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The souped-up Large Hadron Collider is back to take on its weightiest questions yet
Featured in How It Works 2012
How It Works: A Laser-Powered Ear Implant to Boost Hearing
Directly stimulating human cells with light
How It Works: Building a Kilometer-Long Pipe Deep Under the Sea
Harvesting thermal energy from the oceans takes some powerful engineering
How it Would Work: Destroying an Incoming Killer Asteroid With a Nuclear Blast
Simulations show how unleashing Earth's destructive arsenal into deep space could save the planet
How It Works: The First Disposable, USB-Powered Genome Sequencer
Nanopore technology that lets your computer read your chromosomes
How It Works: Underground Robot Library
Research libraries are facing an unexpected challenge: too many books. Despite digitization, bound collections continue to grow. Some libraries house...
How It Works: Powered Gear Shifters
In 1938, Simplex released the first cable-based bicycle gearshifts. Riders would move a lever near the front of the frame...
How It Works: Salmon Transport
At the turn of the 19th century, up to 16 million salmon and steelhead trout migrated up the waterways of...
How It Works: World’s Fastest Elevator
The first commercial passenger elevator, installed by Otis Elevator Company in 1857, climbed 40 feet a minute. The elevators that...
How It Works: Dual-Blade Buzz Saw
To saw different materials, users often need to switch blades. A blade with big teeth, for example, cuts wood quickly...
How It Works: Two-In-One Turbocharger
Carmakers are responding to high oil prices and strict fuel-economy standards by replacing large gasoline engines with smaller, more-efficient ones....
