Schiaparelli: Mars probe 'crash site identified'

The gouge in the ground likely made by Europe's Schiaparelli probe as it hit the surface of Mars on Wednesday has been imaged by an American satellite.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has identified a large dark patch in the robot's targeted landing zone consistent with a high-velocity impact.

Schiaparelli is widely thought to have crashed and been destroyed.

Data transmitted from the probe before it lost contact indicated that its descent systems did not work properly.

Its parachute was jettisoned too early and its retrorockets, designed to slow the robot to a hover just above the surface, fired only for a few seconds. They should have operated for half a minute.

The MRO imagery is not quite definitive because the resolution is low - just six metres per pixel. Its context is persuasive, however.

The roughly 15m by 40m dark patch, which is probably dust and rock fragments thrown out from the impact, is sited some 5.5km west of Schiaparelli's expected touchdown point in the equatorial Meridiani Plain.

Tellingly, the feature is not present in previous MRO pictures of the location.

The clincher, though, may be the artefact 1km to the south of the patch. This white blob looks to be Schiaparelli's 15m-wide parachute which would have floated down behind the probe. Again, this was not present in earlier pictures.-read more

samurai making sword demo

Walking down the 21st Century Gin Lane

A new piece of art commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health reimagines William Hogarth's classic 1751 cartoon Gin Lane.

It depicts a society preoccupied by junk food rather than gin.

The original showed the debilitating effects of a gin craze sweeping London and a population suffering from deadly infections common at the time.

In contrast, Thomas Moore's new picture shows how obesity and mental health issues are today's big health threats.-read more

some old guy trying to show off so naff

What is mild cognitive impairment (MCI)? is this my future?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which someone has minor problems with cognition - their mental abilities such as memory or thinking. In MCI these difficulties are worse than would normally be expected for a healthy person of their age. However, the symptoms are not severe enough to interfere significantly with daily life, and so are not defined as dementia.

It is estimated that between 5 and 20 per cent of people aged over 65 have MCI. It is not a type of dementia, but a person with MCI is more likely to go on to develop dementia. This factsheet explains what MCI is, the link between MCI and dementia, and the benefits of diagnosing MCI. It then looks at treatments for MCI, ways to cope with the symptoms, and how you can reduce your risk of developing MCI and dementia. Many people who are diagnosed with MCI use this as an opportunity to change their lifestyle for the better. There is a lot that someone can do to help reduce their chances of MCI progressing to dementia.

Symptoms

The term MCI describes a set of symptoms, rather than a specific disease. A person with MCI has mild problems with one or more of the following:

• memory - for example, forgetting recent events or repeating the same question
• reasoning, planning or problem-solving - for example, struggling with thinking things through
• attention - for example, being very easily distracted
• language - for example, taking much longer than usual to find the right word for something
• visual depth perception - for example, struggling to interpret an object in three dimensions, judge distances or navigate stairs.-read more

SIBERIAN ACCENTOR!” spotted in Britain

The White Rose County was about to enjoy a red letter day. I pressed the delete button.

Seconds before, I had been penning a paean to Shetland, where the birdwatching is as dramatic as the plots of the eponymous BBC police series. 

In TV’s Shetland, detective Jimmy Perez deals with cases more intricate than the patterns on the islands’ knitwear. Its birdwatchers often have to unravel identification puzzles that would stretch even the formidable DI. Rarities come here from all over the world every autumn. Warblers and chats, thrushes and buntings arrive, hide and provide tantalising glimpses to locals and visitors.

Then the bird popped up. It was an OMG moment. We were both shaking

Hugh Harrop, Shetland Wildlife

This month an unprecedented, super-inflated anticyclone over Scandinavia has not only been blocking westerlies and their Atlantic fronts but also allowed an airflow with a strong, eastern bias. 

And the wave of birds with a Siberian provenance sent Shetland birders into a state of ecstasy.-read more

Star the Duck becomes star of a new children's book about his adventures

NORTH Devon's favourite duck will soon be immortalised in print with the release of a new book about his adventures.

Star the Duck, and his owner Barrie Hayman, are a common sight on the streets of North Devon where Star charms locals and visitors into donating money to good causes.

Now Star is getting some star treatment thanks to a new children's book being released this month at a special event in Clovelly.

Read more at http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/star-the-duck-becomes-star-of-a-new-children-s-book-about-his-adventures/story-29784354-detail/story.html#O6ypLP2sAOcvHaHX.99