How It Works UK
Chinese scientists hunt for alien radio signals in a 'potentially habitable' star system
TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star located about 40 light years away that hosts seven Earth-sized rocky planets, with at least three orbiting in the habitable zone where liquid water could exist.
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
'Queen of icebergs' A23a is no longer the world's biggest
An iceberg that was once the size of Rhode Island and the biggest in the world has lost about 80 per cent of its mass since May, scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) report.
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
The iconic winged lion statue in Venice may be from China's Tang dynasty
A bronze statue of a winged lion that has long graced the centre of Piazza San Marco in Venice is from a faraway land, according to a new study.
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
Dozens of mysterious blobs discovered inside Mars may be 'failed planets'
Giant impact structures, including the potential remains of ancient ‘protoplanets’, may be lurking deep beneath the surface of Mars.
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
INSIDE YOUR PC
Take a look inside a modern desktop computer to see how PCs have evolved over the years
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
A 'quasi-moon' discovered in Earth orbit may have been hiding for decades
A new paper describes a possible 'quasi-moon' of Earth, an interloping asteroid that may have been following our planet around for decades, undetected.
1 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
ANIMAL LEADERS
From top-dog wolves and wise elder elephants to insect royalty and sex-changing fish, animal alphas take many fascinating forms
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
Spiders keep fireflies as glowing prisoners that draw more prey to their webs
Nocturnal spiders have been filmed capturing fireflies and keeping them in their webs to attract more prey, even intermittently checking on them over the course of an hour.
1 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
10 PHENOMENA SCIENCE JUST CAN'T EXPLAIN
From strange lights in the sky to rocks that spontaneously glide across the ground, the mysteries scientists are trying to finally crack
10 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
HOW TO BE A GHOST HUNTER
We delve into the science and psychology behind the paranormal to ask... do ghosts exist?
3 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
CAN EXERCISE REDUCE STRESS?
Why moving about more can make you feel calmer and think clearer
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?
REAL GHOST STORIES FROM THE HOST AND CREATOR OF BBC'S UNCANNY
4 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
Our bodies are vessels for life, but in death they undergo a cascade of chemical and biological changes
3 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
WHAT'S AN ANTI-DRONE GUN?
How these devices intercept and disable unmanned aerial vehicles
1 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
The US reports its first New World parasitic screw worm infection in decades
A person in Maryland has been confirmed to have an infection with the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite, the first human case of the infection in the United States since the parasite was eradicated in the country over 60 years ago, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
New EV battery technology could power 500-mile road trips on a 12-minute charge
Scientists have used a neat chemistry trick to tackle a major challenge facing future batteries.
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
NEXT-GENERATION NUCLEAR REACTOR
Could molten thorium be the future of nuclear power?
2 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
HOW THE FIRST TV SIGNAL WAS TRANSMITTED
A century ago, John Logie Baird demonstrated a working television transmission
1 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
HOW HAIR GROWS
Dear HIW. Would my hair grow longer without cutting it for a year or by getting small bits cut off regularly? Does this help it grow quicker?
1 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
UNCANNY'S DANNY ROBINS
The creator and host of the BBC's Uncanny series tells us about his most chilling experiences while researching the show, and writing a ghost book for children
4 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
HOW AIR PURIFIERS WORK
These filtration devices clean a room's air of particles that can make a person sick
1 min |
Issue 208
How It Works UK
HOW FEATHERS GROW
A bird's proteinaceous plumage comes from the same source as our hair
1 min |
Issue 208
BBC Science Focus
All in one
Think back to the cell diagrams in your biology textbooks at school and you might recognise this.
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
THE PLATYPUS
When European scientists first set eyes on the platypus, in the form of a pelt and a sketch shipped over from Australia in 1798, they couldn't believe it.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
YOU'RE ONLY AS OLD AS YOU THINK
Your attitude towards ageing can reduce the toll time takes on your brain and body. It's a statement that sounds ridiculous, but the science backs it up. The question is: how much could a change of attitude change your life?
8 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
Land, not ice, is now driving rising sea levels
The world's driest regions are merging - and the consequences are global
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
Having only boys or girls may run in the family
It's not just chance: women who've had multiple children of the same sex are more likely to have another baby of the same sex
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
Meet the dinosaur eater
A new fossil reveals the life of an ancient crocodile species that probably preyed on dinosaurs
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
THE EXPERTS' GET-TO-SLEEP-QUICK TRICKS
Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time, even the scientists who spend every waking hour studying it. So, what steps do the experts take when they can't drop off?
7 min |
September 2025
BBC Science Focus
COULD SOMEONE ACROSS THE COSMOS PICK UP OLD RADIO PROGRAMMES?
Theoretically, the radio signals from our earliest broadcasts have been spreading outwards through space since the beginning of radio.
1 min |