WELCOME

© Alamy “A pendulum can absorb an earthquake’s

Mindboggling roads

© Alamy In 2017, a multi-level, 20-road flyover

Swallowed whole

© Alamy This egg-eating snake is one of

Hairy microbes

© Alamy This is a Paramecium ,

Giant reflector installation

© alamy In December 2024, a 34-metre-wide steel

500,000-year-old treasure trove of fossils discovered in a sinkhole

GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live in

Cheating little penguins are big on divorce

Little penguins can live with their partners for

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER A MISSHAPEN COSMIC PREDATOR

Elliptical galaxy NGC 3640 is situated just above

Brain damage-healing cell type discovered

An illustration of known astrocytes in the brain

FRENCH SCIENTISTS SMASH CHINA’S FUSION RECORD

Artist’s impression of the inside of a nuclear

Mars might be red for a different reason

Temperatures on the dusty surface of Mars can

A STRANGE X-RAY FLASH FROM BEYOND OUR GALAXY PERPLEXES SCIENTISTS

The ‘remarkable’ XRT 200515 cosmic explosion observed by

An oceanic plate from the time of Pangaea is tearing apart

A view of the Zagros Mountains in Iran,

‘Ancient’ part of the brain might tell you when to stop eating

Neurons found in one of the oldest regions

Evolution may be to blame for scratchy itches

It’s probably still better to try and ignore

Rabbits may be eating their own teeth

A rabbit’s incisors can grow up to 2.4

KATY PERRY WILL BE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE WITH A HISTORIC ALLFEMALE CREW

Katy Perry performing during the opening ceremony of

WISH LIST

HEALTH AND FITNESS

What percentage of stars go supernova?

Amazing answers to your curious questions

Why do Chinese dragons resemble snakes?

Mythical snake-like dragons date back to artefacts discovered in northeast China as early as 5000 BCE, but it’s not known why they resemble snakes. The earliest depictions of dragons were called pig dragons – small jade sculptures featuring a pig’s head with a coiled body. Early versions looked more like a foetus, with the longer serpentine body becoming popular later. In Chinese culture, dragons are synonymous with water and are said to be the masters of rainfall, waterfalls, rivers and seas. This could partly explain their serpentine form as a swimming mechanism similar to an eel, or perhaps the wavy snake-like shape was a reason dragons became associated with water. Traditionally, it’s not only snakes that dragon depicters have borrowed from – there are many other anatomical resemblances found in Chinese dragons, including stag horns, carp scales, tiger feet and eagle claws.

Can we tame tigers?

Not in the way you might tame a dog or break in a horse. Dogs and horses have been domesticated for millennia, and selective breeding has gradually favoured the genes that make them more friendly. Tigers – even raised from a cub – retain all their predatory instincts. In Thailand, ‘tame’ tigers live in a monastery side by side with the monks and tourists, but it’s a precarious balance. Roy Horn of the entertainment double act Siegfried & Roy was critically injured in 2003 when the tiger he had performed with for six years bit him.

THE LIBRARY

The latest book releases for curious minds

Spot the difference

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

MAKE A WIND-POWERED CAR

Design and build your own personalised vehicle that rolls with the wind

MARTIAN HUMANS

Dear HIW , With Elon Musk keen on setting up a Martian colony, how would a person born and raised on Mars look?

FUZZY FRUITS

Peach fuzz protects fruit from insects and pests

PLAY OF THE PAST

Dear HIW , What’s the oldest toy ever

FLYING FISH

A flying fish soaring above the Atlantic Dear

CROC OR NOT

Adult crocodiles have 68 to 80 teeth Dear

HOW IT WORK

Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1

FAST FACTS

Amazing trivia that will blow your mind

MEGA QUAKES

Feel the force of the world’s biggest earthquakes and discover how these seismic events rock our cities and settlements

HOW YOU CAN HUNT FOR BLACK HOLES

Ten cool astronomy apps that turn your smartphone into a stargazing powerhouse

HOW REUSABLE ROCKETS WORK

New launch vehicles that can fly multiple missions are transforming space travel

HOW AIRBOATS WORK

These flat-bottomed, fan-propelled boats are typically used in swamplands

INSIDE A SPY SHIP

This Russian ‘research’ vessel has been coasting through European waters, but what’s it looking for?

LOST CIVILISATIONS

Why these once-powerful nations disappeared, leaving abandoned artefacts and remarkable ruins to tell tales of their reign

POL AR DINOSAURS

Evidence shows that some dinosaurs could survive cold, dark winters

ALL ABOUT MEAT

Whether it’s cooked, rare, raw or rotting, we look at the science behind meat and why some animals can eat what makes others sick

MEET YOUR INNER BEASTS

From intestinal worms to the protozoa that cause malaria, our bodies can play host to some unwelcome visitors

NATURAL MAGNETISM

How human and animal bodies generate their own magnetic fields

WHAT IS VO2 MAX?

How the body uses oxygen is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness and a predictor of long life

WHAT ARE SMELLING SALTS?

This ammonia-based medicine sharply increases oxygen to the brain

HOW TO SAVE THE SEA

British marine biologist and TV presenter Monty Halls is launching a new initiative to give our oceans a health check, offering some simple solutions on how we can help fight threats to marine life

EXPLORE THE REAL LOST WORLD

Towering above a South American rainforest stands Mount Roraima, its prehistoric castaways cut off from civilisation

WHAT IS QUICKSAND?

The physics behind these silent and hidden natural floor traps

WHY DO WE HAVE TIDES?

How the positions of the Sun and Moon dictate when the sea is high or low

FIGHTER PILOT STRIKER II HELMET

How this advanced piece of specialised headgear fuses a digital display with a pilot’s real-world view