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 188 • “There’s an odd coincidence that makes solar eclipses even more striking on Earth”

Trapped in amber

Hiding in plain sight

GLOBAL EYE • Showcasing the incredible world we live in

GLOBAL EYE

WISH LIST • The latest WEARABLE GADGETS

THE SCIENCE OF ECLIPSES • Every now and then, the Earth, Moon and Sun line up to produce an amazing spectacle in the sky

DEEP-SPACE COMMUNICATION • How scientists keep tabs on spacecraft as they journey into the vast expanse of the universe

GAS MASK EVOLUTION • What prompted the invention of a mask that could provide clean air in polluted and poisonous environments?

UNLOCKING BRITAIN’S ANCIENT PAST • How a team of archaeologists, palaeontologists and earth scientists created a clear view of who our distant relatives were and how they lived

WHY VAPING IS BAD FOR YOU • How inhaling this flavoured aerosol affects your lungs and impacts the body

THE POWER OF THERMITE • When iron and aluminium mix, the consequences can be explosive

WHAT IS WIND CHILL? • How windy conditions can make you shiver, even on a warm day

12 BIG SCIENCE DISCOVERIES • These breakthroughs sent shock waves through their scientific fields

BLOCKING OUT NOISE • How your brain tunes out the distracting sights and sounds of the outside world

SILENT BUT SUPERSONIC? • How NASA’s latest experimental jet is designed to soften its sonic boom

HOW HOT-AIR BALLOONS FLY • Creating changes in air density is key to getting balloons off the ground and into the skies

HOW ANIMALS HUNT • The strategies and techniques that the world’s predators use to catch their prey

WHAT IS AN OASIS? • These hidden hubs sustain life in the desolate desert

SURPRISING WAYS NATURAL DISASTERS CAN TURN DEADLY • Forget rivers of lava and strong winds… Earth’s most furious moments claim their victims in unexpected ways

OPTIMUS GEN 2 • Automotive company Tesla is reducing the limitations of robotics with its latest humanoid reveal

WORLD’S FIRST WIRELESS TRANSPARENT TV • Inside the next generation of television tech

BRAINDUMP • Amazing answers to your curious questions

When rockets lift off, why do fragments of what looks like ice fall off?

THE LIBRARY • The latest book releases for curious minds

BRAIN GYM • Give your brain a puzzle workout

HOW TO… • Practical projects to try at home

INBOX • Speak your mind

How It Works

FAST FACTS • Amazing trivia that will blow your mind