Aerodynamic levitation

The toilet of the future? This was built for the Russian Mir space station. Practical, but slightly unsettling. Photo: Science Photo Library.

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Mexico City’s lavatories may not cope with its creaking sewage system, but what they lack in efficiency they make up for in creative design. “Incredible improvisation... Unlike most European and U.S. cities, Mexico has no rules to dictate public sanitation design”, says Kurt Hollander, who must also be credited for the above picture.