Why does tickling makes us laugh?
Image credit: Getty How this strange reaction is a human evolution that kept our species safe Beneath your skin are millions and millions of nerve endings – branched arrangements of white-coloured cells that send...
How It Works Feed your mind with fascinating facts about the world around you
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The eyes of animals
Ever wondered why sheep have oblong pupils and foxes have cat-like slits? It’s all to do with lifestyle The pupil is the opening in the eye’s iris that lets in light. It appears black...
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What do the pedals on a piano do?
Question from Gemma Reed When you press a piano key, a hammer inside hits the corresponding strings, just as a device called a damper is lifted. This enables the strings to vibrate, producing a...
The Human body: How vaccines work
These injections, drops and sprays train your immune system to fight deadly diseases Made up of millions of individual white blood cells, the immune system patrols the body in search of germs. When tissues...
Booze & Botanicals: How is gin made?
Botanicals to bottle, the science behind the UK’s favourite boozy beverage Gin has been one of the nation’s favourite tipples since the early 1700s after it was introduced in London by the Dutch. The...
Top 5 amazing caves
Delve deep underground and explore some of the planet’s hidden natural wonders 1. Hang Son Doong Cave Location: Quang Binh Province, Vietnam (Image credit: Dave Bunnell) The world’s largest cave was only discovered in...
Quantum Computers: How they’ll change your life
©National Institute of Standards and Technology A new generation of number-crunchers are harnessing the power of particles: How are super-fast quantum computers changing our world? Google says it has accomplished ‘quantum supremacy’. This is...
Da Vinci’s amazing notebook
Flick through the pages of the original Renaissance man’s greatest inventions and scientific studies Born in 1452 in Tuscany, Leonardo da Vinci spent his life in the pursuit of knowledge and artistic expression. Now...
Daredevil stunt drivers
We investigate some of the most tyre-smoking, death-defying stunts that seem to fly in the face of physics It’s hard to watch the incredible vehicular stunts in films such as Fast and Furious and...
Why can parrots talk?
Question from Moira Jones The noises made by most birds are hard-wired into their brains, but three types of birds –hummingbirds, songbirds and parrots – are capable of learning new vocalisations. Scientists believe that...
What is the ‘internet of things’?
Question from Jenny Aldridge The internet of things (IOT) is the networking of different sorts of electronic devices through the internet, allowing them to collect data and communicate. For example, at home, Wi-Fi light...
Wish List: Wearable tech 2020
©K Ring K Ring With contactless payment quickly becoming the norm, wearable technology like the K Ring is making it easier to make a purchase. Enabling you to wear your card on your finger,...
Top 10 deadliest dinosaurs
Discover ten of the most terrifying beasts that ever lived 1) Tyrannosaurus rex Tyrannosaurus rex (“tie-RAN-a-SORE-uss rex”) needs no introduction; its reputation as the ultimate carnivore and most badass dinosaur ever to roam the Earth...
