Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
ELI5 - Why do Israelis and Palestinians hate each other so much?
Ignoring the overgeneralization, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has its roots in a series of political movements and wars. The Jewish people have historical ties to the area dating back almost 3,000 years. They were, however, expelled by the Romans in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, after which the Romans referred to it as Syria-Palestina. By the 7th century, the area became predominantly Muslim. Post-WWI, following the Ottoman Empire's fall, the British assumed control. Zionism's rise, especially after the atrocities of the Holocaust, led to Israel's independence and the first Arab-Israeli war. Israel's victory then and in subsequent wars displaced many Arabic-speakers and resulted in disputed territory in Gaza and the West Bank. This ongoing conflict over Israel's existence, grievances of the displaced, conditions of living, and more, fuel distrust, animosity, and have led to numerous terrorist attacks.
By drollparadox7655 10 months ago
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
ELI5 - Why do Israelis and Palestinians hate each other so much?
In 1947, following WWII and years of Zionist sentiment, the UN proposed splitting British Palestine—a historically and religiously important territory—into Jewish and Arab states. The Arab contingency rejected, causing war and the Nakba. Later conflicts resulted in Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Two Palestinian Intifadas occurred in 1987-1993 and 2000-2005. Central issues include Israeli settlements, Jerusalem, Palestinian rights, refugees' right of return, and terrorism.
By Alex 11 months ago
MRI (Cost)
ELI5 - If the operational cost of an MRI scan is $50-75, why does it cost up to $3500 to a patient?
While the procedure itself may not be that expensive, owning and operating such an extremely high-tech machine comes with massive overhead. To begin with, an MRI machine can cost several million dollars. Parts, which often break, can be extraordinarily expensive—the imaging coils, for example, can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. MRI contrast agent (the magnetic fluid patients must take before an MRI) can cost up to 40/mL. The techs and doctors who operate the machines and interpret the results also have to be paid. And ultimately, there is a markup because the healthcare companies that can afford these machines have a monopoly on them and will charge what they can.
By Alex 11 months ago
The Beatles (Popularity)
ELI5 - Why are the Beatles so popular?
The Beatles are still admired because they were pioneers. They were among the first pop bands to write their own music, which quickly grew in complexity. In a short time, they evolved from simple tunes to complex pieces like "A Day In The Life." They experimented with new studio techniques, like using guitar feedback, reversing tracks, and mixing different music styles. This innovation influenced how rock bands were perceived, paving the way for others like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, and they're respected not just for these breakthroughs but also for their memorable songs.
By Alex 1 year ago
ELI5Base
ELI5 - What is this silly website called "ELI5Base" and why is it necessary?
Eli5Base is kind of like a cheap ripoff of Urban Dictionary, except instead giving definitions for the coolest hip young lingo, you can find "easy-to-understand" explanations and analogies for "things" that "intelligent" people pretend to "understand."
By Alex 1 year ago
Dinosaurs (Intelligence)
ELI5 - Dinosaurs were around for millions of years. Why didn't they become more intelligent?
Smarter doesn't always mean better. It often takes more energy to run a bigger brain. If your current level of smarts works well for your life, having a bigger brain could actually be a problem. Evolution doesn't aim for intelligence as its main goal; there are different ways to survive and reproduce without needing to be super smart.
That said, we know some dinosaurs like parrots and corvids are pretty clever. But does this mean all non-bird dinosaurs were not very smart?
By Alex 1 year ago
ELI5Base
ELI5 - Why would anyone use ELI5Base? Isn't it just a cheap ripoff of Reddit's /r/explainlikeimfive?
Yes, yes it is. But Reddit doesn't earn ELI5Base's owner any money started being cruel to their API users, so the developer of ELI5Base came up with this idea instead.
By Alex 1 year ago
Hamas
ELI5 - What exactly is Hamas, how did it form, and if it's a terrorist group, why does it have so much support in Gaza?
