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Intestines under a microscope

The small intestine is a tube-like organ forming

Underwater moons

© Getty Aurelia limbata is found in the

Up, up, and away

© Getty Every year, typically in spring or

New view of creation

© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Joseph DePasquale, Anton

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

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?

© Getty At 13 metres long and weighing

What are the giant stone heads on Easter Island?

The giant stone heads on Easter Island were

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

How your intelligence compares to other clever members of the animal kingdom

DID YOU KNOW? Electrical signals in the brain

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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