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 ...

The quest to uncover the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy has been fraught with difficulties, with scientists and astronomers forced to utilise the cutting edge of technology to observe and record the Sagittarius A* region. As demononstrated in this excellent video, it has been a lenghty and consistently evolving process, which has taken multiple generations to realise, and one which is still far from complete....

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 ...

The world's first vertical takeoff passenger liner. Although regular readers will remember the incredibly hi-tech V-22 Osprey military helicopter we featured in issue three, this historic video reveals that VTOL technology in its infancy. Like the Osprey, Fairey Aviation's Rotodyne was an aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing while carrying a large payload. Whereas the Osprey admittedly has state-of-the-art tilt rotors, the Rotodyne featured a combination of static ...

Those with beady eyes might have noticed that the iPad, during Steve Job's much-hyped unveiling last week, was displaying an interesting glimpse into its future. For those who missed this, take a look at the below image. Can you see it now? That's right, right in the centre of the top bezel is a camera sized shadow. Ok, so its not incredibly obvious but, when do you ever notice the sensors behind the iPhone bezel? Hardly ever. But they are there, ...

Ever gone Ten-Pin bowling? Well if you have, you may have wondered how the shiny, heavy, and often flying into the gutter bowling balls are made. If so, then check out this handy video that charts the multiple steps needed for modern ball production. Bowling has been a popular past-time of humans for thousands of years, something demonstrated in 1930 by anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie, who with his team of archaeologists, unearthed bowling balls and pins in ...

Check out this video demonstrating a new iPhone controlled quadricopter from tech wizards Parrot. For more information about the Parrot AR.Drone, including an interview with one of its designers, look out for issue five of How It Works.

This video acts as a basic introduction to how NASA's Ares 1 launch system will carry Orion crew exploration vehicles into space. The Ares 1 and Orion are part of NASA's Constellation program, which upon the termination of its outgoing Space Shuttle fleet (currently scheduled for September 2010), will take over as the main spacecraft for human spaceflight. The Ares 1-X, which can be seen modeled in this video, was the prototype for the project and ...

VISTA reveals a brand new view of the southern sky Based in Chile's European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Paranal Observatory, the VISTA telescope, or Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, can see into deep space and map out the sky using infrared wavelengths. VISTA has a large mirror, a wide field of view and sensitive detectors, which help it to reveal a new view of the southern sky. The ...