Hamas, founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza during the first intifada, is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, with roots in the Muslim Brotherhood. It aims to fight Israel's occupation and has called for its annihilation, conducting numerous suicide bombings and terrorist attacks. Designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997, the European Union, and others, Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 after winning elections and ousting the Palestinian Authority. This led to an Israeli blockade, severely impacting Gaza's economy. Hamas has received support from countries like Qatar, Turkey, and more recently aligned with Iran. Its leaders, including Yehia Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, have focused on a violent struggle against Israel, using rockets and tunnels for attacks and smuggling. The 2023 attack inside Israel, which involved hundreds of Hamas terrorists, resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 innocent Israeli citizens.
By Alex 10 months ago
Iambic Pentameter
ELI5 - What is Iambic Pentameter and what makes it special?
An iamb is the term for an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (such as "a-BOVE"). Iambic pentameter is a group of five ("penta-") iambs, or "iambic feet" as they are known, per line, sort of like:
ba DUH ba DUH ba DUH ba DUH ba DUH
This rhythm, or meter, is traditional in English poetry. For example, Shakespeare is well known to have used iambic pentameter is his plays and sonnets:
shall I comPARE thee TO a SUmmer's DAY
By Alex 4 months ago
Satoshi Nakomoto
ELI5 - Who is Satoshi Nakomoto?
Satoshi Nakomoto is the pseudonym for the creator of Bitcoin. Several theories for Nakomoto's true identity have been floated, but none has ever been confirmed. Several predominant developers and cryptocurrency experts have been suggested, as well as groups of people. Nakomoto created Bitcoin and its core technology, Blockchain, on 3 January 2009 with the publication of the Bitcoin Whitepaper.
By Alex 8 months ago
Cryptocurrency
ELI5 - What is cryptocurrency? Is it the same as Bitcoin?
Cryptocurrency (often referred to simply as "crypto") is a broad term that encompasses all the different digital currencies created that operate based on some form of cryptography or encryption. While there were several digital currencies predating it, Bitcoin became the first useful cryptocurrency in 2009 after its inventor, the mysterious Satoshi Nakomoto, created Blockchain, a new technology designed to eliminate the double-spending problem. Other popular cryptocurrencies include Ethereum, Litecoin, and USD coin.
By Alex 8 months ago
Aurora
ELI5 - What are the Northern Lights and what causes them?
The Sun, a colossal nuclear furnace, constantly ejects charged particles into space. These particles, carried by solar winds, traverse the vast expanse before encountering Earth's magnetic field.
This magnetic field acts as a protective barrier, deflecting most of the solar particles. However, at the Earth's poles, the magnetic field weakens, allowing some particles to penetrate the upper atmosphere.
Here, these charged particles collide with atmospheric gases, primarily oxygen and nitrogen. The energy from these collisions excites the gas molecules, causing them to release photons of light. This luminous phenomenon is what we observe as the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. The colors, from green to red, are determined by the gases involved and the altitude of the interaction.
By Alex 7 months ago
Keith Gill
ELI5 - How did Keith Gill (AKA RoaringKitty, AKA DeepFuckingValue) turn 50k into over 200M? What's the deal with GME?
Known online as Roaring Kitty and DeepFuckingValue, Gill turned $50k into over $200M by investing in GameStop (GME) using leveraged and risky options. He believed GME was undervalued and heavily shorted by hedge funds. Gill bought call options—contracts allowing him to buy shares at a set price in the future—leveraging his investment to amplify potential gains.
He shared his analysis online, igniting a surge of retail investors who bought GME shares, leading to a short squeeze. This forced short-sellers to buy shares to cover their positions, causing the stock price to skyrocket and multiplying the value of Gill’s options. The event grew into a broader movement against Wall Street, where individual investors challenged institutional short-sellers, exposing vulnerabilities in traditional financial systems.
By Alex 6 months ago
Short Squeeze
ELI5 - What is a short squeeze and how does it work?
