WELCOME

Issue 171

MEET THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS

DR ANDREW MAY Andrew has a PhD in

Global eye

© Getty Red-nosed lanternfly Although they might not

Cosmic energy jet breaks the laws of physics

Showcasing the incredible world we live in

BURIED TREASURE OF 44 BYZANTINE GOLD COINS DISCOVERED

Most of the gold coins depict the likeness

Massive Martian meteor impact is the largest ever recorded

On 24 December 2021, a magnitude 4.0 marsquake

Scientists design an algorithm that ‘reads’ people’s thoughts

Using fMRI, scientists decoded what people were hearing

COLLAPSED OBSERVATORY OFFERS AS TEROID WARNING FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE

Scientists have published a huge study on near-Earth

Fungi grow inside cancerous tumours

Fungal DNA was found in different types of

THE CIA WANTS TO BRING BACK WOOLLY MAMMOTHS

Woolly mammoths have been extinct for thousands of

Emperor penguins join the threatened species list

Climate change has pushed emperor penguins, the largest

Ozone layer hole has grown for a third year in a row

A false-colour view of the monthly averaged total

Powerful ocean currents snap Antarctic iceberg in two

Iceberg A-68a, one of the largest ever recorded,

UFOs are finally getting a big NASA study

NASA has launched a nine-month study into UFOs,

CHINESE MOON MISSION UPENDS THEORIES OF LUNAR VOLCANISM

An analysis of lunar samples returned by China’s

WISH LIST

The latest tech for CHRISTMAS

How many animals have been to space?

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: HOW IT WORKS MAGAZINE

HOW DOES KEVLAR STOP A BULLET?

Tom Boon Kevlar is able to stop a

HOW DO NANOTECHNOLOGY FACELIFT CREAMS WORK?

Romana Richards There is little research available in

WHAT ARE HALLUCINATIONS?

Bob Lowe Hallucinations are perceptions in a conscious

What is an itch?

© Alamy / Getty Lewis Johnson An itch

HOW DOES A SLOW WORM CUT ITS OWN TAIL OFF TO EVADE PREDATORS?

Did you know? Slow worms are native to

WILL THE INTERNET EVER GET FULL?

@suenatal There’s an ongoing debate about this, and

Why does the grass grow in summer and not in winter?

Andy White Very simply, grass doesn’t grow as

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPORES AND SEEDS?

Pam Daniels Both spores and seeds perform a

Is the world really round?

Mike Williams If the world’s surface could be

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALLERGIES?

@jellyjobean Allergies can be caused by two things:

How does a shark navigate?

Did you know? Sharks have been on Earth

DOES A USB STICK OR SD CARD STORE ANY DATA FROM ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN ERASED?

Clare Leahy There’s a common misconception that once

WHY DO TORTOISES LIVE SO LONG?

Andy Mayer Some animals live a very fast,

WHY DO THE BULBS IN MY GARDEN GROW IN DIFFERENT COLOURS EACH YEAR?

Robert Smith They are almost certainly not the

Who arranged the periodic table, and when?

© Alamy / Getty Matt Lathan The

HOW THE VICTORIANS TOOK US TO THE MOON

THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS WHO SHAPED THE SPACE RACE OVER 100 YEARS AGO

OUR TIME ON EARTH

ANIMAL LIFE SPANS, FROM THE MAYFLY TO THE IMMORTAL JELLYFISH

THE ASTRONAUT’S GUIDE TO LEAVING THE PLANET

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, FROM TRAINING TO RE-ENTRY

HUMAN BODY LEARNING LAB

TOUR THE HUMAN BODY AND DISCOVER HOW YOUR ANATOMY WORKS

PLANETS

BLAST OFF ON A TOUR AROUND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

BRAIN GYM

Spot the dif ference

See if you can find all six changes between the images below

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS

Q1 Who is known as the ‘father of

MAKE A ROBOTIC ARM

What will you pick up with your homemade mechanical arm?

TASMANIA TRAGEDY

Dear HIW, There was recently a mass whale

MICROPLASTIC REDUCTION

Dear HIW, Issue 170 featured an article on

NEXT ISSUE

ISSUE 172

YOUR MOUTH MICROBIOME

WIN! AN AMAZING PRIZE FOR LET TER OF

HALLOWEEN HELP

Dear HIW, Like many of my friends, I carved a pumpkin to put outside for Halloween. But I didn’t know what to do with the insides. I wasted quite a lot of it this year – how can I reuse it?

WE ASKED YOU

This month on social media, we asked you: Which of the four seasons is your favourite?

FAST FACTS

Amazing trivia that will blow your mind

HOW AI WILL CHANGE YOUR FUTURE

Artificial intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Here are the many ways it’s changing our world

BAT TLEFIELD ROBOT DOGS

Meet Britain’s newest four-legged mechanical soldiers

HOW AIRTAGS TRACK YOUR BELONGINGS

These discreet discs keep people connected to their prized possessions

HOW DOES CENTRAL HEATING WORK?

The hot water systems that keep your home warm and comfortable

THE POWER OF PASTEURISATION

How the process of preheating our food keeps us safe from deadly germs

LIGHTNING ROD PROTECTION

How these vital structures found on tall buildings alter the path of lightning

KETCHUP SCIENCE

Unbottle the chemistry of this popular condiment and the physics behind its flow

SEE INSIDE A SEGWAY

How these two-wheeled vehicles let you glide smoothly over terrain

LIFE-SAVING CRASH HELMETS

How headgear limits injuries and saves lives during small falls and serious crashes

SECRETS OF THE PYRAMIDS

Has the monumental mystery of their construction been solved at last?

MEET THE MAKERS

How work on the great wonder wasn’t as slavish as thought

A RIDDLE IN THE SANDS

Piecing together a giant jigsaw puzzle has revealed Giza’s secrets

A GOD-KING’S SECRET

Uncovering Khufu’s final resting place

INSIDE THE PENTAGON

Explore the US Department of Defense’s headquarters and discover the many high-security areas this iconic building houses

HUNTING HURRICANES

What are hurricanes and how can we tell when they’re coming?

THE MAKING OF A HURRICANE

It’s not uncommon for storms to stack up

ARE HURRICANES GET TING STRONGER?

As Earth’s climate changes, extreme weather is too

INTERVIEW WITH A HURRICANE SCIENTIST

Dr Jordan J. Gerth, a physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), talks to us about using satellites for hurricane forecasting

HOW ICEBERGS FORM

Discover the life cycles of these giant chilly chunks of glacial debris

AI AVOIDANCE

Many people are aware of the tragic story

TAKING SHAPE

Types of icebergs

WHY LEAVES TURN BROWN IN AUTUMN

Earth’s deciduous plants lose their luscious green leaves during this changing of the seasons

HOW SILK IS MADE

The science of silk ‘worms’ and how their fabric is harvested

HOW TO BREATHE IN SPACE

Space is an airless vacuum, but thanks to technology, astronauts can breathe as easily as they do on Earth

LIFE-SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY

The ISS has an enormous internal volume that

IN-SITU RESOURCE UTILISATION

An engineering model of MOXIE used for testing