How the Universe Works

On Earth, volcanoes are part of the planet-wide energy machine that makes life possible. Scientists are discovering volcanoes on worlds once thought dead, raising a question: Are these worlds where, tomorrow, we might find life?

The weather on Earth is one of the drivers for life, and the most-destructive storms create new opportunities for life to flourish. Scientists focus on weather in their quest to discover if we are alone in the universe.

The Sun spits out flares capable of battering life on Earth, but out in space lie the true magnetic monsters. As we uncover dangerous megaflares in the cosmos, there's a risk that we might end up in the firing line.

Follow the odyssey of a comet as it sails through space, watching every move as it evolves from a chunk of ice and rock into an active nucleus engulfed in a gaseous haze.

From icy worlds with more freshwater than Earth to flying mountains of pure metal, asteroids shaped our past. These enigmatic space rocks may hold the key to how life in the universe arises and is extinguished.