WELCOME

Issue 162

Head of a hydroid

© Getty Hydroids are invertebrates that either live alone

Tranquil galaxy

© ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Jones, A. Riess

Forest stomper

© Alamy The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus

Changing waters

© NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens,

Long-necked dinosaurs could have had even longer necks

GLOBAL EYE

LIGHTNING BOLT BREAKS RECORD FOR LONGEST EVER RECORDED

A lightning mapper on the GOES-16 satellite captured

Flatworm species named after pandemic

Scientists have discovered a hammerhead flatworm species that

Everest glacier has lost 2,000 years of ice since the 1990s

Sunset is coming for South Col, the highest

430-YEAR-OLD NINJA WEAPONS IDENTIFIED

A hand-coloured illustration of mid-18th century Japan depicting

The ISS will plunge into the sea in 2031

The orbiting laboratory, which launched in 1998, will

THREE GALAXIES TEAR EACH OTHER APART

Corkscrewing through the cosmos, three distant galaxies collide

Cat brains are shrinking, and it’s humans’ fault

Thousands of years of human dependence has shrunk

Nine out of ten ticks carried fatal virus

Ixodes scapularis, also called the black-legged tick or

‘Death receptor’ could help drive Type 1 diabetes

People with Type 1 diabetes often use a

‘Weirdest wonder’ of evolution had even weirder cousin

With five eyes, a backwards-facing mouth and a

JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE SNAPS STARRY HEXAGON

A single star repeats in a hexagonal pattern

WISH LIST

The latest SCIENCEKITS

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

THE LIBRARY

The latest book releases for curious minds

BRAIN GYM

Give your brain a puzzle workout

MAKE MAGIC SPUD MUD

Explore the mesmerising properties of this unique, gooey substance using the humble potato

INBOX

Speak your mind

Inside the ATOM SMASHER

EXPLORE THE 16.6-MILE LENGTH OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PARTICLE ACCELERATOR AND DISCOVER THE INCREDIBLE NEW EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED BY THE LHC

HOW THE OSCARS BEGAN

2022 marks the 94th Academy Awards: we explore the history, glories and controversies of the biggest film awards ceremony in the world

FORMULA 1 EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Discover the race cars, technology, drivers and crews behind the world’s biggest and most popular motorsport

HOW PUSH BIKE GEARS WORK

Understanding this mechanism can improve your control over your bicycle

LASER SURGERY

How does this knife-like light cut, alter and repair our bodies?

MEET THE PL ASTIC-EATING BACTERIA

Tiny organisms could have a massive impact on our environmental plastic problem

THE POWER OF ANAESTHESIA

How doctors use precise amounts of drugs to render patients insensitive to pain

WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION?

How artificial light is keeping the true night sky in the dark

HOW BEES MAKE HONEY

This process turns nectar into a sticky, sweet substance

BUILDING DEMOLITION EXPL AINED

How houses, high-rises and other tall structures are collapsed into rubble

HOW A GEIGER COUNTER WORKS

These handy devices measure radiation levels, producing an iconic clicking sound

WHAT IS A FIREWALL?

Discover how your computer filters out threats while allowing you access to everything you want to look at online

SUPERMASSIV BLACK HOLES

A look at the mysterious giants that lurk at the hearts of most galaxies

VIEWING DEEP SPACE FROM EARTH

How radio telescopes piece together photos of deep space from all around the world