Romy News - 18 April 2024

Hey there! You’re listening to my episode of “Romy News” this Thursday! I’m super excited that you’re here to explore lots of things about our world with me. Today, we’ll talk about an exceptional storm in Dubai, answer a super interesting question about traffic lights, and discuss an inspiring woman, Katherine Johnson. Let’s go! …

Dubai was recently hit by an exceptional storm. This usually dry Gulf region saw a large amount of rain, causing surprising floods. This meteorological event is really rare in this part of the world!

Dubai’s airport, usually bustling, was completely paralyzed by the storm. Many flights had to be diverted because it was too dangerous to land or take off. For everyone’s safety, the airport even had to close for 25 minutes, causing great chaos. After 2 hours of complete stoppage, flights gradually resumed, but schools closed and the Dubai government asked employees to work from home. Several sports and cultural events were also canceled or postponed due to the floods.

The damage caused by these floods is impressive: shopping centers, roads, and even a metro station were submerged by water. Entire neighborhoods were affected by road collapses and significant floods. Leaks were reported everywhere, from roofs to windows. And it’s not just Dubai: other Gulf countries like Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman also suffered, with 18 people unfortunately losing their lives. In some regions, more than 80 mm of rain fell in a few hours, almost as much as they normally receive in a year!

Experts believe that climate change could be responsible for such intense rainfall. This shows us the importance of adapting and taking measures to deal with these extreme events. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important to limit the future impacts of climate change. Some Dubai residents were really surprised by the extent of the floods, showing that we are never really prepared for this kind of situation. …

After talking about a storm in Dubai, let’s change the subject. Today, Ethan, one of our young listeners, asked us a great question: “How do traffic lights work?”

Traffic lights are important for organizing traffic and protecting us, both drivers and pedestrians. They work thanks to a special electronic system.

This system is called a “traffic light controller.” It’s like the brain of traffic lights! It receives information from sensors hidden in the road, which detect cars. With this information, the controller decides when to change the colors of the lights so that traffic flows smoothly, without accidents or traffic jams.

Traffic lights follow a program that changes according to the time and day, to adapt to the number of cars. And if there’s ever a problem, the police can take control of the lights remotely to fix the situation.

There are different types of lights. The most common are red, yellow, and green lights. But there are also lights for pedestrians, flashing yellow lights that warn of danger, and lights with arrows to indicate direction. Some lights even make sounds to help visually impaired people.

Lights are very important for our safety. Thanks to them, traffic is well organized, which prevents accidents. They allow everyone, cars, pedestrians, and bicycles, to move safely. They prevent cars from going too fast. And they avoid major traffic jams that would make us late for school! …

After understanding everything about traffic lights, in our Thursday segment dedicated to inspiring women, I will now tell you about an extraordinary woman: Katherine Johnson!

Katherine was an African-American mathematician who greatly helped NASA send astronauts into space. Her story is truly inspiring!

Katherine was born in 1918 in Virginia, USA. From a young age, she was very talented in mathematics. Despite difficulties due to the color of her skin at that time, she was able to go to university at just 15 years old and study math.

In 1953, Katherine started working for NACA, which later became NASA. She was among the first black women to have an important scientific job. Her role? Calculating the trajectories of rockets and spacecraft! She calculated so well that she was called “the human computer”!

Thanks to Katherine, many space missions were successful. In 1961, she calculated the trajectory of Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Her calculations also allowed Neil Armstrong to walk on the Moon in 1969! Astronaut John Glenn trusted her so much that he asked Katherine to double-check the computer’s calculations before his flight. Imagine if she had made a small mistake by accident? Glenn might have landed on Mars instead of returning to Earth!

For a long time, Katherine’s work was not fully recognized. But in 2015, she received a major medal in the United States. A movie telling her story even came out in 2016! In 2019, NASA even renamed one of its buildings in her honor. Katherine Johnson is now seen as a pioneer and a source of inspiration for young people, especially for women and people of color, in scientific fields. …

And that’s all for today! I hope you’ve learned lots of interesting things with me. If you enjoyed our discoveries today, feel free to talk about it with others and ask your own questions! Don’t forget to follow our Instagram page to stay updated and share your discoveries or drawings inspired by the topics we’ve explored together.

Thank you for listening to “Romy News”. I’m so happy to share these moments with you. See you tomorrow for a new adventure full of discoveries!