WELCOME

Issue 194 FOLLOW US: HOW IT WORKS MAGAZINE

Studying Ebola

This shows the filamentous particles of the Ebola

Satellite GOES to space

On 25 June 2024, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy

Carved from rock

Found in the ancient city of Petra, Ad-Deir

Pelican parade

Each year, tens of thousands of great white

‘Hypervirulent’ superbug detected in 16 countries

GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live in

Scientists achieve record-breaking data transmission speeds

R esearchers have achieved recordbreaking fibre-optic data transfer speeds

SCIENTIS TS JUST FIGURED OUT HOW THE SECOND EL NIÑO WORKS

Thunderclouds over the Pacific Ocean, where researchers identified

CURIOSITY ACCIDENTALLY REVEALS ULTRARARE MARTIAN CRYS TALS

Did you know? On average, Curiosity travels 30

T. rex could have been 70 per cent bigger

GLOBAL EYE

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

The Pyramid of Djoser is a six-tiered, four-sided

JUPITER’S SURREAL CLOUDS SWIRL IN ANEW PHOTO

Vivid clouds swirl across Jupiter’s skies like colourful

Sapphires form inside volcanoes, not deep in the mantle

Sapphires have a volcanic origin © Shutterstock /

Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular ageing

GLOBAL EYE

The Space Force is launching lasers into orbit

T he Space Force aims to better pinpoint the

3,500-YEAR-OLD SHOPPING LIS T UNEARTHED IN TURKEY

An Akkadian cuneiform tablet was discovered in Hatay,

WISH LIST

The latest PERSONALTRANSPORT

Is the amount of energy in the universe constant?

Amazing answers to your curious questions

SPACE

The latest book releases for curious minds

MAKE A TEALIGHT RISE

Practical projects to try at home

Had ago? Let us know!

If you’ve tried out any of our experiments – or conducted some of your own – let us know! Share your photos or videos with us on social media.

INBOX

Speak your mind

FAST FACTS

Amazing trivia that will blow your mind

Webb confirms the earliest known galaxy is erupting in stars

T he James Webb Space Telescope has spotted the

URBAN WILDLIFE

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

RED FOX EVOLUTION

How does an urban fox’s head differ from its rural cousin?

STREET SCAVENGERS

A city pigeon’s digestive system has adapted to digest the scraps of the streets

TREE FAMILY TREE

The London plane is an urban hybrid grown in the UK after two species were brought to Europe from different continents by explorers. How has it adapted to the big city?

METROPOLITAN MASTERY

These creatures have learned clever tricks to survive their urban environments

WHY HURRICANES ARE GETTING STRONGER

They’re getting more severe every season. What’s the link between these powerful tropical storms and climate change?

LIFTING THE LID ON ANTARCTICA

What was the coldest continent like without ice?

BENEATH THE ICE

Although the river gives us clues about the prehistoric topography of Antarctica, scientists still aren’t sure what the land looked like 34 million years ago

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

DO YOUR GENES PLAY A PART?

MC4R gene mutations are related to about six

TYPES OF FAT CELLS

BROWN Brown fat cells convert chemical energy into

IMPAC TING ORGANS

Where is fat stored and which type is harder to lose?

HORMONAL INFLUENCE

DID YOU KNOW? In 2022, one in eight

FAT-CONTROLLING MICROBES

Did you know? Fat has around nine calories

EXTERNAL FACTORS FOR GAINING FAT

1 DIET AND NUTRITION Eating foods with high

HOW DO ORGANS USE FAT?

You can get omega-3 from fish, avocado, eggs,

CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION

How does fat from your meal end up in adipose tissue?

MALE AND FEMALE DISTRIBUTION

How is fat stored differently in men and women’s bodies?

SHAPED BY HORMONES

The difference in male and female fat distribution

BIOLOGY OF OBESITY

How does obese fat tissue compare to normal fat tissue?

ENERGY STORAGE EVOLUTION

How human lifestyle changes have impacted how our bodies deal with fat

LIESBETH VAN ROSSUM

Internist-endocrinologist van Rossum of Erasmus University Medical Centre and the European Society of Endocrinology explains the complexity of causes behind the obesity epidemic

WHAT IS SUNBURN?

How solar rays can leave us red, sore and irritated

TYPES OF SUNBURN

FAT FIRST-DEGREE Also known as a superficial burn,

GETTING UNDER YOUR SKIN

Why UV rays wreak havoc on a cellular level, and how to stop them

MALE VERSUS FEMALE BRAINS

Our brains are wired differently. Are we born like this or is it something that develops?

HOW CHLORINE CLEANS POOLS

It’s the killer chemical that keeps you safe while you swim

THE POOL WATER CYCLE

How water is pumped through a system of skimmers and chlorine filters to stay clean

WHAT IS A DRY DOCK?

Ocean-going vessels are taken into these boat garages to keep them shipshape

BECOME A SMARTPHONE SCIENTIST

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

FULLY EQUIPPED

Our smartphones are packed with scientific instruments

BECOME A… MICROBIOLOGIST

Huawei’s microscope-camera technology will let you know how

BECOME AN… ECOLOGIST

DID YOU KNOW? In 2013, astronauts sent smartphone

BECOME A… SEISMOLOGIST

The MyShake app lets you view seismic activity

BECOME AN… ASTRONOMER

Your smartphone is packed with sensors that help

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

COMING BACK STRONGER

The first batch of concrete had to be

NEANDERTHAL LIVING

Why our prehistoric cousins were pioneers, not clueless apes

FOUND FAR AND WIDE

Where in the world have traces of Neanderthal settlements been uncovered?

INSIDE THE CAVE

How Neanderthals made their cavernous dwellings homey

THE GLOBAL WARMING ARCHAEOLOGY BONANZA

As our planet gets warmer, melting ice is uncovering more and more artefacts that provide fascinating insights into the lives of our ancestors

WISH YOU WERE HERE?

Have you ever dreamed of spending your holiday on another planet? You don’t have to leave Earth to find out what it would be like…

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

THE SKYLAB RESCUE CAPSULE

The mission, which never had to fly, would have used a modified Apollo Command Module

WHERE TO FIND EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE

The number of places across the cosmos that could be concealing life are too many to count

BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM

These exoplanets might mimic Earth enough to support life of their own