How It Works

Welcome to How It Works, the magazine that explains everything you never knew you wanted to know about the world we live in. Loaded with fully illustrated guides and expert knowledge, and with sections dedicated to science, technology, transportation, space, history and the environment, no subject is too big or small for How It Works to explain.

WELCOME • Issue 171

MEET THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS

Red-nosed lanternfly

Scarlet supernova

Starry algae

Aurora over Norway

Cosmic energy jet breaks the laws of physics

BURIED TREASURE OF 44 BYZANTINE GOLD COINS DISCOVERED

Massive Martian meteor impact is the largest ever recorded

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

COLLAPSED OBSERVATORY OFFERS ASTEROID WARNING FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE

Fungi grow inside cancerous tumours

THE CIA WANTS TO BRING BACK WOOLLY MAMMOTHS

Emperor penguins join the threatened species list

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

Powerful ocean currents snap Antarctic iceberg in two

UFOs are finally getting a big NASA study

CHINESE MOON MISSION UPENDS THEORIES OF LUNAR VOLCANISM

WISH LIST • The latest tech for CHRISTMAS

GET CHRISTMAS WRAPPED UP • Receive five books with your magazine subscription

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

AI BY NUMBERS

BATTLEFIELD 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

The Perfect Christmas Gift from just £6

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

ARE HURRICANES GETTING 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

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...