The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland, is set to close for eight to twelve months of 2011 in order to address design issues and conduct general maintanence. The news comes despite good current operational running at reduced power levels, and an imenent world record level of collision energies attempted. The repairs come after the unfortunate accident in 2008 when the system was shut down due to a helium leak throughout the tunnel. Now operational again, the Collider is currently smashing atoms at levels roughly half ...

Check out this video showing 'Rock Star' physicist Professor Brian Cox talking about his work on the Large Hadron Collider, the current scientific theory on the origin of the universe and what they are hoping to achieve in Geneva, Switzerland. While in the video Professor Cox is talking prior to the LHC's breakdown in September 2008, repairs to the system have now been completed and the scientists at CERN ...

Your early sample of the next jam-packed issue of How It Works is here From an interview with the inimitable Johnny Ball to a fascinating introduction to your immune system, issue five is jam-packed with knowledge for you to soak up. And to kick off the issue and the Formula One season, we have put together a bumper feature dedicated to all things F1. From the cars to the drivers and from the pit lane to the circuits, this feature offers everything ...

As part of The Royal Societies' 350th anniversary, never-before-seen, super close up colour images of tiny sea creatures are going on display at London Zoo. The amazing images of these creatures are to feature in a book by Royal Society Research Fellow Dr Richard Kirby of the University of Plymouth. The full range of Dr Kirby's photographs will go on display from the 16th of February till the end of the year. Plankton are crucial to the ocean and its environment as they provide an abundant source of food ...

Check out this video from National Geographic in which a liger supercat has been engineered by mating a male lion with a female tiger. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD6vpheUoPE[/youtube] At 900 lbs, supercat Sinbad dwarfs the mighty Bengal Tiger's average weight of 520 lbs, a full 380 lbs heavier. In fact, at 900 lbs, Sinbad weighs roughly the same as both his father and mother combined! Despite a liger's obvious physical dominance, they only exist in captivity as tigers and lions would never voluntarily mate in the wild, and further, live in different regions and environments. ...

Amazing NASA images of the British Isles blanketed in snow Image courtesy of NASA The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (or MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite captured this incredibly chilling image of Great Britain on 7 January as most areas experienced freezing temperatures of -10C on the coldest night of the winter so far. Isolated areas were even subjected to lows of -22C in the Scottish Highlands. Snowfall followed by freezing temperatures left areas dangerously icy, resulting in widespread chaos ...

Many of you have written in to ask our experts some of life's most baffling questions. What’s inside a black hole? Where does dust come from? How fast can a dolphin swim? How do they get chocolate on Maltesers without leaving a little flat bit? There are many questions about the world that perplex human beings, but thankfully some help is at hand from How It Works magazine and the Science Museum Every issue a panel of ...

Most spicy foods contain a chemical called capsaicin, which is the active component found in chilli peppers. Capsaicin is an irritant for humans and most other mammals, and produces a burning sensation in any tissue which it comes into contact with. It triggers a response in goblet cells whose function is to secrete mucus and this is why you get a runny nose. However, there is evidence to suggest that it is possible to build up a tolerance to the irritating effects of capsaicin. This could be ...

It's what you've all been waiting for: the sneaky preview of issue 3 on sale 31 December The jet engine explained Discover how oilrigs extract oil from the seabed Sharks – all you'll ever need to know about these underwater killers We take an in-depth look at the classic Spitfire fighter plane And ...

If you haven't yet got your copy of issue 2 of How It Works, here's a small selection of our favourite features to whet your appetite. Don't deprive yourself – feed your mind. It's on sale till the end of the year. We take a look inside the most advanced battle tank in the world The largest X-ray generator on Earth, explained...