A short squeeze occurs when the price of a heavily shorted stock suddenly rises sharply. Short sellers, who have borrowed shares to sell them in hopes of buying them back in the future at a lower price, find themselves facing potentially infinite losses as the stock’s price climbs. To limit these losses, short sellers scramble to buy back shares to return to lenders, which further increases the stock’s demand and therefore its price.
By Alex 6 months ago
Quantum Computing
ELI5 - How does a quantum computer work and why are they superior to our current computers?
Quantum computers use qubits, which, unlike classical bits (only 0 or 1), can exist in superpositions of 0 and 1, allowing them to process multiple possibilities simultaneously. For example, three qubits can represent all eight possible combinations of three bits at once, vastly increasing computational power for certain tasks. This capability enables quantum computers to solve problems like factoring large numbers (Shor's algorithm) or searching databases (Grover's algorithm) much more efficiently than classical computers. However, their superiority is limited to specific problem types, not universal tasks. Building quantum computers is challenging due to issues like qubit decoherence and the difficulty of performing calculations without collapsing the quantum state, and as a result, practical applications of quantum computing are still in development.
By Alex 4 months ago
Quantum Computing
ELI5 - How does a quantum computer work and why are they superior to our current computers?
Conventional computers operate using binary switches that are either on or off, forming the basis for logic gates like AND, OR, and XOR, which are combined to perform various tasks. In contrast, quantum computers use qubits, which act like adjustable switches that can be in a state of 0%, 100%, or anywhere in between, allowing for a range of possibilities simultaneously. Quantum logic gates are complex, but they exploit the principles of quantum mechanics to narrow down solutions to specific problems more efficiently. This ability allows quantum computers to excel at tasks like database searches and particle simulations, completing them much faster than conventional computers.
By drollparadox7655 4 months ago
Nitrogen
ELI5 - What is Nitrogen?
Nitrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 7 and symbol N. At moderate temperatures and pressures, nitrogen exists as a colorless, odorless gas. The atmosphere contains more than 78% nitrogen by mass, which is more than three times its amount of oxygen. Atoms of nitrogen have 5 valence electrons and typically 7 neutrons.
By Alex 4 months ago
Filibuster
ELI5 - What is the point of a filibuster? Even if the vote is delayed, it will still be passed/rejected eventually...
A filibuster is a Senate tactic that allows a minority to extend debate and block a vote, often used strategically as the session nears its end, when delaying a vote long enough can prevent it from being addressed. Unique to the Senate due to its rules permitting unlimited debate, filibusters let minorities exert influence and force compromises when they lack the numbers to defeat a bill outright. They're especially effective when not all senators are present, as prolonging debate can buy time to gather a majority or sway opponents through negotiations. Opponents who don't feel strongly about a bill may concede to free up time for more pressing issues. Wasting time is a powerful tool as the session's end approaches, making every minute crucial and pressuring opponents to compromise rather than risk losing their entire legislative agenda. This makes the filibuster a controversial yet potent method, enabling a small group to block or alter legislation that might otherwise pass easily.
By Alex 4 months ago
Race
ELI5 - Can someone explain how race is a social construct, and not genetic?
Race is a social construct without genetic basis; no genetic marker is unique to any racial group like "white" or "black." The greatest human genetic variation exists in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet its diverse populations are broadly categorized as "black." While genes influence traits like skin color and hair texture, these do not align with racial categories, which were visually based constructs from the 17th century, predating genetics. Social and political forces, like the U.S.'s "one drop rule," have shaped these categories, which have evolved over time, further proving that race is a fluid, historically contingent social construct, not a biological reality.
By Alex 4 months ago
Race
ELI5 - Can someone explain how race is a social construct, and not genetic?
Race classifies people based on visible traits like skin color, which don’t align with underlying genetic variation. For example, genetic studies have shown that 85-90% of human genetic variation exists within any given population, not between different populations labeled as different "races." Populations in neighboring regions blend gradually, with no sharp genetic boundaries, making racial divisions arbitrary. The Human Genome Project found no gene or set of genes unique to any racial group, disproving the idea of genetically distinct races. Historical definitions of race have changed drastically, such as how Irish and Italians were once considered separate "races" in the U.S., reflecting social, not biological, distinctions.
