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NEXT-GENERATION NUCLEAR REACTOR
How It Works UK
|Issue 208
Could molten thorium be the future of nuclear power?
Around nine per cent of the world's electricity comes from just 440 nuclear power reactors. Each one relies on energy emitted from a nuclear fission reaction, typically generated by a 'fissile' material such as uranium or plutonium. When bombarded with subatomic particles called neutrons, the atoms of fissile materials are broken apart into two smaller nuclei. The energy byproduct of the reaction is harnessed to generate electricity for us to charge our smartphones and keep the lights on. However, there's a slightly radioactive material called thorium that could change nuclear energy production in a major way.
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FLERE HISTORIER FRA 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
4 mins
Issue 208
How It Works UK
HOW FEATHERS GROW
A bird's proteinaceous plumage comes from the same source as our hair
1 mins
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 mins
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
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 mins
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 mins
Issue 208
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
1 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 mins
Issue 208
How It Works UK
WHAT'S AN ANTI-DRONE GUN?
How these devices intercept and disable unmanned aerial vehicles
1 mins
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 mins
Issue 208
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