CATEGORIES

THE POWER OF WATER
How It Works UK

THE POWER OF WATER

We're hooked on fossil fuels. But hydroelectric power is becoming an increasingly important replacement for coal and oil

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 195
EXPLORING THE MOON'S CAVES
How It Works UK

EXPLORING THE MOON'S CAVES

Earth's rocky neighbour is home to a network of unexplored caves, and scientists are keen to take a peek inside

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 195
HOW TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT
How It Works UK

HOW TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT

The campaigns, votes and elections that put someone in America's most powerful office

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 195
WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS?
How It Works UK

WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS?

Why some pregnancies can cause nausea and vomiting

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
20 WEIRDEST SCIENCE MYSTERIES
How It Works UK

20 WEIRDEST SCIENCE MYSTERIES

From dark matter to deep-sea crabs, science still can't fully explain these strange quirks of nature

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 195
THE TRIANGULUM GALAXY SHINES IN A NEW HUBBLE IMAGE
How It Works UK

THE TRIANGULUM GALAXY SHINES IN A NEW HUBBLE IMAGE

A nearby galaxy is shining with star formation in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 195
The world's fastest charger fully powers smartphones in five minutes
How It Works UK

The world's fastest charger fully powers smartphones in five minutes

Scientists have revealed the fastest battery-charging technology in the world for smartphones, which can fully charge a smartphone in less than five minutes.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trials
How It Works UK

Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trials

Brain stimulation that rapidly adjusts in real-time can dramatically reduce Parkinson’s symptoms, an early trial suggests.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
The hottest ocean temperature in 400 years threatens the Great Barrier Reef
How It Works UK

The hottest ocean temperature in 400 years threatens the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is facing the hottest sea surface temperatures in four centuries.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
Massive medieval coin hoard worth about 150 sheep' discovered
How It Works UK

Massive medieval coin hoard worth about 150 sheep' discovered

Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed over 1,500 medieval silver coins after a citizen noticed what looked like ‘small metal plates’ while digging during a construction project.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
THE WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON DIES AGED 117 YEARS OLD
How It Works UK

THE WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON DIES AGED 117 YEARS OLD

Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest person in the world, has died.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 195
A new reactor could triple yields of a valuable chemical
How It Works UK

A new reactor could triple yields of a valuable chemical

A new reactor could turn wastewater into drinking water while also generating one of the world’s most sought-after chemicals.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
NASA'S SOLAR SAIL SPREADS ITS WINGS IN SPACE
How It Works UK

NASA'S SOLAR SAIL SPREADS ITS WINGS IN SPACE

Over four months after launching to space, a solar-sailing spacecraft has spread its wings above our planet.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 195
Albatross eating mice sentenced to death by 'bombing'
How It Works UK

Albatross eating mice sentenced to death by 'bombing'

Invasive mice are eating albatrosses alive on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, so conservationists have come up with an explosive solution: ‘bombing’ the mice.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
XB-1 PROTOTYPE ACES ITS SECOND TEST FLIGHT
How It Works UK

XB-1 PROTOTYPE ACES ITS SECOND TEST FLIGHT

Colorado-based company Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft flew for the second time ever on 26 August 2024.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 195
Deep-sea Arctic microbes may harbour next-generation antibiotics
How It Works UK

Deep-sea Arctic microbes may harbour next-generation antibiotics

The frigid waters of the Arctic may harbour the secret to a totally new type of antibiotic.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
Physicists solve a nuclear fusion.mystery with mayonnaise
How It Works UK

Physicists solve a nuclear fusion.mystery with mayonnaise

Nuclear fusion technology could get a breakthrough from an unexpected place: mayonnaise. In a new study, scientists plopped the creamy condiment into a churning machine and set it whirling to see what conditions made it flow.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 195
RESCUE IN SPACE
How It Works UK

RESCUE IN SPACE

Fortunately, space emergencies are a rare occurrence, but astronauts and space agencies need to be prepared for any eventuality that might arise

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 194
NEANDERTHAL LIVING
How It Works UK

NEANDERTHAL LIVING

Why our prehistoric cousins were pioneers, not clueless apes

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 194
BUILDING ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER
How It Works UK

BUILDING ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER

One World Trade Center rose from the ashes of the Twin Towers. Now, as the tallest building in New York City, it looks to the skies and the future. Here's how this sustainable and secure record-breaker was built

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 194
BECOME A SMARTPHONE SCIENTIST
How It Works UK

BECOME A SMARTPHONE SCIENTIST

Amazing tips and tricks to transform your smartphone into a bug-finding, star-spotting, data-gathering device

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 194
LIFTING THE LID ON ANTARCTICA
How It Works UK

LIFTING THE LID ON ANTARCTICA

What was the coldest continent like without ice?

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 194
URBAN WILDLIFE
How It Works UK

URBAN WILDLIFE

How wild animals have evolved to thrive alongside humans in towns and cities

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 194
WHAT IS SUNBURN?
How It Works UK

WHAT IS SUNBURN?

How solar rays can leave us red, sore and irritated

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 194
ALL ABOUT FAT
How It Works UK

ALL ABOUT FAT

Fat is a complex, active organ. Here's how genetics, evolution, lifestyle and diet dictate how much we have beneath our skin

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 194
The Space Force is launching lasers into orbit
How It Works UK

The Space Force is launching lasers into orbit

The Space Force aims to better pinpoint the location of Earth's true centre using lasers on GPS satellites, slated to launch in 2025. A set of Laser Retroreflector Arrays, or LRAS, will be installed onto two GPS III satellites, SV9 and SV10, as part of NASA's Space Geodesy Program. The lasers are designed to make precise sub-centimetre measurements using a technique called Satellite Laser Ranging, which will allow researchers to more accurately determine Earth's centre.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 194
Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular ageing
How It Works UK

Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular ageing

A nutrient-rich diet with few added sugars may slow the rate of biological ageing in women. Scientists found that middle-aged women who ate more foods packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants had 'younger looking' cells than those who consumed less nutrient-rich diets.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 194
Sapphires form inside volcanoes, not deep in the mantle
How It Works UK

Sapphires form inside volcanoes, not deep in the mantle

Brilliant-blue sapphires look like bits of sky brought down to Earth, but a new study finds these gemstones are from a different boundary: the one between the planet's crust and magma welling up from the mantle, Earth's middle layer. Sapphires have been thought to form in the mantle itself or in the lower sections of the crust.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 194
Webb confirms the earliest known galaxy is erupting in stars
How It Works UK

Webb confirms the earliest known galaxy is erupting in stars

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted the earliest galaxy ever seen, and its unusually bright light is coming from a bizarre frenzy of star formation. Named JADES-GS-z14-0, the galaxy formed at least 290 million years after the Big Bang and contains stars that have been bursting into life since an estimated 200 million years after our universe began.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 194
Ancient Egyptians may have used a hydraulic lift to build the first pyramid
How It Works UK

Ancient Egyptians may have used a hydraulic lift to build the first pyramid

Ancient Egyptians may have used an elaborate hydraulic system to construct the world's first pyramid. Known as the Pyramid of Djoser, the step pyramid was built around 4,700 years ago on the Saqqara plateau, an archaeological site in northern Egypt.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 194

Side 1 of 4

1234 Neste