around birthmarks from the past?

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ELI5 Left & Right Wings in Politics - why the Elephant and Donkey as mascots?

Fri, 01 May 2020 05:42:19 -0000

Why do we call it Left and Right in politics? Where did the Left and Right wings originate from? Is it true that young people are generally more Left leaning? Where did the mascots of the Republican Elephant and Democratic Donkey come from?

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ELI5 Rainbows - how are rainbows formed, and why is the color brown missing?

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 22:34:20 -0000

How are rainbows formed? How about double rainbows? Are rainbows really circles? Why isn't brown on the rainbow?

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ELI5 Virus vs Bacteria - why getting sick from viruses is different to bacterial diseases

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 05:00:04 -0000

What’s the difference between getting sick from a bacteria vs a virus? What are RNA viruses, and why are they different from DNA viruses? Why do RNA based viruses mutate faster than DNA based virus?

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ELI5 Wi-Fi - how does wifi hacking work?

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 05:25:58 -0000

Wifi explained. How does wifi hacking actually work? Can a hacker reconstruct one's screen? When the Wifi is sluggish, why does restarting router magically fix it?

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ELI5 Spanish Flu - as a global pandemic, why was it nicknamed Spanish Flu?

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 04:32:54 -0000

Why was the Spanish Flu of 1918 called the Spanish Flu when it was a global pandemic? Why was the 2nd wave more deadly than the first? How many people were affected? Where did it originate?

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Article referenced:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journal-plague-year-180965222/

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ELI5 Everest - how did they measure it (and other mountains) originally?

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:14:15 -0000

How did people measure the height of mountains in the past? Why are K2 and Annapurna considered more difficult to climb than Everest? Why is there debate about who was the first person to summit it? Who was the first woman to climb Everest?

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https://www.rebelgirls.com

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Great Trigonometrical Survey Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Trigonometrical_Survey

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ELI5 Gray Hair - why does stress cause grey hair?

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 05:21:39 -0000

Why do people talk about graying hair as Marie Antoinette syndrome? Researchers finally think they know why stress turns your hair gray - we attempt to explain like I'm five.

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Harvard study published in Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-1935-3

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ELI5 Sneezing - why our eyes water when a sneeze gets 'stuck'

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 04:30:00 -0000

Whats happening when a sneeze ‘gets stuck’? And then just burns your nose and makes your eyes water. Why do we get this odd "spacey" feeling just before we are about to sneeze?

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Fri, 03 Jan 2020 07:21:11 -0000

How do password managers work? Should we all be using one? Our cohost Kevin got hacked recently, so this episode is a personal one! Find out what happened.

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ELI5 Zero - why its discovery by ancient civilizations was so ground breaking for mathematics

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 05:43:52 -0000

What is zero's connection to algebra, Fibonacci and modern mathematics? What is the significance of it being both number and digit? Why was it so ground breaking when ancient civilizations discovered and started using the number 0? Finally... is infinity a number?

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ELI5 Dopamine - is it a feel good drug? (hint, it's not)

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 05:25:56 -0000

Can we just manufacture a pill for it? Why does it have feel good properties? What’s the difference between Dopamine and Serotonin? What happens when you don't have enough of it?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Noise Canceling - why are noise cancelling headphones more effective with low pitch sounds but not with high pitched frequencies?

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 07:46:35 -0000

What is the difference between noise canceling and noise isolating headphones? Why aren't noise cancelling headphones as effective in cancelling high pitch sounds as they are in cancelling low pitch sounds? Can noise canceling headphones be harmful to your hearing?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Xmas - Special Guest Episode with Christmas Past host Brian Earl

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Is it true that Coca-Cola popularized the modern look of Santa Claus? Why do most of our "traditional" Christmas songs, images and TV/movies come from the 1940s to the 1960s? Why are red and green commonly associated with Christmas? Brian Earl from the Christmas Past podcast joins us for a range of Xmas questions.

... and we explain like i'm five!

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Thank you to Brian Earl from the Christmas Past podcast. If you'd like to hear more excellent xmas episodes, check out Brian's podcast here:

https://christmaspast.media/

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ELI5 Photography - ISO, shutter speed, aperture explained

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 06:35:28 -0000

Why don't some museums or fancy churches allow flash photography? Plus all the photography terms like ISO, shutter speed, aperture explained like I'm five. Why does it feels like people never smiled in old photos? How did they invent color photography?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Standing Still - why is the world record for time walking longer than time standing?

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 05:27:31 -0000

Why is the world record for time walking longer than time standing? People can walk many miles without discomfort, but when we stand for more than a few minutes or so, we get uncomfortable? What is Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Left Handed - why aren't 50% of people lefties?

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 01:40:26 -0000

Why aren't 50% of people lefties? Why are right handed scissors not usable by left handed folks? Why isn't everybody ambidextrous? Why are a disproportionate number of US presidents left handed?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Recycling - wrong thing in the recycle bin, what happens next?

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 21:00:00 -0000

What happens when you put the wrong thing in the recycle bin? Why are some plastics recyclable and others not? How does aluminum get separated using magnets if it's not a ferrous metal?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Truffles - What makes them special and so expensive?

