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 216

Global eye

GLOBAL EYE • Showcasing the incredible world we live in

WISH LIST • FATHER’S DAY GOODIES

INSIDE A VETERINARY SURGERY • When we leave our scaly, feathered and furry family members in the capable hands of a vet, what goes on behind the clinic’s curtains?

HOW DO CLOUDS FORM? • From a speck of dust, a mighty cumulus can grow – and there’s a lot clouds can tell us about the weather ahead

HOW ANIMALS BECOME EXTINCT • Why populations of some species dwindle to a final few survivors

BRINGING ARCHITECTURE TO LIFE • Nature can not only feed us, but also clean up the mess we make – that’s why architects plan to reintroduce it to cities in innovative ways

HOW THE MILKY WAY EVOLVED • Recent work on stellar migration shows how our Sun became a long-distance traveller through the galaxy

HOW TO BUILD A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT • Constructing a nuclear power plant is arguably one of the world’s most challenging engineering projects

HOW BONE CONDUCTION WORKS • This headphone technology blasts music straight into your skull

INSIDE A JUICER • There’s a lot more to modern fruit and vegetable juicers than meets the eye

11 CONSPIRACY THEORIES DEBUNKED • But is there so much as a kernel of truth to any of this pseudoscience nonsense?

MAKING ICE IN THE DESERT • This genius ancient Persian technique kept ice frozen in sweltering conditions

ROBERT H. GODDARD • This physics professor defied the doubters and proved that rocket engines could work in outer space

WHAT IS CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA? • A regular heartbeat has a certain rhythm, but in rare circumstances when it’s out of rhythm, it can have serious health consequences

SICK SKATEBOARD PHYSICS • What forces are at play when skateboarders catch air and land a clean trick?

WHAT ARE CONJOINED TWINS? • Very rarely, twins are born physically connected to each other, sharing tissues and even entire organs

12 COOL SCIENCE WINS • These small discoveries could prove to be a bigger deal than they first appear

DEADLY RADIATION-EATING FUNGUS • How a fungus in Chernobyl is thriving on nuclear fallout

CRAZY CAR DASHBOARDS • From sci-fi-inspired seats to holographic maps and wall-to-wall screens, these wild dashboards redefine a simple drive in a car

MEET THE ROBOT FIREFIGHTER • Hyundai’s self-driving saviour fights flames without a human pilot

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