The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from February 2009

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from February 2009

This month in Odyssey.(Science Scoops)
February 1, 2009... Isn't our cover image of Tokyo at night beautiful, with its orange, green, and yellow glow? Pretty to look at, yes. But all that window, sign, and headlight sparkle translates into light and air pollution. Those crowded streets and cramped...

Your very own jetpack.(Science Scoops)(Martin Jetpack)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What's the coolest way to zip around a city? Driving a car? Riding a motorcycle? Zooming on a skateboard? What about flying with a jetpack? Jetpacks aren't just for comic books, video games, and movies any more....

Heat islands.(Science Scoops)(rise of temperature in cities during summer)
February 1, 2009... It's a hot summer afternoon, and you're barefoot. Would you rather walk along a paved road, a sidewalk, or a grassy lawn? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you don't want to fry the bottoms of your feet, the grass is the best bet. Plants...

Hidden gorilla city.(Science Scoops)(conservation of gorillas in the Republic of Congo)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last year, scientists predicted there might be only about 50,000 western lowland gorillas left in the whole world by 2011. But it turns out our critically endangered primate cousins have secret cities all to...

Salty secrets.(Science Scoops)(salt deposits in Mars)
February 1, 2009... On the southern surface of Mars, there are thick deposits of what seems to be salt, left to dry by ancient pools of briny water. Was there life in that water? Scientists have been forming theories about oceans on Mars for almost twenty years,...

A little seed in a big city.(Science Scoops)(Crepis sancta plant)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Life between the cracks of a city sidewalk isn't easy for a mother weed. Feet, cars, pollution, and miles of concrete make it difficult for her flying flower seed babies to find a new place to call home. The Crepis sancta plant has evolved a...

Megacities with mega-challenges.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Our world now has more than two dozen megacities. Each of these densely populated areas has more than 10 million people living within city limits and neighboring areas. Not Surprisingly, these Giant cities face...

Landscape urbanism city planning by city planting: an interview with landscape architect Charles Waldheim.(PERSON TO DISCOVER)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Parks, playgrounds, and nature preserves aren't just nice add-ons to he city any longer. A new focus, called landscape urbanism, puts them at the forefront of urban planning. The term comes from landscape...

Cool roofs.(green roofs)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Who gets to plan the cities of the future? You do! It may all start with the roof over your head. Roofs of future cities will look and feel cooler. "Green," plant covered and "Cool," white or pastel roofs have long...

A pearl in peril.(BRAIN STRAIN)(a test on gravity)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You're taking a tour of the New York Stock Exchange in the heart of the Big Apple's financial district. Ahhh... you're really here on Wall Street. Suddenly, a woman comes running up to you, opens your hand, and...

The hidden order within cities: an interview with city planner Michael Batty.(Person to Discover)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Order! Order! The Council of order will now come to order!" boomed the shiny-faced bald man from his perch above the assembly hall. Seated behind an imposing desk, he squinted at the long line of people waiting...

Fractal fun.(Activity to Discover)
February 1, 2009... Professor Michael Batty of the University College London, England, describes his fractal approach to finding hidden order within cities in his book, Fractal Cities: A Geometry of Form and Function (Academic Press, 1996). You can try making your...

Can you solve the world's most famous traffic problem?(Activity to Discover)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The people of the German city of Konigsberg had a problem. They couldn't find an easy way to get around town. Their city was made up of two small islands plus both banks of the Pregel River. The Konigsbergers built...

Solving traffic problems in a roundabout way.(Person to Discover)(Professor Eugene Russell)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... Leonhard Euler worked on the Konigsberg traffic problem way back in the 18th century. Professor Eugene Russell from Kansas State University is an engineer who works on traffic problems right now in the 21st century. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

A mile high in the sky.(Activity to Discover)(mile high tower)
February 1, 2009... You have a science exam tomorrow. Good thing your lab partner lives upstairs--on the 400th floor. Did you say 400th!? Ever since architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed his "mile high tower" in the 1950s, engineers and city planners have been...

Mapping our cities: mood swings and million dollar blocks.(Bio Mapping)
February 1, 2009... Before you read on, draw a quick map of the room in which you're sitting. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Did you consider the room's shape? Did you draw the doorway? The windows? Did you include the furniture? Odds are you've left something...

Seeking shelter: homeless in the city.(designs of homeless shelters)
February 1, 2009... We've all seen it, but it remains shocking-paper boxes lining city streets as shelters for the homeless. Most cities, regardless of how prosperous, struggle with the problem of homelessness. Natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in New...

Podway bound.(Short story)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OFFICER LUCAS glanced impatiently at the digital readout implanted in his wrist. Where was Officer Carson, anyway? It was ten minutes past the start of the new officer's shift. Lucas sighed and decided that he would...

Building for the future: at the National Engineers Week Future City Competition, students and designing and building the high tech cities of tomorrow.(Kids Can ... Do Amazing Science)
February 1, 2009... "The city of Ra is designed to provide an ideal quality of life for all citizens. Sprayable solar cells harness the Sun's energy. Nanocatalysts successfully treat wastewater. And holographic image converters provide citizens with wireless...

Venice: city on the edge.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some of the world's most beautiful cities, such as Venice, Italy, sit right at the ocean's edge, at sea level. While their locations make them especially appealing, they also place the cities in peril. Although...

Beez in the hood: when you think of beekeepers you probably think of hives tended in sunny, country meadows. But sweet honey also comes from city slicker bees.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The average American eats 1.3 pounds of honey per year made from 9 pounds of nectar gathered from about 2,600,000 flowers. The bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios on your breakfast table is only one of many ways bees help...

Star chart.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the Moon) as it appears at 6 p.m. on Feb. 15. Useful all month (except for planet positions), the chart is also accurate for 7 p.m. on Feb. 1 and 5 p.m. on Feb. 29. To use the All-Sky Chart,...

The brightest star in the night sky.(Stargazing)(Cartoon)
February 1, 2009... Watch Jack Horkheimen StarGazer, the award-winning international television series. Call your local PBS station for show times. StarGazer is a production of WPBT Miami, produced in cooperation with the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit...

Dear Dr. B, what is the world's fastest-growing city?(ASK DR. CY BORG)(Column)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Several, cities have recently been called "the world s fastest-growing city," including Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Chongging (China), and Lagos (Nigeria). Because a city's growth depends on many different factors,...

You've got mail!(Poem)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In our October 2008 "Robo-Buddy" issue's BOOMERANG!, we mentioned that some people have an abnormal fear of snakes or spiders, and asked you how you felt about these creatures. Are you afraid of them, or do you feel...

The urban coyote.(Animal Angles)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The coyote (Canis latrans), a small, wolf-like, wild dog native to North America, is often thought of as a symbol of the wilderness. However, in recent decades, it has found a new home--in cities. Amazingly, urban...