Science
How It Works UK
Massive medieval coin hoard worth about 150 sheep' discovered
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed over 1,500 medieval silver coins after a citizen noticed what looked like ‘small metal plates’ while digging during a construction project.
2 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
THE WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON DIES AGED 117 YEARS OLD
Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest person in the world, has died.
1 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
A new reactor could triple yields of a valuable chemical
A new reactor could turn wastewater into drinking water while also generating one of the world’s most sought-after chemicals.
2 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
NASA'S SOLAR SAIL SPREADS ITS WINGS IN SPACE
Over four months after launching to space, a solar-sailing spacecraft has spread its wings above our planet.
1 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
Albatross eating mice sentenced to death by 'bombing'
Invasive mice are eating albatrosses alive on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, so conservationists have come up with an explosive solution: ‘bombing’ the mice.
2 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
XB-1 PROTOTYPE ACES ITS SECOND TEST FLIGHT
Colorado-based company Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft flew for the second time ever on 26 August 2024.
1 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
Deep-sea Arctic microbes may harbour next-generation antibiotics
The frigid waters of the Arctic may harbour the secret to a totally new type of antibiotic.
2 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
Physicists solve a nuclear fusion.mystery with mayonnaise
Nuclear fusion technology could get a breakthrough from an unexpected place: mayonnaise. In a new study, scientists plopped the creamy condiment into a churning machine and set it whirling to see what conditions made it flow.
2 min |
Issue 195
How It Works UK
RESCUE IN SPACE
Fortunately, space emergencies are a rare occurrence, but astronauts and space agencies need to be prepared for any eventuality that might arise
6 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
NEANDERTHAL LIVING
Why our prehistoric cousins were pioneers, not clueless apes
3 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
BUILDING ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER
One World Trade Center rose from the ashes of the Twin Towers. Now, as the tallest building in New York City, it looks to the skies and the future. Here's how this sustainable and secure record-breaker was built
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
BECOME A SMARTPHONE SCIENTIST
Amazing tips and tricks to transform your smartphone into a bug-finding, star-spotting, data-gathering device
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
LIFTING THE LID ON ANTARCTICA
What was the coldest continent like without ice?
3 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
URBAN WILDLIFE
How wild animals have evolved to thrive alongside humans in towns and cities
3 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
WHAT IS SUNBURN?
How solar rays can leave us red, sore and irritated
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
ALL ABOUT FAT
Fat is a complex, active organ. Here's how genetics, evolution, lifestyle and diet dictate how much we have beneath our skin
8 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
The Space Force is launching lasers into orbit
The Space Force aims to better pinpoint the location of Earth's true centre using lasers on GPS satellites, slated to launch in 2025. A set of Laser Retroreflector Arrays, or LRAS, will be installed onto two GPS III satellites, SV9 and SV10, as part of NASA's Space Geodesy Program. The lasers are designed to make precise sub-centimetre measurements using a technique called Satellite Laser Ranging, which will allow researchers to more accurately determine Earth's centre.
1 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular ageing
A nutrient-rich diet with few added sugars may slow the rate of biological ageing in women. Scientists found that middle-aged women who ate more foods packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants had 'younger looking' cells than those who consumed less nutrient-rich diets.
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
Sapphires form inside volcanoes, not deep in the mantle
Brilliant-blue sapphires look like bits of sky brought down to Earth, but a new study finds these gemstones are from a different boundary: the one between the planet's crust and magma welling up from the mantle, Earth's middle layer. Sapphires have been thought to form in the mantle itself or in the lower sections of the crust.
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
Webb confirms the earliest known galaxy is erupting in stars
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted the earliest galaxy ever seen, and its unusually bright light is coming from a bizarre frenzy of star formation. Named JADES-GS-z14-0, the galaxy formed at least 290 million years after the Big Bang and contains stars that have been bursting into life since an estimated 200 million years after our universe began.
1 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
Ancient Egyptians may have used a hydraulic lift to build the first pyramid
Ancient Egyptians may have used an elaborate hydraulic system to construct the world's first pyramid. Known as the Pyramid of Djoser, the step pyramid was built around 4,700 years ago on the Saqqara plateau, an archaeological site in northern Egypt.
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
T. rex could have been 70 per cent bigger
There's no denying that Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the biggest dinosaurs to ever walk the planet. But how big could this dinosaur get? In a new investigation, researchers attempted to answer that. Palaeontologists from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa estimated that the largest T. rex may have tipped the scales at a whopping 15,000 kilograms, making it heavier than an average school bus, which weighs about 11,000 kilograms.
1 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
Scientists achieve record-breaking data transmission speeds
Researchers have achieved record-breaking fibre-optic data transfer speeds of 402 terabits per second, roughly 1.6 million times faster than typical home broadband speeds. Scientists at Aston University in the UK achieved these new speeds by tapping into all the wavelength bands used in commercially available fibreoptic cables. Only one or two bands are used in most fibre-optic broadband connections.
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
'Hypervirulent' superbug detected in 16 countries
Dangerous new strains of a \"hypervirulent' superbug have been found in 16 countries, including the US, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a new report.
2 min |
Issue 194
How It Works UK
HOW ANIMALS LIVE IN EXTREMES
Surviving in some of the world's harshest environments is tough, but not for these robust species
7 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
HOW TO OPERATE ON THE BRAIN
The procedures and surgical techniques that tackle problems inside your skull
4 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
HOW AEROPLANE ESCAPE HATCHES WORK
Discover the engineering that allows an entire commercial aircraft to be evacuated in under two minutes
2 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
AMAZING OLYMPIC INNOVATIONS
The 2024 Summer Olympics comes with an array of inspired inventions, from performance-enhancing footwear to Al-powered judges
6 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
Solar power generates enough heat to power a steel furnace
Scientists have used solar power to heat an object to 1,000 degrees Celsius - hot enough to power a steel furnace.
1 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
New antivenom invented for black widow spider bites
Scientists have invented a new antivenom for European black widow spider bites that uses human antibodies to mitigate the effects of the arachnid’s painful toxins.
2 min |