“How It Happens” is a series of explainer videos that provide simple descriptions of the science behind headline-making stories. Henry Fountain, a science reporter, works with Aaron Byrd, in the video department, to create these animated videos. Henry explained the process for how these videos are made.

The first step in making a “How It Happens” video is deciding on a topic. In this case, I’d been reading a lot about the prospects for an El Niño this year, based on sea surface temperatures and other data from the Pacific. So it seemed like a good idea to do a video that explains how an El Niño develops and how it affects the United States, since we were likely to have at least a story or two on the subject in the coming months.
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