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No. 47 · November 2026

Margins.

Long reads on cities, craft and the natural world

Science

Curiosity, measured. The physics of ordinary wonders.

Stories

A rain-soaked city street at night, traffic lights reflected in long streaks on the road

Science

Why wet streets look better at night

Every cinematographer knows the trick. The physics behind it was worked out by a lighthouse engineer two hundred years ago.

By Ruth Adeyemi · 2 min read