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What are the giant stone heads on Easter Island?

Sean Stamp

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How It Works
Issue 172
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WELCOME
WELCOME
SCAN HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO LIVESCIENCE’S NEWSLETTER “Using
REGULARS
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Underwater moons
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Up, up, and away
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New view of creation
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Two people receive a world-first lab-grown blood transfusion
HEALTH
THE OLDES T KNOWN PLANT GENOME CAME FROM A STONE AGE WATERMELON
Watermelons weren’t always the sweet, juicy fruit we
‘Artificial’ photosynthesis could lead to new fuels
A method of artificial photosynthesis could get humans
A 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite may reveal the origin of Earth’s water
The meteorite landed in a driveway in the
THE PESKY ‘LEAP SECOND’ WILL BE ABOLISHED BY 2035
A close-up photo of Big Ben in London
Mars may be ripping its largest moon apart
Mars’ largest moon Phobos shows signs of being ripped
ORGAN-ON-CHIP REPLICATES EARLY PREGNANCY
This ‘organ-on-a-chip’ is about the size of a
The Devils Hole pupfish is so inbred that it shouldn’t be alive
The Devils Hole pupfish is small, blue and
Ötzi the Iceman’s corpse moved after death
A reconstruction of Ötzi on display at the
Crushed-up planets around dead stars could rewrite history
An illustration of a young planet forming from
Fluorescent flashes reveal the secrets of the ‘touch-me-not’ plant
Bright flashes running down the spines of shameplant
JUVENILE BIRD BREAKS THE RECORD FOR LONGEST NON-STOP FLIGHT
A bird recently broke the world record for
WISH LIST
The latest tech for HEALTH AND FITNESS
Which is hotter: the centre of the Earth or surface of the Sun?
Nick McDonald The temperature at Earth’s core and at the surface of the Sun are very similar. We can estimate the Sun’s surface temperature by studying the colour of the surface, together with the continuous spectrum emitted by the Sun. When a piece of metal is heated it starts glowing red, then changes progressively to bluish-white as it gets hotter. Similarly, the colour of the Sun’s surface is an indicator of temperature. Using this information, we can get a reasonable estimate for the surface temperature of around 5,778 Kelvin, or 5,505 degrees Celsius. The core of the Earth is mainly composed of an alloy of the metals iron and nickel under very high pressure. Scientists can examine the properties of materials such as iron under pressure in the laboratory. Using such methods, we can calculate that the temperature at the core is about 5,700 Kelvin, or 5,430 degrees Celsius.
Was the T. rex the biggest dinosaur ever?
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RECYCLING IN THE GARDEN
GREEN-FINGERED AND ECO-FRIENDLY
HEDY LAMARR
THE GIRL INVENTOR WHO HELPED DEFEAT THE NAZIS
WHEN DINOSAURS CONQUERED THE SKIES
THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF BIRD EVOLUTION
DARWIN’S SUPER-POOPING WORM SPECTACULAR
FINDING THE HIDDEN POWERS OF THE EARTHWORM
THE CREATIVE LIVES OF ANIMALS
REMARKABLE WAYS THAT ANIMALS THRIVE
MAKE A HOLOGRAM
Watch as 3D objects are projected from your smartphone’s screen in this simple project
ATOMS VERSUS CARDS
Dear HIW, I was on holiday with a friend and got into a heated discussion. He claimed that there are more possible ways to shuffle a pack of cards than there are atoms in the Earth. Is this true? Can you explain to me how this is possible as I just can’t believe it
CAT REVENGE
Dear HIW, Did you know that cats take revenge on humans that upset them? I have experienced this behaviour on three different occasions. On one occasion I roughly pushed my neighbour’s cat off my porch chair. The next day I found that the cat had come back and left a poop on the chair. Then there was the time when I chased the same cat off my pathway. Again it left a poop on the path the next day. Another time a cat was taking an unhealthy interest watching a budgie in a cage. When I moved the cage out of the cat’s reach, it reacted by jumping up angrily onto me as if to say this was my bird, and you had no right to interfere!
DRAIN HACKS
Dear HIW, I have a shower drain that keeps overflowing. Drain unblockers refuse to work. Do you know a science hack?
DELIVERY DILEMMA
Dear HIW, Does next-day delivery make general delivery times slower? Do they push back the loading of items into lorries that haven’t paid for next-day to make room for the priority parcels?
HEALTHY DRINKING
Dear HIW, After reading about microplastics in How It Works, it got me wondering whether I should replace my water bottle. It is a plastic reusable sports bottle. Could I ingest small amounts of plastic by using it?
FAST FACTS
Amazing trivia that will blow your mind
SPECIAL
How your intelligence compares to other clever members of the animal kingdom
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Can you beat the How It Works team?
Put your IQ to the test with these perplexing puzzles and see how you compare against team How It Works. You’ve got 15 minutes, starting… now!
SCIENCE
HOW CHEESE IS MADE
From dairy farm to cheesemonger, explore the art of turning spoiled milk into a favourite foodstuff
WHAT IS NITROUS OXIDE?
Discover the science of laughing gas
WHY DO GOLF BALLS HAVE DIMPLES?
The bumpy science that will get you closer to scoring under par
TRANSPORT
INSIDE THE WORLD’S LARGEST WARSHIP
Step aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and see how it compares to other giant warships
INSIDE A COMBINE HARVESTER
This specialist machine is a farmer’s go-to vehicle for harvesting crops
ENVIRONMENT
The forces of EVOLUTION
What’s the big idea behind the theory of evolution, and why do species evolve?
HOW CATS PURR
Discover the purpose of this distinctive feline sound and why a purring cat is not always a happy one
SPACE
HOW TO FIND THE BRIGHTEST STARS
See some of the most notable stars in the night sky tonight
WHAT COLOUR IS THE SUN?
The answer depends on whether you’re on Earth or in space
TECHNOLOGY
E-WASTE EARTH VS ELECTRONICS
How electronic waste is recycled and why it can be so harmful to our planet
HOW DOES A COMPASS WORK?
The compass has revolutionised how we find our way, making it possible to reach a destination when other means of navigation aren’t possible
HOW HOLOGRAMS ARE PRINTED
Credit cards, bank notes and more: the many uses for applying 3D images to a 2D surface
HISTORY
YOU’D BETTER WATCH OUT
Scared? You should be! We delve into the mysterious origins of one of the strangest characters of Christmas folklore
ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE
How this Welsh naturalist helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution
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