The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from November 2007

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from November 2007

This month in odyssey.(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
November 1, 2007... The physical world is filled with twists and spirals. From the mathematical fractals on our cover, to the spinning dust devils on the planet Mars, twists can be beautiful and practical. The double helix shape and supercoiling of the DNA...

Dust devil shocker!(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you're from the mid- or southwestern United States, dust devils--little whirlwinds--are almost a ho-hum occurrence, especially during hot and dry summer months. Although dust devils look like miniature tornadoes,...

The big boom.(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Astronomers have found the biggest and brightest supernova to ever be recorded. The giant exploding star, which appeared in NGC 1260--a galaxy in the constellation Perseus some 240 million light-years distant--shined...

The next big boom on earth.(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
November 1, 2007... It's happening. Just as you read these words, the world's largest volcano--Mauna Loa, on the Big Island of Hawaii--is swelling. And just like trapped gas in your stomach, the time will come when it all will come belching out. To try and better...

How to date an old timer.(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] No, this scoop isn't about romancing someone from the Stone Age. But it is about figuring out how to date an old star--a burning sun, now a galactic fossil, born near the dawn of time. Meet HE 1523-0901, a...

Spirals in the sky.(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Want to see one of the largest twisted objects in the universe? Just go out side at night and look up! All the stars you see are in our galaxy, known as the Milky Way. It doesn't look very twisted from Earth because...

Dr. Mobius speaks! An interview with Clifford A. Pickover.(PEOPLE TO DISCOVER)( Clifford A. Pickover )(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Some people say that scientist and futurist Dr. Clifford A. Pickover can be a little bit "twisted." And they're right! In a good way, that is. In addition to receiving dozens of patents for his high-tech inventions...

Mobius magic.(ACTIVITY TO DISCOVER)
November 1, 2007... I don't know about you, but this interview has left me feeling a little twisted, to be sure! So let's try some Mobius strip science. You'll Need: Sheet of white paper Yellow highlighter (or any color that you have) Scotch tape...

The great garbage patch.
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine turning yourself into a thumb-sized plastic action figure and squeezing inside an empty soda bottle. Then imagine some dimwit tossing the bottle out of a car window and into the mighty Columbia River in...

Twisted surgery in Flatland.(BRAIN STRAIN)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Flatland is a world in two dimensions, not three like our Earth. Citizens of Flatland can only move forward, backward, left, or right. They can never go over or under anything, or look up or down. Each person looks...

The supercoiling of DNA: a dramatic re-enactment.
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You're about to re-enact an actual, important event--one that happens every moment of every day in each of the trillions of cells in your body. For this performance you'll need three props: A wide rubber band, some...

Slipstream.(Fictional work)
November 1, 2007... Greetings! Rez Umwich here. I'm from the Eighth Dimension. I know--I know. You're not buying it. Right? But it remains so. It's difficult for anyone in the lower dimensions, say the Fifth on down, to comprehend. But even you Earthlings in the...

Winds of the von Karman Vortex street.
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] A 14th-century painting sparked a 20th-century discovery. As a young man, aeronautical engineer Theodore von Karman saw a painting of Saint Christopher carrying baby Jesus across a stream. Von Karman noticed swirls,...

Scientists explain what artists see.(ACTIVITY TO DISCOVER)
November 1, 2007... You'll Need: Bucket Water Blue food coloring Talcum powder or yellow corn meal Pencil The vortex street is a natural phenomenon observable by anyone, not just 14th-century artists. Nature creates vortex streets so...

What's knot to like?
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOMETIMES IT SEEMS AS IF WE RE LL TIED UP IN KNOTS. OR ARE WE? Welcome to the world of knot theory mathematics. Understanding some of the questions is a cinch. Finding the answers gets wonderfully knotty. ...

Try a new twist.(ACTIVITY TO DISCOVER)
November 1, 2007... Spiral shapes are everywhere--from the microscopic double helix of cells' DNA to the giant swirls of spiral galaxies. Now create your own spirals with these "twisted" activities. You'll Need: 24-inch piece of embroidery cotton or thin...

The Kansas killer!
November 1, 2007... Screaming and spinning, a massive, wedge-shaped tornado descended on Greensburg, Kansas, like an ax. Most twisters are only a few hundred yards across and remain on the ground for a few miles. But the Kansas Killer was monstrously different....

Do the twist! Some animals are seriously gnarly--parts of their bodies spiral around, or they twist and shout or survival. Let's do the twist with this horde of fascinating creatures.
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Bubble Trap! It's widely known that whales sing. But did you know that they blow bubbles? For nearly a century, researchers have watched feeding humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) form curious bubble...

Kilometers, careers & other headaches.(Ask Dr. Cy Borg)
November 1, 2007... Dear Dr. B, Where do you have a headache? Obviously in your head, but in the brain or in your muscle? That always confuses me when I have a headache, and then it just makes the headache worse when I try to figure it out! Amanda, Web post...

Star chart.
November 1, 2007... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the Moon) as it appears at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15. Useful all month (except for planet positions), the chart is also accurate for 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 5 p.m. on Nov. 30. To use the All-Sky Chart,...

Meteor watching it's easy!(Stargazing)(Cartoon)
November 1, 2007... Watch Jack Horkheimer: 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...

You've got mail!(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Dear ODYSSEY, You rock! You are the greatest magazine ever! When I got my first issue I was amazed at how interesting it was. No wonder you've won all those awards. The Brain Strain in the March 2007 issue was challenging. I did not get...

Boomerang!
November 1, 2007... The narwhal s horn helps explain the unicorn legend. Think of some other traditional mythical creatures: dragons, phoenixes, and fairies are only a few examples. What real animals may have inspired someone to imagine your favorite fantasy...

Scientific Goofs: Adventures Along the Crooked Trail to Truth.(Kids' Picks)(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientific Goofs: Adventures Along the Crooked Trail to Truth by Billy Aronson (W.H. Freeman & Co., 1994) Have you ever made a goofy mistake on a science project, then hit yourself on the head when you discovered...

A tooth with a twist.(Animal Angles)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Do you believe in unicorns? Probably not. Scientists now believe that the mythical creature--famous for its long, straight horn with a spiral twist--may have a history partly based in reality. In fact, the legend of...