Science
How It Works UK
China pits humanoids against each other in a robot boxing tournament
Lifelike humanoid robots have competed in the world’s first humanoid robot combat competition, with four Chinese teams pitting advanced fighting robots against each other.
2 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT'S THE TIME?
How the world's clocks and geographic coordinates came to be set by a small borough of London
5 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
Roman-era 'fast food' discovered in an ancient Mallorcan rubbish heap
Songbirds were on the menu 2,000 years ago on the Roman island of Mallorca, archaeological evidence reveals.
2 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
HOW PLANES LAND ON WATER
Who needs a runway when there's so much water around?
2 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
ANCIENT ANIMAL SURVIVAL SECRETS
Discover the remarkable resilience of Earth's oldest and hardiest animals, overcoming mass extinctions and conquering the planet's ever-changing climate
8 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
Tour guide to the MOON
Your dusty, distant destination awaits, with unique geology that reveals billions of years of cosmic collisions
4 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
Study finds that Earth's core is 'leaking' gold
Researchers have found evidence that Earth's core is leaking gold and other precious metals, according to a new study. The vast majority (99.9 per cent) of Earth's gold and other precious metals are hidden in the centre of our planet, with thousands of miles of near-impenetrable rock between us and these natural treasures. However, while humans are unlikely to ever mine Earth's core, new research indicates that some metals have migrated out of the core into enriched rocks that eventually ended up at the surface.
2 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
HOW TO MAKE A VIDEO GAME
Have you ever wondered how video games go from an idea to a product on a digital or physical shelf? Let's explore each step in the process
4 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
JOHN FLAMSTEED
The first Astronomer Royal plotted out the constellations and mapped the heavens
2 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
OUR TEETH EVOLVED FROM FISH 'BODY ARMOUR'
Our sensitive teeth evolved from the 'body armour' of extinct fish that lived 465 million years ago.
1 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
Asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit the Moon in 2032
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken its final look at the potentially hazardous asteroid 2024 YR4 at least until the potentially hazardous space rock darkens Earth's cosmic doorstep again in 2028.
2 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
WHY ARE BUBBLES ROUND?
How surface tension plays a big role in keeping soap bubbles spherical
3 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
Researchers uncover the truth about the Moon's orange glass beads
When the Apollo astronauts first set foot on the lunar surface, they expected to find grey rocks and dust. What they didn't anticipate was discovering something that looked almost magical - tiny, brilliant orange glass beads scattered across the Moon's landscape like microscopic gems. These beads, each smaller than a grain of sand, are actually ancient time capsules from when the Moon was volcanically active billions of years ago. The beads formed some 3.3 to 3.6 billion years ago during volcanic eruptions on the surface of the then-young satellite.
1 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
NEW VEHICLE BATTERY FULLY RECHARGES IN 18 SECONDS
A British firm has received approval to mass produce an ultra-high power density electric vehicle (EV) battery that can be fully recharged in just 18 seconds.
1 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
SMART SURVEILLANCE
How smart CCTV uses data to scan and analyse a scene, identifying objects and people in milliseconds
4 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
ULTRA-FINE MAGNETIC 'CURTAINS' ON THE SUN REVEALED
The National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located on a summit on the island of Maui, Hawaii, captured the sharpest ever images of the Sun's surface.
1 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
20 amazing answers to curious QUESTIONS about the COSMOS
THE UNIVERSE IS FULL OF MYSTERIOUS PHENOMEN AND INCREDIBLE OBJECTS, AND WE'RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEM EVERY DAY
10 min |
Issue 205

How It Works UK
NEXT-GEN FIGHTER JETS
Sixth-generation stealth fighter jets are coming. How will these advanced flying machines remain undetected in a world of increasingly sophisticated radar technology?
9 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
Does launching rockets harm the environment?
In theory, yes. There are various ways a rocket launch can cause environmental damage, but in practice they make a very minor contribution to such damage compared to things we do in our everyday lives.
6 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
WHAT DO YOU WEIGH ON OTHER WORLDS?
Scientists distinguish between weight and mass, which may seen pedantic until you see what happens on a world where gravity is radically different to Earth's
4 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Take a deep dive into some of the world's most curious submerged sites
5 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
ON BOARD AN OCEAN RESEARCH VESSEL
The OceanXplorer is one of the world's most advanced research vessels, sailing the seas in the name of scientific discovery
1 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
WHAT IS THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT?
How even the smallest action can cause significant and unpredictable events in the future
3 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
WHAT GIVES FOOD ITS TEXTURE?
From crisp, crunchy fruit to satisfyingly stretchy cheese, explore the chemistry behind each bite
4 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
HOW WE USE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
There are few frequencies of electromagnetic radiation we haven't exploited, though some have their dangers...
2 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
A hospital superbug can feed on medical plastic
A superbug that commonly causes infections in hospitals can feed on the plastic used for medical interventions, potentially making it even more dangerous.
2 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
BENEATH GREENLAND'S ICE CAP
Explore the secret landscape concealed by the ice of this Arctic island nation
2 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
GIANT FLYING PTEROSAURS COULD WALK TOO
Ancient tracks reveal that many pterosaurs were just as comfortable walking on the ground as they were flying through the skies during the age of dinosaurs.
1 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
THE WORLD'S LONGEST UNDERSEA CABLE
Meta’s latest project could produce a subsea cable long enough to wrap around the world
2 min |
Issue 204

How It Works UK
WHAT IS VITILIGO?
When skin pigmentation is unevenly distributed, the result is unique patterns across the body
2 min |