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 02:08:32 -0000

Why are truffles such a big deal? If truffles are so rare why don't we just farm them? Did you know that truffles used to be common and much less expensive in the early 1900s?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Marathons - What happens to the body over 26.2 miles?

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 22:58:35 -0000

Does a marathoner really get an inch shorter during the course of a marathon race? What else happens to the body when you run 26.2 miles? Why is the marathon distance even 26.2 miles in the first place?

... We explain like i'm five!

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BBC News articles referenced:

What happens to a runner's body? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4259766.stm

The body's marathon effort http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4326947.stm

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ELI5 Tea - Why you should never put a tea bag in the microwave!

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 04:24:46 -0000

What is the difference between western and asian tea etiquette? Why do the Chinese and Japanese not put sugar and milk in their tea? What are the health benefits of tea?... and why you should never put a tea bag in the microwave!

... We explain like i'm five!

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Wikipedia Health Effects of Tea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tea

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ELI5 Scars - How does the body repair a wound?

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 04:03:24 -0000

How does the body repair a wound? Do scars always grow back the same as they were before? Do fingerprints grow back exactly as the original? Why do scars not tan the same as normal skin?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Bicycles - Why are women's bike frames different to men's?

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 21:00:00 -0000

Why do typical female bike frames have a dip in the frame, while men's have a horizontal beam? Why is the geometry of a racing bike slightly different from that of a typical bike? How about mountain bikes vs road bikes? What is gravel biking?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Air Conditioning - How does it work?

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 00:55:52 -0000

How does AC and refrigeration in general work? Why is Freon gas used? Why do some people say that air conditioning is a cause of Legionnaires' disease?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Weddings - Where do wedding traditions (eg not seeing the bride in her dress) come from?

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 20:52:25 -0000

Why is there the tradition of not seeing the bride in the wedding dress beforehand? Where did something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue come from? Why is there a tradition of smashing a glass at the end of Jewish weddings? What happens if someone 'objects' during the ceremony?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Morning People - What makes someone a morning person?

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 23:03:04 -0000

What makes someone a morning person? How do you explain the Circadian clock? If I'm not one, is it possible to become a morning person?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Sore Muscles - Why the delay in soreness after a workout?

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 00:09:27 -0000

Why does it take 24 hours for muscles to start hurting after a workout? Why not straight away? We explain delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) like I'm 5. And while we're at it, what are muscle knots? How do I get them and get rid of them?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community, and specifically the following reddit users whose questions and responses formed the basis of this conversation: 400stars, peaceoutscout, crispturtle & chaveza94

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ELI5 Flight Delays - how do airports manage major disruptions such as weather cancellations?

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 04:50:00 -0000

When flights get cancelled because of heavy winds, why is it only a proportion of flights and not 100% that stop? Isn’t it a binary decision of: 'safe' or 'too dangerous'? After weather cancels thousands of flights and lots of people are displaced, how to they all get back on schedule when presumably flights for the next few days are already booked up?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Jeans - Do you have to wash your Levi's?

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 18:08:57 -0000

Did you know that the word Jeans comes from Genoa Italy? Where does the word Denim come from? Is true what that you don't have to wash jeans, just put them in the freezer? Did the CEO of Levi's really say that?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 White Noise - Plus brown noise, pink noise & other colored noises explained

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 01:40:56 -0000

What is white noise? What about the other colored noises? What do these noises do the brain? Why do some people use brown noise as a way to focus?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Drones - Why don't we see helicopter sized quadcopters?

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 02:25:41 -0000

Why have remote controlled drones or RC quadcopters become so popular in recent years? If they are a superior design to regular helicopters, why aren't we starting to see full scale quadcopters being built?

... We explain like i'm five!

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ELI5 Bitcoin - Explain crypto currency like I'm five!

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 05:33:47 -0000

How does Bitcoin it work? How do I get it? What is the blockchain? What is mining? Why are ASIC and GPU or video cards used instead of a more general purpose CPU?

... We explain like i'm five!

This episode mentions a shout out to the Unchained Podcast which you can find here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unchained-your-no-hype-resource-for-all-things-crypto/id1123922160

Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community, and specifically the following reddit users whose questions and responses formed the basis of this conversation: concise_pirate, mmessina978, stefanutzu212 & eskelsar

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Mon, 11 Feb 2019 18:31:41 -0000

Caffeine has almost no calories, but seems to give us a burst of energy on its own. Where does the body get this energy from?

... We explain like i'm five!

Thank you to the following reddit users whose questions and responses formed the basis of this mini-podcast: hellblazer153, seattlebattles, zombiealpacalips, jinreeko, badresults, heman8400

If you are a r/explainlikeimfive contributor and would like to appear as a guest on future episodes of the podcast, please e-mail us at ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

ELI5 Trailer - welcome to explain like I'm five

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:00:00 -0000

A mini podcast where Tim & Kevin answer questions like: why it's so hard to run in your dreams, why no metal in microwaves, who do countries owe when they're in debt or who invented French fries if it wasn't the French!

Episodes are short and sweet (typically less than 8 minutes). Thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the show!