WELCOME Issue 158

“If you can name it, Webb is likely

Dragon skin

© Getty Komodo dragons can grow up to

Landsat liftoff

© NASA/Bill Ingalls On 27 September 2021, Landsat

Mighty man o’ war

© Getty The Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia

Stellar cluster

© NASA, ESA and A. Nota (STScI/ESA) Around

Condor chicks have ‘virgin births’

GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live

WILDFIRES BURNED ANTARC TICA 75 MILLION YEARS AGO

Dinosaurs attempt to flee a wildfire on Antarctica

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is over 200 miles deep

On Jupiter, a storm’s been brewing for more

Your pupils can count… sort of

Research revealed that pupils expand when there are

GODZILLA NEBULA LOOKS LIKE A SPACE LIZARD

What do you see in this image of

Great white sharks mistakenly identify humans as prey

A great white shark with its jaws open

Huge hole discovered in Arctic’s ‘last ice’

A huge hole opened in the Arctic’s oldest,

SKELE TON OF MAN FLEEING VESUVIUS ERUP TION DISCOVERED

The bones of a man who was unable

Alien planet ‘aurorae’ may send signals towards Earth

Four brand-new alien planets have potentially been discovered

Ultrahot, ultrafast explosion has astronomers puzzled

The recently detected Camel explosion could have been

LIFE LOCKED INSIDE A RUBY

Traces of ancient life have been found inside

‘Hidden world’ discovered in Earth’s core

Earth’s inner core is made primarily of hot,

WISH LIST

Christmas gift guide

Christmas reading list

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2022 £20 / $28.95 AUTHOR:

FREE 2 eBooks FOR EVERY READER!

Grab yourself two fascinating, fact-packed How It Works specials for your digital device. Simply use the links below or scan the QR code to download

BRAINDUMP Amazing answers to your curious questions

Did you know? Wolves can eat nine kilograms of

THE LIBRARY

The latest book releases for curious minds

BRAIN GYM

NIGHT-TIME TALKING

LETTER of the MONTH

CAFFEINE IMMUNITY

Dear HIW, I used to drink huge amounts

ZIP LINE TESTING

In the US there are over 400 commercial

THE WORLD’S SMALLEST NATION

Vatican City is smaller than New York’s Central

TURTLE OR TORTOISE?

Tortoises usually live in hot, dry environments Dear

WE ASKED YOU

This month on Instagram, we asked you: Which

FAST FACTS

Amazing trivia that will blow your mind

EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be the most powerful in history, giving us the deepest ever view into space

How WEBB works

The telescope has some unique design features, like a segmented mirror and a huge sunshield

Launch and DEPLOYMENT

There’s a perfect spot in space for an infrared telescope, and Webb is heading there

Mission OBJECTIVES

Webb’s science goals are organised into four themes, addressing some of astronomy’s biggest questions

JWST SCIENCE Q&A

We ask NASA’s Dr Mike McElwain about his hopes for the new telescope

HOW THE PLANETS ORBI T

Why do the eight planets of the Solar System orbit on the same plane?

WHAT IS GRAVITY?

This natural phenomenon keeps planets in orbit and our feet on the ground

MEET THE POISON DART FROGS

These tiny amphibians are both colourful killers and dedicated parents

THE MOST POLLUTED PLACES ON EARTH

Discover the areas smothered by smog, poisoned by plastic and recovering from radiation

POLLUTION HOTSPOTS

Here are some of the most polluted places on Earth

CAMEL ANATOMY: HUMPS TO HOOVES

This mammal’s unique features allow it to thrive in desolate lands

SUPER TRACTORS

From the greatest in size and speed to the latest autonomous tech, could these tractors change the way we farm?

Who were the Knights Templar?

This holy Christian order was a powerful military and financial group for over two centuries

WHY THE Maya CIVILISATION COLLAPSED

What went wrong for this ancient South American nation?

INSIDE BATH’S ROYAL CRESCENT

Discover the history and architecture of this beautiful Georgian street

HOW BITCOIN MINING WORKS

Discover the tools that Bitcoin miners use to gain valuable cryptocurrency

FOLDING ELECTRIC BIKE TEARDOWN

How It Works takes apart the Xiaomi MiJia QiCycle

WHAT IF EARTH WAS FLAT?

Eight ways our world would get weird if we really lived on a disc

WHAT ARE ANTIOXIDANTS?

The protective chemicals found in fruit, vegetables and other foods are lifelines to our health

THE OZONE LAYER EXPLAINED

Learn about the layer of gas that surrounds and protects our planet