By drollparadox7655 4 months ago
Military Commission
ELI5 - What is a "commission"? As in "Non-Commissioned Officer"? And what happens when an NCO receives this commission?
An officer's commission is a formal document issued by a nation's head of state, granting legal authority to an individual to serve as a commissioned officer in the military. Commissioned Officers (COs) hold command authority directly from this commission, making strategic decisions and bearing ultimate legal responsibility for their units. Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) are enlisted personnel who assume leadership roles, executing orders and leading small units under the delegated authority of commissioned officers, but without the command authority of a CO. Warrant Officers (WOs) are specialized experts in their fields, positioned between NCOs and COs, with both technical proficiency and limited command responsibilities, often focused on specific technical or tactical areas. The key difference lies in the source and extent of their authority: COs derive theirs directly from the state, NCOs through delegation, and WOs through their expertise and technical roles.
By Alex 4 months ago
Military Commission
ELI5 - What is a "commission"? As in "Non-Commissioned Officer"? And what happens when an NCO receives this commission?
In the military, you can join as enlisted or commissioned. Enlisted soldiers start without formal education and can rise to become Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), who lead troops and ensure orders are executed. Commissioned officers, like the young lieutenant in war movies, start with education and command roles but rely on the seasoned wisdom of NCOs, like Sarge or Chief. Ideally, a leader would have both deep education and extensive experience, but that's impractical, so the military pairs educated officers with experienced NCOs to create an effective leadership team. Historically, classism influenced this divide, but now it's about combining strategic knowledge with practical expertise.
By drollparadox7655 4 months ago
Planck Length
ELI5 - How is Planck length the shortest distance possible? Couldn’t you just split that length in half and have 1/2 Planck length?
The Planck length isn't the shortest distance possible, but rather represents the limit our current understanding of physics breaks down, being the scale at which the theories of both quantum mechanics and general relativity are simultaneously necessary, yet cannot be applied together without inconsistency. General relativity does not account for quantum effects, and quantum mechanics in its current capacity, does not provide an explanation for the effects of gravity.
In order to measure progressively smaller distances, photons with shorter wavelengths, and thus higher frequency/energy, are required. Quantum mechanics would suggest you could keep increasing a photon's energy to measure smaller and smaller scales, but general relativity predicts, due to mass-energy equivalence, as the photon's energy increases, so would gravitational effect until, eventually, a black hole forms.
This clash between QM and GR at the Planck length highlights the need for a unified theory of quantum gravity that can describe how gravity works at these tiny scales.
By Alex 4 months ago
Bitcoin Halving
ELI5 - What is the Bitcoin halving and why does it impact the price of Bitcoin?
The Bitcoin halving, a design implemented by its creator Satoshi Nakamoto, controls the influx of new Bitcoin by halving the block reward every 4 years or 250,000 blocks on the Blockchain. This method aims to cap Bitcoin's total supply at 21 million, mirroring gold's scarcity to avoid inflation and motivate miners to maintain network security via transaction fees rather than just block rewards. Here's how it works: Miners solve a complex puzzle to add a block to the Blockchain, earning Bitcoin as a reward. Initially set at 50 Bitcoins per block, this reward halves every 210,000 blocks. Starting in 2012, it reduced to 25, in 2016 to 12.5, and in 2020 to 6.25 Bitcoins. This halving continues until all 21 million Bitcoins are mined, a process autonomously governed by Bitcoin's source code without external interference.
By Alex 8 months ago
Adobe Flash
ELI5 - What exactly was Adobe Flash and why was it disabled?
