In this issue

Nautomate: life-saving autonomous boats
Discover the marine rescue technology that removes humans from dirty and dangerous missions.

Super SpaceX rocket engine
This revolutionary new Raptor propulsion system is set to change space launches..

COULD A SUPERNOVA WORDS ANDREW MAY ENGULF EARTH?

We put some intriguing, baffling and bizarre space questions under the spotlight

8 mins

Understanding MENTAL HEALTH

Take a tour of the brain to discover the origins of anxiety and how to tackle it

8 mins

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 mins

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 mins

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 mins

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 mins

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 mins

HOW STONEHENGE WAS BUILT

Who built this stone circle and how was this ancient feat of engineering pulled off?

6 mins

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 mins

WHAT ARE ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS?

Some natural products are drastically transformed by the food industry, and regularly eating them can affect our health

3 mins

WHAT IS THE SMELL OF RAIN?

After rainfall, this distinctive aroma is released from the soil

1 min

Galileo's GREATEST DISCOVERIES

Peer into the mind of this trailblazing astronomer and discover his pioneering observations

7 mins

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 mins

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 mins

INSECT INSPIRATION

Why flies have had an impact on science

2 mins

WHY WE NEED FLIES

They’re some of the strangest and most reviled insects on the planet, but they’re also incredibly useful

5 mins

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 mins

HOW DIALYSIS MACHINES WORK

These lifesaving devices take over the role of failing kidneys

3 mins

WHAT IF THERE WAS NO GRAVITY?

How this fundamental force controls the way things move on Earth and throughout the universe

9 mins

Fungi seem to 'sweat' to stay cool

Mushrooms, and possibly all fungi, have the ability to cool down by ‘sweating’ away water

2 mins

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 mins

A lung cancer pill drastically cuts the risk of death after surgery

A once-daily pill halved people’s risk of dying from a common lung cancer when they took the drug after tumour-removal surgery, new trial data shows

1 min

'Reanimated' hearts can be successfully transplanted

A method for ‘reanimating’ organ donors’ hearts works just as well as the standard approach to collecting hearts for transplantation, new trial data shows. If widely applied, the method could increase the heart donor pool by an estimated 30 per cent

2 mins

An unearthed dinosaur could be a 'missing link'

Palaeontologists have unearthed a never-before-seen raptor-like dinosaur that lived during a period of extreme climate change around 100 million years ago

2 mins

The world's most painful ant sting targets nerves like scorpion venom

Ants that inflict the world’s most painful stings do so by injecting venom that targets their victim’s nerve cells

1 min

Earth is getting hotter despite government pledges

Average global temperatures are rising at an ever faster rate despite pledges by world leaders to tackle climate change

2 mins

SCUBA DIVING SCIENCE

Deep dive into the physics, physiology and equipment of this popular sport

3 mins

HOW LOUDSPEAKERS MAKE SOUND

This box of electromagnets transforms electrical currents into sound waves

2 mins

HOW TO TAKE OFF VERTICALLY

These aircraft have ditched the runway and can shoot straight up into the sky

5 mins

HOW SUNDIALS TELL TIME

These ancient time-keeping devices keep track of Earth's movements around the Sun

3 mins

Read all stories from How It Works UK

How It Works UK Magazine Description:

The magazine that feeds minds, Welcome to How It Works, the magazine that explains everything you never knew you wanted to know about the world we live in. Loaded with fully illustrated guides and expert knowledge, and with sections dedicated to science, technology, transportation, space, history and the environment, no subject is too big or small for How It Works to explain.