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REMOTE ABILITIES

How It Works UK

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Issue 211

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

REMOTE ABILITIES

Dear HIW, How do TV remote controls work? I thought you had to point the remote control at the device it operates. But I have two TVs from the same company, and when I pointed a remote for one TV at it and pressed on, the TV in another room, behind me and through a wall, went on. How has this happened? Kenneth Martin

MÁS HISTORIAS DE How It Works UK

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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

time to read

2 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

1 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

WHY THINGS ROT

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

time to read

3 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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?

time to read

5 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

HOW TO CLEAN A SKYSCRAPER WINDOW

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

time to read

2 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

1 min

Issue 211

How It Works UK

HOW TO MAKE MAPLE SYRUP

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

time to read

1 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

1 min

Issue 211

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 211

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