ELI5 Explain Like I'm 5: Bite sized answers to stuff you should know about - in a mini podcast

Did you know that some of today's deserts were once seas, lakes, or lush forests? How do oases exist in such arid regions? Why does the US have huge cities in the desert? Why did people settle there? How is the Sahara linked to the thriving of the Amazon rainforest? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and...

Why do some countries have Presidents, some have Prime Ministers, and some countries have both? What is the difference? What about France, where there’s both a president and a prime minister. Why is it that in some places the President is more powerful but in others like Germany the Prime Minister is more powerful? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in...

How can just a few hundred cables under the ocean provide the internet to the entire world? Who actually owns and manages these cables? Who lays these undersea cables in the first place? What do these cables look like? Was it a shark or boat anchor that nearly took down the internet in several countries in 2008?  ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in pa...

What is the purpose of prison bail? If somebody should or shouldn’t be jailed, why make it contingent on an amount of money that they can buy themselves out with? What is a bond? If you are not denied bail, what are your choices? How much is typical bail? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments f...

How are they and other surfaces you see around in public places considered antimicrobial without cleaning them? What does it even mean to be antimicrobial? How exactly does silver and copper kill bacteria? What did ancient civilizations do with copper? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments form...

Why do we have a limit on the amount of hand carry liquids when we travel, and how is the fluid limit in airports an effective security measure? How was the TSA formed? Are those full body scanners at airports safe?   ... 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: th...

How are scientists so sure that the Megalodon is extinct? Especially since I keep on hearing them say we’ve explored less than 5% of the earth’s deepest oceans? What did they look like? Where did they live? How did they become extinct? ... 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 t...

Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?” Where did the terms originate? What does “aft” mean and why is it different from the stern? Why do large ships have their anchors in the bow and not the stern or either port or starboard sides?  ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and...

What in energy drinks provides stimulus over and above that from caffeine? Are they superior to coffee or tea? How did Pepsi and Coca Cola start out as energy drinks? Why are their health warning labels on some energy drinks? What are the benefits of energy drinks? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and...

What happens inside your brain when you inhale nitrous oxide? Why is it called laughing gas? When did we start using laughing gas for medical use cases? Is it safe? ... 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: linguista420, slugcunt69, infinitysquared and kodack10...

How do sinkholes happen? What exactly are they? What are Cenotes? Why do sinkholes have so many different names around the world? What is the deepest sinkhole in the world? ... 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: jaded57, dixonmyaz, berkeleykev, back2beantown,...

How is GPS free? How is it profitable for companies to offer services like navigation without subscription fees or ads? Why did the US government open GPS up to the public? Why does GPS work even when underground and in buildings? Explain triangulation like i’m 5! ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and c...

What is nuclear fusion and how is it significant to us? How is it different to nuclear fission? What is the significance of the recent news that we have reached ‘ignition’ of nuclear fusion? ... 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: wickinked, straight-faced_sol...

Why is there a ring at the end of the opening of a balloon? What creates the noise of a ballon popping? Who invented the ballon? Why do helium balloons shrink in size over time? .. 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: marv1nnn, trooper_x, secretantworshiper, fu...

How did people maintain their teeth before toothpaste? If the first modern toothpastes were not sold in tubes, what were they sold in? When did they add fluoride? Why can't our teeth heal like our skin and bones? .. 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: dude-e,...

What was the point of the skull and bones pirate flag? why would you give away that you are a pirate? What does no quarter mean? What is the jolly roger? With pirates in literature like Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Long John Silver and Captain Jack, which pirates were historical and which were fictional?  .. we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the...

Why is the abbreviation for the unit of weight, pounds LBS? Where did the metric system come from in the first place? Why is it so confusing to figure out if the USA an adopter of the metric system or not? Is there a metric system for time? .. 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...

Where did the word ketchup come from? Why do the Cantonese and Malaysians both claim it originated from their languages? Where does the Indonesian, French and Arabic connections come in? What makes Ketchup special as a non-Newtonian fluid? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you as always to the r/explainlikeimfive community. To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your f...

Are tomatoes a fruit or vegetable? Why is ketchup considered a legal vegetable in California? Why are sun-dried tomatoes safe to eat, while eating a tomato you left on the windowsill for too long would probably make you ill? How can restaurants leave ketchup and mustard out all day but the bottles you buy in the store say to refrigerate after opening? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the...

What is the Streisand effect? How was Barbara Streisand involved? Why is it such a universal from China to South Africa? What are the implications of the Streisand Effect in recent ‘right to be forgotten’ legal cases? ... we explain like I'm five As always, thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community. To the ELI5 podcast community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and c...

Could you give a person with Alzheimer's a fact sheet to carry with them, reminding them of every truth about them, including the fact that they have Alzheimer's? What is the difference between Alzhiemers and Dementia? What causes Alzheimer's disease? What were the breakthroughs of the 1990s? What were the recent breakthroughs that made the news? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/exp...

If I send a letter or postcard from the UK to the USA, who gets money from my stamp? Once it reaches the receiving country, what makes them obliged to deliver my letter if they are not receiving payment for it? When was the global system for postage established? How does overnight shipping get where it's going faster than a normal package? Why not make everything overnight? ... we explain like I'm...

How and when did the food pyramid originate? What has since replaced it? What is the Sweden connection? Why have many people been critical of the food pyramid? What is the hamburger question? ... 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: paul277, andyfox1979, comiss...

Why do cardio machines require you to put two hands on them to measure your heart beat when a wrist watch can do it just with one wrist? What’s the difference between an ECG and EKG? Which types of monitor is most accurate? ... 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 discussi...

What is a run on the bank? Why it can happen in a fractional reserve banking system? What’s the best thing to do when there’s a bank run? When was the first bank run? Can we prevent bank runs? ... 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. To the ELI5 community that...