Adobe Flash, introduced in 1996, enabled video playback, interactive website components, and animations. It spurred a digital renaissance, popularizing flash-based games and cartoons, such as those on Newgrounds.com and Homestar Runner, during the internet's early years. However, Flash has become obsolete, plagued by security vulnerabilities. Despite Adobe's efforts to patch these issues, the industry has evolved, with newer technologies like HTML5 offering superior functionality for tasks previously dominated by Flash. Continuing to use Flash not only poses security risks for websites and their users but also represents a technological step backward. Adobe, recognizing the shift, has discontinued Flash, focusing instead on more contemporary solutions. The discontinuation reflects a broader industry consensus that Flash is no longer necessary, with its maintenance deemed more troublesome than beneficial.
By drollparadox7655 10 months ago
Adobe Flash
ELI5 - What exactly was Adobe Flash and why was it disabled?
Flash was mainly used years ago to enable rich web content, such as video playback, to be placed into web pages when it couldn't be done using web standards at the time. It also was largely used to develop online web browser games, such as those found on Newgrounds. Many of its uses, such as video playback, were later superseded by modern web standards (such as HTML5 and its video element). As it has fallen out of common use and is prone to security flaws, Adobe has decided that it is no longer worth maintaining.
By Alex 10 months ago
ELI5 - What is Reddit and why do people waste so much time on it?
Reddit is like the ultimate forum/social media website. Imagine anything that is interesting to anyone on any particular day, and then ranked by what's most interesting—basically, the most trending topics on the internet. The average human brain finds this irresistible, and can spend hours upon hours scrolling through the heaps of useful-to-useless content. That being said, there is also of course a healthier side to Reddit, where small niche communities that wouldn't otherwise exist have found each other.
By Alex 10 months ago
Humans (Intelligence)
ELI5 - Why has no other species on the planet, living or extinct managed to get anywhere near the intelligence level humans have in terms of building/talking/inventing etc.?
Our brains use a lot of energy, which is why babies are born small and need lots of care. Intelligence is good if it doesn't make life too hard. To use our brains well, we need to talk, work together, and use our hands to make things. Cooking food with fire helped too, and humans are the first to balance these to benefit from intelligence.
Other human-like beings who were smart disappeared long ago, and finding evidence of them is difficult. Smartness is only useful if it helps have more children who survive.
Our early ancestors had good eyesight and hands for picking fruit, and later adapted to hunt for food when the earth changed. These skills helped them use their brains to survive tough times, which is rare.
By drollparadox7655 1 year ago
Humans (Intelligence)
ELI5 - Why has no other species on the planet, living or extinct managed to get anywhere near the intelligence level humans have in terms of building/talking/inventing etc.?
Until not long ago, other human species lived on Earth; they used fire, made tools, and buried their dead. Modern humans outlived these species, but finding evidence of their existence is hard, leaving our family tree unclear. Intelligence develops when it helps beings have more offspring, but it needs the right conditions, like those after the dinosaurs when our ancestors ate fruit. Later, the African Savannah required humans to adapt, using intelligence to thrive in tougher conditions—apparently a unique and rare sequence of events.
By Alex 1 year ago
Mellotron
ELI5 - What is a Mellotron, and why are they famous?
The Mellotron is a keyboard instrument created in England in 1963. An evolution of the earlier Chamberlin, the Mellotron is basically an early form of modern synthesizers. Instead of using digital playback, however, Mellotrons have an array of magnetic tapes played when their corresponding keys are pressed. Mellotrons come equipped with several sets of these tapes, each with a different voice such as "flute" or "strings."
The Mellotron's analog tape playback leads to subtle, random variations, giving them a unique and interesting sound. Many recording artists have experimented with this sound, perhaps most famously the Beatles, whose song "Strawberry Fields Forever" begins with a Mellotron flute intro.
By Alex 1 year ago
Mellotron
ELI5 - What is a Mellotron, and why are they famous?
The Mellotron is an early, synthesizer-like, analog keyboard instrument invented in the UK in 1963. In contrast to when a piano key is played, resulting in its corresponding hammer striking a tuned piano string, each of a mellotron's keys activates the playback of a sample of magnetic tape. Mellotrons come equipped with different voice settings for each key, such as piano, strings, flute, and even orchestral arrangements. The unique sound resulting from small variations in tape playback has long captured the imagination of experimental musicians, such as the Beatles.
