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Alien Invasion

How It Works

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Issue 114

Venture behind enemy lines on the biodiversity battlefield and weed out the ecological imposters 

- Ella Carter

Alien Invasion

Aliens are living among us. Humankind cannot escape and we are entirely at their mercy... It may sound like science fiction, but these alien invaders are nothing of the sort. However, they don’t hail from the outer reaches of our universe. In fact, they’re more likely to be found lurking under a rock in your backyard. In biology, an ‘alien’ or invasive species is quite simply one that is thriving somewhere it doesn’t naturally belong.

How these uninvited guests arrive and take hold can happen naturally, or it can be at the hands of us pesky humans. Sometimes the species are transported to their new habitats by mistake, where they hitch a ride on wind or water and get deposited in a new ecosystem. Other times they are introduced by human intervention, perhaps as a solution to another problem without proper knowledge of the species, or as a cute – yet underestimated – novelty that grows into a widespread pest.

As our ancestors began to travel further and further afield, they took plants and animals of all forms along with them for the ride – often unknowingly. In the ocean, larvae of all kinds can be whisked across the planet within ballast water on ships; creatures are transported within goods along trade routes; stowaways in baggage or on clothing can go anywhere in the world just by hopping on a plane with us – the list is endless! But once a species has found an environment in which to thrive, these introductions can have disastrous consequences for populations of native plants and animals.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA How It Works

How It Works UK

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

time to read

4 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

HOW FEATHERS GROW

A bird's proteinaceous plumage comes from the same source as our hair

time to read

1 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

HOW AIR PURIFIERS WORK

These filtration devices clean a room's air of particles that can make a person sick

time to read

1 min

Issue 208

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

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

time to read

3 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

WHY ARE KEYBOARDS QWERTY?

There's a reason why this seemingly random arrangement of letters is widely used on keyboard layouts

time to read

1 min

Issue 208

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

1 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

WHAT'S AN ANTI-DRONE GUN?

How these devices intercept and disable unmanned aerial vehicles

time to read

1 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

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.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 208

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