Explain Like I'm Five - Eli5 Mini Podcast

How did ancient civilizations in 45 B.C. with their ancient technology know that the earth orbits the sun in 365 days? What is the exact length of an Earth year? How does the Gregorian calendar adjust for this discrepancy? There are some exceptions to leap years right? What is the Birthday Paradox? And does it apply to leap year birthdays? ... 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: tommymikhaylov, davidrfz, pleural_mesothelioma, ansuz07, antithesys, mantufelis, evilabed24, ultopsso_yt 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 is hypnosis capable of? Can anyone be hypnotized? Are there certain people who are more susceptible to it? Are there any potential dangers or side effects associated with hypnosis? How is hypnosis induced? Can someone put themselves into hypnosis? Can hypnosis be used to control or manipulate people against their will? ... 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: thelazyguy001, lindsaymurray, thetimeischow, omarwazhere, aikawa_kizuna, animalprofessor, solidgol and the_wandering_mind 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 scratching eczema affected skin feel good in that moment, when it actually worsens the skin condition? Why is it that eczema often appears in small patches on the body rather than being spread out? How does hydrocortisone work to relieve itching and inflammation caused by eczema? Is Eczema contagious? ... 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: trianglesaurus, picklesrnoturfriend, qblez, 7superbaby7, jaydenlzw and oopsielalala 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 significant difference between hand soap and body soap? Why does using bar soap often leave a "squeaky clean" feeling compared to liquid soap? How about antibacterial soap that has become popular in recent years? Is it more effective than regular soap? Is it alcohol in them that kills the bacteria? ... 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: dankutobi, andiell, parallax3, germtheory, typhoneus, wafflebauf, formyfrog, catwhowalksbyhimself, amaranth1977 and lumpywon 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 researchers accurately estimate the population of endangered species in the wild? How can the axolotl be both critically endangered and readily available in pet stores? How did the giant panda get off the endangered list? What is the process of how a species is declared endangered? ... 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: inkypaws, nephisimian, jeremy_martin, iprocrastina, breckenridgeback, kulalolk, shejesa and cosmic_gallant 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 is the Aurora Borealis? How do the various colors come about? Why are the northern lights primarily seen at the poles? Isn’t the magnetic north moving and what does that mean for where to spot the Aurora Borealis? What would it be like to be inside an Aurora? Is it even possible? Can you see the northern lights from space? ... 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: venbrou, speckledjim, target880, anomalousenigma, itsapeljax, uncledan2017, jermleeds, zhendejiade99, thejeeronian, moogiemcfly and karlrutabaga 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 is the difference between venomous and poisonous? How do snakes never get in a knot and if they do, how do they untangle themselves? Why do snakes have such potent venom? What happens when predators eat part of a snake that contains venom? Why are snakes evolving to not use their venom? ... 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: casperslakes, xychologist, freestyle-scientist, freebytes, qyle95, yesssssssssssno, cameltrowe and phage0070 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 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? ... we explain like I'm five 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 Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: rhumsaa, iamaddicted2r_ddit, sablemint, richmana, phenylacetate, clburton24 and joe6161 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@

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? ... 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: masher_oz, drunken_assassin, seductive_cactus, drsjsmith, yoshiboo22, lobsang_ludd, vamosity-cosmic, mrdeathchicken and nkalinos 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 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? ... 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: gailson0192, sirduke6, limbonics, maxwellvador, maximov86, dirtydbag, Mookie_Merkk, djmcmayhem, thetreece and bakemechocolatecake 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

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?  ... 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: 2biggij, bobbyp27, zmech, markusx06, enigmasolver and mallad 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 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? ... 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: jefferey1313, themuffinman91, amoebachant, goldgibbon, dodweon, try-catch-finally and kile147 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 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? ... 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: jigmest, loimographia, animaanon and btrpiii 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 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? ... 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: blob_io, evenspoonier, tdscanuck, vvbb22 and nuditi 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 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? ... we explain like I'm five 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 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 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? ... 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: asanf, nebonit, stu_dying24, spectacularocelot and blade740 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

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? ... 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: lthawkington, yensid7, johan_no, imunown frosti11icus, kynthrus, alienrouge 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’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? ... 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: runborgondy, ableseacat14, nil_defect_found, cow_launcher, tehwildman_, jonnycruz666, mak-15 and plane_pro 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 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? ... 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: oustthetortol, thaddeauz, that_other_goat, majorex64, logicaljoiurnalist517 and burgergold 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

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. Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: cursed_gungan, mrs_roronoa, drcrno, purple_haze96 and the_origina_retro 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