The Daily: December 9
Viking conquests were actually more like 'romantic breaks'
Doubt is being cast on the traditional image of Viking warriors doing nothing but raping local women as they pillaged their way around Europe. In fact, experts at the University of Oslo now think that entire families may have travelled on the iconic longboats to form immediate communities on just-conquered lands. Professor Eriks Hagelberg, of the university, said that the fact that women were included on the trips meant that Vikings could have children and spread more quickly across the northern seas, establishing communities. The information emerged after DNA was extracted from 45 Viking skeletons discovered in Norway, analysis of which revealed the integral part of women in the settlement of the smaller isles. This counteracts previous suggestions that the warriors travelled alone before picking up Gaelic women on their way to Iceland.
Necklace fitness sensor developed
A far cry from your average fitness tracking device, that tends to be worn around the wrist and works largely by counting your steps, a new fitness sensor has been developed that more closely resembles a necklace and works in a completely different way. The Fineck, which claims to be the world's first wearable titanium device, works by monitoring tiny movements and suggesting exercises via an accompanying app. The aim of the device is to overcome bad habits, reducing neck pain and improving overall posture. It contains sensors, an accelerometer and gyroscope to monitor movement, plus a motor to vibrate, and has a battery life of around seven days, taking one hour to charge. Available to pre-order on Kickstarter, it is due to ship in March 2015.
List of best train stations in England causes controversy
When English Heritage announced a list on its website of '10 Great English Railway Stations' it probably didn't expect the announcement to be so debated. The list, made public on Thursday, included Windsor and Eton Riverside, Newcastle Central, and Monkwearmouth. However, comments made on the article lamented the omission of stations such as York: 'York is missing ... I can't believe it...Expand the list to 12 so that it can be included, please' and Darlington: 'Darlington! The birthplace of passenger railways, and a fabulous station at Bank Top'. Mark Smith, founder of the Seat61.com website, told The Independent: "The stations listed are wonderful - but there are so many more. Battle but not Rye's lovely Italianate station? Paddington but not King's Cross? Newcastle but not York?" However, English Heritage yesterday responded to one of the commenters stating: 'This is not a definitive list of England's greatest stations but we're pleased to see such enthusiasm for other stations. Perhaps we need to open this up for debate and consider a second, revised list!'
Curiosity rover on Mars finds evidence of ancient lake
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has found that a lake once filled the 96-mile wide crater it is now exploring. This has reinforced evidence that Mars, the planet most like Earth in the solar system, was once suitable for microbial life. Previously, Mount Sharp, the 3-mile mound at the centre of Gale Crater had posed a puzzle to scientists, as they couldn't understand why it stood in a crater at all. Now they know that the crater was once a lake, they are one step closer to solving the mystery. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project uses Curiosity to assess ancient, theoretically inhabitable environments in addition to the substantial changes the Martian environment has sustained over many millions of years. This project is one element of NASA's ongoing Mars research and preparation for a human mission to the planet in the 2030s.
Doubt is being cast on the traditional image of Viking warriors doing nothing but raping local women as they pillaged their way around Europe. In fact, experts at the University of Oslo now think that entire families may have travelled on the iconic longboats to form immediate communities on just-conquered lands. Professor Eriks Hagelberg, of the university, said that the fact that women were included on the trips meant that Vikings could have children and spread more quickly across the northern seas, establishing communities. The information emerged after DNA was extracted from 45 Viking skeletons discovered in Norway, analysis of which revealed the integral part of women in the settlement of the smaller isles. This counteracts previous suggestions that the warriors travelled alone before picking up Gaelic women on their way to Iceland.
Necklace fitness sensor developed
A far cry from your average fitness tracking device, that tends to be worn around the wrist and works largely by counting your steps, a new fitness sensor has been developed that more closely resembles a necklace and works in a completely different way. The Fineck, which claims to be the world's first wearable titanium device, works by monitoring tiny movements and suggesting exercises via an accompanying app. The aim of the device is to overcome bad habits, reducing neck pain and improving overall posture. It contains sensors, an accelerometer and gyroscope to monitor movement, plus a motor to vibrate, and has a battery life of around seven days, taking one hour to charge. Available to pre-order on Kickstarter, it is due to ship in March 2015.
List of best train stations in England causes controversy
When English Heritage announced a list on its website of '10 Great English Railway Stations' it probably didn't expect the announcement to be so debated. The list, made public on Thursday, included Windsor and Eton Riverside, Newcastle Central, and Monkwearmouth. However, comments made on the article lamented the omission of stations such as York: 'York is missing ... I can't believe it...Expand the list to 12 so that it can be included, please' and Darlington: 'Darlington! The birthplace of passenger railways, and a fabulous station at Bank Top'. Mark Smith, founder of the Seat61.com website, told The Independent: "The stations listed are wonderful - but there are so many more. Battle but not Rye's lovely Italianate station? Paddington but not King's Cross? Newcastle but not York?" However, English Heritage yesterday responded to one of the commenters stating: 'This is not a definitive list of England's greatest stations but we're pleased to see such enthusiasm for other stations. Perhaps we need to open this up for debate and consider a second, revised list!'
Curiosity rover on Mars finds evidence of ancient lake
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has found that a lake once filled the 96-mile wide crater it is now exploring. This has reinforced evidence that Mars, the planet most like Earth in the solar system, was once suitable for microbial life. Previously, Mount Sharp, the 3-mile mound at the centre of Gale Crater had posed a puzzle to scientists, as they couldn't understand why it stood in a crater at all. Now they know that the crater was once a lake, they are one step closer to solving the mystery. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project uses Curiosity to assess ancient, theoretically inhabitable environments in addition to the substantial changes the Martian environment has sustained over many millions of years. This project is one element of NASA's ongoing Mars research and preparation for a human mission to the planet in the 2030s.