Explain Like I'm Five - Eli5 Mini Podcast

Why does soap not work with hard water? Is hard water a good or bad thing? What are water softeners? Why are they banned in some places? When you buy bottled water in plastic bottles, how come they have an expiration date? How can water expire? ... 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: sn0rlaxftw, kittenrice, wyliecody, lustypad, th3hedonismbot, toxiclay, paravis and tokyojokeyo To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why do we use genetically modified organisms? What are the drawbacks? Are there any health issues with GMO foods? How did Norman Borlaug save 1 billion people? ... 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: queengonzo, thatdudeonthephone, steventhesloth, karnman, amrbean, app6a, qasqaldag To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Is there a difference between ADD and ADHD? Does ADHD affect adults? How is it not just being hyper active? What goes on in the brain of someone with ADHD? Why do some people not believe in ADHD? What makes video games and people with ADHD a perfect fit? ... 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: mrsrainey, professional-eye-878, 4102reddit, craftybeerdad and oogieboogieboogieboo To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

How does UV light sanitize? If UV is dangerous for our skin, why bother with low SPF sunscreens? How does sunscreen work? What does the SPF number measure? What sunscreen products were recalled recently? ... 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: runiat, jamaalfuckincharles, bobt21, isthisnamegood, charlesdparrott, dehacked, void_vix, uh-oh-cherio, y-void, thebearwillbefine, ribbitboing, opus666 and mleitch To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why is tupperware wet coming out of the dishwasher, when plates and glasses are all dry? Why do tomatoes stain in a dishwasher? What makes something dishwasher safe, or only top rack dishwasher safe? How are industrial dishwasher so much quicker than the ones at home? Which uses more water, using a dishwasher or hand washing? ... 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: napalmfires, storypenguin, ieuantemplar, nomisnairda, warlocktx, hagenaar, where_da_party_at, voiceofchris and andcarro To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why do we have a debt ceiling? What used to happen before it was invented? Do other countries have one? What happened in 2011 and why did it involve Apple? What was the trillion dollar coin and why are people talking about it again?   ... 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: the_walking_deaf, bolshevikmuppet, lobsang_ludd, bossgalaga, the_cleric, buzzyness and chrisfartwick To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why were dinosaurs and things that lived long ago so much bigger than animals today? What caused the extreme weather back then? Were oxygen levels really much higher than they are today. Were CO2 levels higher too? How are both possible?   ... 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: vinneh, the_original_retro, thechromaticscale, xeno_man, davehone, cloudnyne, mayumoogy, mgroz83 and zefrogleaps To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Is it theoretically possible that my key could unlock a second car somewhere else in the world? Why is the keyless entry system separate to the keyless ignition system? What is an immobilizer? What is a rolling code, and why is it important that my car has one?   ... 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: miichiseboss123, matraxia, hands_on_tools, dragonx254, donaldpshimoda, slightlylesshairyape and raresh985 To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

What are reverse mortgages in the simplest terms? What do they have to do with the singer David Bowie? What does the French origins of the word mortgage mean?   ... 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: asldkja, thameus, bunka77, world_leader_pretend, legends444, bumbling_bear, huskypupper and pulpheroe To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why do we hiccup? What evolutionary function does it perform? Which of the remedies actually work to stop hiccups? Who were the people who had extended hiccups? Who won the Ig Noble Prize for hiccups?   ... 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: onemindandflesh, rsdancey, damien_targaryen, hookerofmemorylane, ipn8bit, anewmachine615, mckoijion and george_e_hale To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why is the moon slowly moving away from the earth at 4cm per year? How do we even measure it so precisely? Why does the same side of the moon always face the earth? What is the beautiful dimensional coincidence that gives us a a perfect solar eclipse?   ... 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: deletedscenebrowser, mobius1424, joldz, smlz101, puppypile99 and boymcmoyo To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why was there a sudden change in Teflon plans in 2015? Are newer versions of Teflon safe? What is the chemical used to make Teflon that is in the bloodstream of 99.7% of Americans?   ... 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: dj_orka99, thebiga1806, doctormodalus, chem_equals, cicya, twatical, d2nekon and tracygee To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

What happens if we sleep without them? Does it cause long term spinal problems if you sleep without one regularly? Why do babies seem to do fine without a pillow?   ... 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: starrdust322, agentelman, open_door_policy and philosophile42 To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

What makes mattresses so expensive? What is the purpose of a box spring underneath? What is the best way and optimal position for humans to sleep? Why do we humans like to use a pillow to support our heads when we sleep?   ... 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: musical_jinn, crackyospine, shakeanjake, epicjigsaw, nittygrittytruth and andy_clark To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

Why are all the Olympic Games money losers except the famous Los Angeles event in 1984? What did LA do differently? How does funding for the Olympics work? Why doesn't the IOC just buy an island to host the Olympics there every 4 years? Do Olympic athletes have a McDonalds in the village?   ... 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: businessowl, supreme_101, ahawks, cromulentembiggener, wolfthawra, bryan_sensei and ceatsykoopa98 To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

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?   ... 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: danasf, brave-welder, tdscanuck and nerdchieftain. Paper referenced in episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3923835/ To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

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?   ... 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: grenata, ratelslangen2, irwin96, drkobbe, kaseyB, steavee and shaggorama To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

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 To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

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!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: doncuneo, thescamr, johnny9991, karaps, jetpacksforall, school-yeeter, concis_pirate, matig123, delehal, polemicize & kandiru To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

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?   ... We explain like i'm five!   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 To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eli5ThePodcast/ or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com