By drollparadox7655 1 year ago
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
ELI5 - Why do Israelis and Palestinians hate each other so much?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict centers on a struggle over land and identity between Israelis and Palestinians, both claiming historical and religious ties. Originating in the late 19th century with Jewish Zionists seeking a safe homeland and Arab nationalism seeking independence, tensions began to escalate. Post-WWII, the UN's 1947 partition plan led to Israel's creation in 1948; rejected by Arab states, it sparked war, eventually won by Israel, and resulting in the displacement of many Palestinians. Core issues include borders, Jerusalem's status, Palestinian refugee rights, and security. Despite numerous peace efforts, deep-seated grievances and mutual distrust have thwarted a lasting resolution, continuing the conflict.
By PumpkinPie113 10 months ago
Airplane Mode
ELI5 - What would happen if everyone turned off airplane mode on a commercial flight?
Almost certainly nothing. It was actually originally the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) who banned cell phone use on planes because they were worried about too many phones connecting to many towers. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) only got involved later, with the speculation that there might be an issue. Common sense says that if phones were so dangerous, they wouldn't be allowed on airplanes.
By Alex 1 year ago
Non-alcoholic Beer
ELI5 - How is non-alcoholic beer made?
Starting with regular beer, alcohol is removed, usually by steam distillation or reverse osmosis. These processes extract nearly all of the alcohol (non-alcoholic beer can still be up to 0.5% ABV), leaving the other components of the beer mostly intact.
The taste is more or less preserved because the remaining flavor molecules remain undamaged. It doesn't taste quite the same, as the alcohol does have some flavor of its own which is now gone.
By Alex 11 months ago
The Internet
ELI5 - What is the internet and who owns and operates it?
Imagine you have a special toy RC car that carries a message to your friend's house, but they live far away. To get there, the car goes down your driveway, then rides on the town's road, hops on a ferry boat across a river, and maybe even takes a mini plane to reach a faraway place. The internet works similarly, but instead of roads and boats between houses, the RC car rides on special cables between computers.
Now, the infrastructure in this city is organized in different levels. There are a few big companies that make the main roads, bridges, and airports. They make sure everything connects well for the RC car to move smoothly. These are like the big companies on the internet.
Then, there are smaller companies that make the smaller roads, like the streets in your neighborhood. They get permission from the big companies to make these smaller roads. These smaller companies are like Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which allow our RC cars to ride smoothly.
Finally, at the very end, there's you! When you want to send a message or visit a website, you're like someone sending out the toy RC car on all these roads, boats, and planes to deliver your message to your friend's house.
By Alex 1 year ago
Gluten Intolerance
ELI5 - After 30,000 years of humanity surviving off of bread, how do we have so many people—within the last decade, especially—who are allergic to gluten?
It's unclear why more people are developing gluten intolerance. While some claims may be exaggerated, there is a real increase in cases. Gluten intolerance, different from celiac disease, could be linked to changes in our gut microbiome or in the way we process bread.
The gut microbiome's role is still being explored, and while it's a likely factor, our understanding is limited. If you have questions, I might help.
Regarding bread processing, one theory suggests that wheat germ, which is nutritious, aids in gluten digestion. Modern methods often remove the germ for longer shelf life, losing these nutrients. Although we add back certain vitamins and minerals to flour, it's possible we're missing something crucial that prevents gluten intolerance. This could be related to immune responses or changes in gut bacteria. But, the exact cause remains unknown.
By Alex 11 months ago
Curvature of Space
ELI5 - How do we measure the curvature of space?
If space is flat there are 180 degrees in the interior angles of a triangle. Just like if you drew a triangle on a flat sheet of paper.
If space is curved, there will be more or fewer degrees in it like if you drew a triangle on a globe (like two meridians and a line of latitude).
So we need to draw big triangles. We can do that with huge space based lasers. But we can do even better with natural points of light like the cosmic microwave background.
So far, we know the universe is flat to within 0.4%.
By Alex 1 year ago
