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How It Works UK Magazine - Issue 211

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In this issue

Incredible science breakthroughs
Look out for 3D-printed organs, terabit Starlink broadband, DNA personalised medication and other mega milestones, launches and achievements this year

Booze, beans and your body
Caffeine and alcohol are two of the world’s most common drugs. But what effects does drinking them have on our brains and bodies?

Winter bugs and how to avoid them
Indoor gatherings are much more common during colder months, but it’s not just other people that you share the air with

Biggest explosions in the universe
From asteroid impacts to the Big Bang, a countdown of some of the most spectacular cosmic explosions

HOME DELIVERY FOR ISS RESIDENTS

On 29 October 2025, the HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft reached the International Space Station (ISS). Launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in this image the spacecraft is being gripped by the ISS' Canadarm2 robotic arm. It delivered vital equipment for cardiovascular research and spacesuit maintenance. While on board, the ISS astronauts are studying how blood circulates between vessels in the human body in microgravity.

1 mins

People that use AI likely overestimate their abilities

When asked to evaluate how good we are at something, we tend to get that estimation completely wrong. It's a universal human tendency, with the effect seen most strongly in those with lower levels of ability. Called the Dunning-Kruger effect after the psychologists who first studied it, this phenomenon means people who aren't very good at a given task are overconfident, while people with high ability tend to underestimate their skills. It's often revealed by cognitive tests that contain problems to assess attention, decision-making, judgment and language.

2 mins

SEE THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

On 26 November 2025, the Gemini South telescope turned 25, and astronomers celebrated its birthday with a dazzling new image of the Butterfly Nebula.

1 mins

Scientists discover a new type of lion roar

Scientists have discovered a new type of lion roar, the intermediate roar, which is shorter and lower pitched than the animal's iconic full-throated roar. Researchers found that these intermediate roars always follow full-throated roars, revealing that lion vocalisations are more complex than thought. “The full-throated roar is an explosion of sound – it’s loud and complex and arcs in pitch,” said Jonathan Growcott, a doctoral student at the University of Exeter. “The intermediary roar differs by being a flatter sound with less variation.”

1 mins

LASERS TARGET THETARANTULA NEBULA WITH 'ARTIFICIAL STARS'

In November 2025, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) used its powerful interferometer, the VLTI, as part of its GRAVITY+ upgrade.

1 mins

Scientists pull up riches from the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’

Valuable shipwrecked treasures are seeing the light of day after they sank along with the San José galleon off the coast of Colombia more than 300 years ago. The incredibly well-preserved items that were retrieved, including a cannon, a porcelain cup and three coins, are just a taste of the wreck's vast riches. The galleon is often dubbed 'the Holy Grail of shipwrecks' as it went down with a huge cargo of 180 tonnes of gold, silver and gems that was said to be worth around £13.5 billion ($18.2 billion) in 2018. The recovery is part of an ongoing project by the Colombian government to investigate the wreck and recover the precious artefacts. The recovery of the objects “opens the possibility for citizens to approach, through material testimony, the history of the San José galleon,” said Alhena Caicedo Fernández of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History.

1 mins

A high-fibre diet may ‘rejuvenate' immune cells that fight cancer

Microbes in the gut can help the immune system fight cancer, and a fibre-rich diet may be the key to unlocking those benefits, a study in mice suggests. The immune system is a key player in the body’s battle against cancer. On the front line of this resistance are CD8+ killer T cells, a type of immune cell that marauds around tumours and then exterminates the cancerous cells. But after each successive battle, these cells become worn out and don’t find tumours as effectively. As such, treatments that provide the cells with enough pep to finish their job are in high demand.

2 mins

ASTRONAUTS SEE COMET LEMMON 'ABSORBED' BY AURORAE

For skywatchers, scientists and even the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), the skies have been active. The Sun has released its largest eruptions of 2025, sparking a series of aurorae that have reached as far south as Mexico. While astronauts on the ISS had to take shelter during the recent solar storms to avoid potentially dangerous radiation, they did manage to capture this image of Comet Lemmon appearing near the aurorae on Earth.

