Education
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 |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
50,000-year-old Neanderthal bones harbour the oldest known human viruses
Meanderthals who lived 50,000 years ago were infected with three viruses that still affect modern humans today, researchers have discovered.
2 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
A new study shows crows can count out loud
Crows can count out loud, a startling new study has revealed, and they may even have the same numeracy skills as human toddlers.
2 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
Canadian 'super pigs' are likely to invade the northern US
Feral 'super pigs' in Canada could soon trample across the US border.
2 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
Heavy metals in Beethoven's hair may explain his deafness
High levels of heavy metals detected in Ludwig van Beethoven's hair reveal that he may have had lead poisoning, possibly contributing to his deafness and other illnesses.
2 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
The bizarre evolutionary roots of upside-down baobab trees revealed
The iconic 'upside-down' baobab tree first emerged on the island of Madagascar, new research into its tangled evolutionary history has revealed.
1 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
The James Webb Space Telescope sees the birth of three ancient galaxies
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope may have detected some of the earliest galaxies in the known universe in the midst of being born.
2 min |
Issue 192
How It Works UK
COULD A SUPERNOVA WORDS ANDREW MAY ENGULF EARTH?
We put some intriguing, baffling and bizarre space questions under the spotlight
8 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
Understanding MENTAL HEALTH
Take a tour of the brain to discover the origins of anxiety and how to tackle it
8 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
DNA reveals that ancient American lineage goes back 18,000 years
Members of the Blackfoot Confederacy have an ancient lineage that goes back 18,000 years. This means that Indigenous peoples living in the Great Plains of Montana and southern Alberta today can trace their origins to ice age predecessors.
2 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
A sleeping subduction zone could swallow the Atlantic
A subduction zone below the Gibraltar Strait is creeping westward and could one day ‘invade’ the Atlantic Ocean, causing the ocean to slowly close up.
2 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
An underwater mountain hosts creatures unknown to science
An underwater mountain chain off Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, hosts an astonishing array of deep-sea species, at least 50 of which are new to science.
2 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
A group of 60 ultra-faint stars could be a new type of galaxy
A stronomers have spotted the faintest and lightest satellite galaxy ever found: a minuscule, tight-knit group of stars trailing the Milky Way.
2 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
A drone with a rotating detonation rocket engine' approached the speed of sound
venus Aerospace has completed the inaugural test flight of a drone fitted with its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), accelerating it to just under the speed of sound.
2 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
HOW STONEHENGE WAS BUILT
Who built this stone circle and how was this ancient feat of engineering pulled off?
6 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
ANIMALS ON THE BRINK
Meet some of the most critically endangered animals from around the world and discover why they're on the brink of extinction
10 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
WHAT ARE ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS?
Some natural products are drastically transformed by the food industry, and regularly eating them can affect our health
3 min |
Issue 190
How It Works UK
WHAT IS THE SMELL OF RAIN?
After rainfall, this distinctive aroma is released from the soil
1 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
Galileo's GREATEST DISCOVERIES
Peer into the mind of this trailblazing astronomer and discover his pioneering observations
7 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
WHY JUPITER'S GREAT RED SPOT IS VANISHING
Jupiter’s complex weather system is sapping its famous red spot at an alarming rate. And scientists predict the feature could vanish within our lifetimes
2 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
HOW ARE CARS RECYCLED?
Step into one of the UK’s largest car recycling centres to discover the secrets of a vehicle disassembly line
5 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
INSECT INSPIRATION
Why flies have had an impact on science
2 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
WHY WE NEED FLIES
They’re some of the strangest and most reviled insects on the planet, but they’re also incredibly useful
5 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
WHERE DOES YOUR POO GO?
Following the flush, your body’s waste undergoes a long journey as it’s prepped to return safely to the environment
2 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
HOW DIALYSIS MACHINES WORK
These lifesaving devices take over the role of failing kidneys
3 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
WHAT IF THERE WAS NO GRAVITY?
How this fundamental force controls the way things move on Earth and throughout the universe
9 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
Fungi seem to 'sweat' to stay cool
Mushrooms, and possibly all fungi, have the ability to cool down by ‘sweating’ away water
2 min |
Issue 179
How It Works UK
Hundreds of ancient, invisible structures discovered near our galaxy's centre
Astronomers have discovered hundreds of strange, string-like structures at the centre of our galaxy, possibly tracing the violent path of an ancient black hole eruption
2 min |