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 196 • “Like its dino-killing cousin, this asteroid is also thought to have generated an enormous tsunami wave around 1,000 metres high”

Running on water

GLOBAL EYE • Showcasing the incredible world we live in

WISH LIST • ALTERNATIVE ADVENT CALENDARS

FINDING THE DINO-KILLING ASTEROID • Hurtling for billions of miles across the Solar System, a gigantic chunk of rock zipped past the planets until it collided with ours. But where did it come from, and how did it change the course of Earth’s history forever?

WHO WAS THE FIRST HUMAN? • 50 years ago, Lucy, the famous fossil and most complete skeleton of the species Australopithecus afarensis, was discovered, filling in gaps in human history

GLADIATOR II MOVIE MYTHS BUSTED • We sort fact from fiction in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Roman epic sequel

THE WORLD’S FASTEST ELECTRIC RACE CAR • Formula E cars are the most powerful and efficient electric racing cars ever made. We jump into the title-winning Jaguar I-Type 6 to find out what makes these racers tick

HOW HIBERNATION WORKS • Winter can bring additional survival challenges to the wild, so some animals have evolved strategies that enable them to avoid these colder, leaner months altogether

EXPLORING BLUE HOLES • The remains of crocodiles, bats and even humans have been found in these openings in the ocean floor

WHAT IS A SWIM BLADDER? • Rising and sinking through water would be impossible for fish without this inflating organ

LASER WARFARE • From dazzling defences to quick communication, these amplified light beams have multiple applications in the military

POWER-GENERATING BUOYS • How wave energy converters produce clean power from the ocean

HOW FIXED SPEED CAMERAS WORK • Why there’s no escaping the flash of a speed camera when you break the speed limit

HOW TO RUN A SPACE STATION • The International Space Station has been in orbit so long it’s easy to take it for granted, but keeping it up and running isn’t a simple business

EXPLORING THE HUMAN ECOSYSTEM • Our bodies are covered and filled with microbes, and we’re only just beginning to understand how vital they are in keeping us alive

WHAT IS G-FORCE? • The faster you move, the more of this stomach-churning force you feel

TWINS EXPLAINED

WHAT IS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER? • How cell-lined blood vessels in the brain control what enters this organ

BRAINDUMP • Amazing answers to your curious questions

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