1 mins

Moss survived for nine months on the outside of the International Space Station

Moss spores have survived a prolonged trip to space. The spores spent nine months on the outside of the ISS before returning to our planet, and over 80 per cent of the spores were still able to reproduce when they arrived back on Earth.

2 mins

The Gulf of Suez is pulling apart

The Gulf of Suez, which partially divides Africa and Asia, may still be widening 5 million years after we thought it had stopped.

2 mins

Most modern dogs have wolf DNA

Most modern dog breeds have small amounts of wolf ancestry from long after dogs were domesticated. The wolf DNA isn't left over from when dogs and wolves diverged; instead, it most likely came from interbreeding in the past few thousand years.

2 mins

SATELLITE CAPTURES THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF HURRICANE MELISSA

In October 2025, Hurricane Melissa roared ashore in Jamaica, leaving behind a trail of destruction that's still being tallied.

1 mins

Human refuse is ‘kick-starting’ the domestication of raccoons

City-dwelling raccoons are showing early signs of domestication. Using photos uploaded to the citizen science platform iNaturalist, researchers found that raccoons in urban environments had shorter snouts than their rural counterparts. The difference could be one of several traits that make up 'domestication syndrome', the scientists wrote in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology. Domesticated animals typically become less aggressive towards humans over time. They gradually develop a relationship in which people provide for them in exchange for resources, such as meat and milk from livestock or labour from herding dogs. That process often involves selectively breeding animals for certain desirable traits, but it doesn't always begin that way. \"I wanted to know if living in a city environment would kick-start domestication processes in animals that are currently not domesticated,\" said Raffaela Lesch, a zoologist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

1 mins

INCREDIBLE SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGHS FOR 2026

Look out for 3D-printed organs, terabit Starlink broadband, DNA-personalised medication and other mega milestones, launches and achievements this year

3 mins

BOOZE, BEANS AND YOUR BODY

Caffeine and alcohol are two of the world's most common drugs. But what effects does drinking them have on our brains and bodies?

5 mins

ALL ABOARD A DOUBLE-DECKER TRAIN

Eurostar's new two-tier Celestia trains will take to the tunnels in 2031

2 mins

HOW TO CLEAN A SKYSCRAPER WINDOW

Discover how skilled window cleaners with nerves of steel tackle these towering glass facades

2 mins

HOW TO MAKE MAPLE SYRUP

Your favourite pancake topping is much more than just a sugary treat made in a factory

1 mins

WHY THINGS ROT

How dead plants and animals decay, and how living organisms rely on this natural process to survive

3 mins

FAULT LINES AROUND THE WORLD

Discover the dangers and benefits of Earth's cracked crust. Is there a fault line beneath your feet?

2 mins

SPACE MINING UNCOVERED

Asteroids rich in rare elements could be harvested for their valuable contents, but the real worth may be in using them as interplanetary fuel stations

2 mins

How do astronauts prepare for a spacewalk?

Preparing for a spacewalk takes about a day.

8 mins

NATURE'S DANCE

DO THE FOXTROT, CRAB STEP, FISH WALK AND BUNNY HUG

1 mins

THE SECRET POWERS OF ANIMALS

AN INTERACTIVE INTRODUCTION TO TEN AMAZING ANIMALS AND THEIR SPECIAL ABILITIES

1 mins

MAKE A THERMOMETER

Record changing temperatures and discover thermal expansion with this home-built apparatus

1 mins

REMOTE ABILITIES

Infrared remotes are cheaper and more power-efficient than Bluetooth alternatives

1 mins

CATHEDRAL CONSTRUCTION

Dear HIW Issue 209 had an article about how cathedrals were built. How they cut, carved and assembled the stones is amazing, but you haven't explained how such an elaborate building was designed and how those designs were communicated to a workforce of thousands.

1 mins

WALKING STRAIN

In England, 17 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women over 50 use walking sticks for mobility

1 mins

Read all Stories from How It Works UK

How It Works UK Magazine Description:

Publisher: Future

Category: Science

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

The magazine that feeds minds, Welcome to How It Works, the magazine that explains everything you never knew you wanted to know about the world we live in. Loaded with fully illustrated guides and expert knowledge, and with sections dedicated to science, technology, transportation, space, history and the environment, no subject is too big or small for How It Works to explain.