Life from other worlds

WELCOME

The magazine that feeds minds!

MILLIPEDE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

© Getty This is a coloured scanning electron

SEEING SUPERSONIC

© NASA NASA captured this image of the

MADRID SNOWSCAPE

© NASA At a glance this photo looks

POLLEN PILE

© Getty Shoeblackplant (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) – also colloquially

Fastest spinning black hole in the cosmos discovered

The black hole Cygnus X-1 is pulling in

Endangered ferret cloned for the first time

Elizabeth Ann at 68 days old, the first

DNA found twisting into weird shapes to get into cells

Scientists recently captured a highresolution video of DNA

Ancient deity statue wears a mullet and moustache

These views of the restored copper statue

‘Spider star’ gamma-ray mystery solved

An illustration shows the orbits of PSR J2039-5617

Humpback survives orca attack

Whale watchers in Australia witnessed a rare sight

Dinosaur-killing rock came from the edge of the Solar System

It looks like Jupiter kicked the asteroid down

Experts trace hidden ‘madman’ message on The Scream

Words by Yasemin Saplakoglu Written in tiny, faint

‘Rivers of gold’ rush through the Amazon

Mining pits glitter like gold in this aerial

Woman contracts COVID-19 from lung transplant

It's unknown if any other cases were spread

Venus flytraps produce magnetic fields

These carnivorous plants generate tiny magnetic signals when

Russia finds case of humans catching avian bird flu

H5N8 jumped from bird to human, but there’s

WISH LIST

The latest sleep gadgets

BRAIN DUMP

Because enquiring minds need to know…

BOOKREVIEWS

The latest releases for curious minds

BRAINGYM

GIVE YOUR BRAIN A PUZZLE WORKOUT

HOW TO…

Practical projects to try at home

INBOX

Speak your mind…

CAN WE LIVE FOREVER?

What is ageing and why do we get older? How It Works looks at the science of senescence and the technologies tackling the inevitable

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER?

The science that seeks to slow down the process of ageing

IMMORTALITY

Is the future of everlasting life cryonics?

HOW WE USE OIL

Known as ‘black gold’, oil’s versatility has fuelled progress – and problems

A REFINED PROCESS

Cooled  columns  in refineries  separate  oil  into  different  useful  parts  according  to  their  boiling  temperature

Treating cancer with nuclear medicine

How radiation can be used to detect and target tumours

Could life have come from Mars?

This Martian meteorite holds potential evidence of microbial life on the Red Planet

Nuclear spacecraft to Mars

Could nuclear power be the answer to deep-space missions?

Sunken cities

Explore these submerged settlements to discover why they didn’t survive the  test of time 

How to excavate anarchaeological site

These experts use patience, precision and problem-solving to retrieve history from the ground

HOW SMART GLASSES CHANGE REALITY

The latest mixed and augmented reality tech will change the way we view the world

High-tech classrooms of the future

Could these technologies soon become the norm in your school?

Xbox Series X teardo wn

Discover the technology behind Microsoft’s latest console

Speedy Ripsaw snow tank

How the world’s fastest dual-tracked vehicle works

A real-life transformer

For this metal beast of land and sky, no destination is inaccessible

AMAZING RAYS

DID YOU KNOW? You can report

LIFE CYCLE OF A MANTA RAY

Get to know the manta ray and find out a bit more about its lifestyle

INSIDE BEEHIVES AND WASP NESTS

From building alone to serving royalty, these insects work tirelessly to create their perfect homes

Inside a honey bee hive

Take a peek at this bee’s hierarchy in action and discover how their sweet treat keeps them buzzing year-round

The nest of the yellow jacket

How does a single wasp raise a family of thousands?

Oceanic dead zones

How too much of a good thing can lead to the death of an ecosystem

What is sand?

How the composition and disintegration of our rocky planet creates beaches

Beach samples

Analysing grain shape, colour and material can tell us sand’s type and source