Spinning Yarn Into Muscles
The latest high-tech gizmos usually spring from advances made with exotic—and expensive—materials. Not this time. An international team of researchers report that they’ve spun common plastic fishing line and sewing thread into the most powerful artificial muscles ever created. Synthetic muscles are already being explored for use in prosthetic limbs, RoboCop-like exoskeletons for soldiers, and humanoid robots. So a sharp drop in price could propel progress in all of these technologies and many others.The term “artificial muscles” is actually a bit of a grab bag that refers to materials that contract, expand, or rotate when heated, zapped with electricity, or hit with some other stimulus. The materials return to their original shape when the stimulus is reversed. One common approach to making artificial muscles uses materials called shape memory alloys, such as a mixture of nickel and titanium. But these alloys can cost up to $5000 per kilogram. Even more powerful artificial muscles have been made from yarns spun from hollow carbon fibers called single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs). But because there is no cheap way to make these nanotubes on an industrial scale, their cost is off the charts.Ray Baughman, a chemist at the University of Texas, Dallas, has spent years pioneering work on artificial muscles made with SWNT yarns. Along the way, he and his students learned that if they twist their yarn until it coils, they can make a powerful rotating motor. The effect is similar to the way a twisted rubber band turns the propeller on a toy plane. But in this case, Baughman’s team could zap the yarn with an electric current to wind the motor back up.Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*)That success got Baughman and his students thinking. In their yarns, most of the SWNT fibers were aligned along the length of the yarn. That consistent orientation is critical, because it ensures that when an electrical stimulus changes the length of one nanotube fiber, all of its neighbors change in the same way, causing the yarn to contract or expand. That same alignment also exists in conventional plastic fibers, such as those made from nylon, where the individual polymer chains in the plastic line up along the length of the fiber. So Baughman and his students decided to explore whether everyday plastic fibers could act as artificial muscles.They succeeded beyond their wildest hopes. Baughman, along with colleagues in Texas, Australia, and China, twisted plastic fibers and threads into yarns. Then when they applied heat, they found that the yarns contracted by up to 50%, a result they report today in Science. And cooling the plastic muscles returns them to their original length. Natural muscles, by comparison, only contract by 20%. Twisting together a bundle of polyethylene fishing lines, whose total diameter is only about 10 times larger than a human hair, produces a coiled polymer muscle that can lift 7.2 kilograms, the team found. Operated in parallel, an arrangement that increases their power and is similar to the way natural muscles are configured, a hundred of these polymer muscles could lift about 725 kilograms, Baughman says. Producing this force requires only off-the-shelf materials that cost about $5 per kilogram.“These are really exciting results,” says Yoseph Bar-Cohen, a physicist and artificial muscle expert at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “They’ve taken inexpensive materials and basically turned them into a gold mine.”
India and Australia clash in a virtual quarterfinal match in the World Twenty20 in Mohali and Sourav Ganguly feels MS Dhoni should promote himself to No.4 in the batting order. (Kohli ready for Australia, says can perform even without provocations )”I don’t see any change in the playing XI for this match, but I would want to see Dhoni batting at No. 4 with Yuvraj Singh not being in great touch,” Ganguly said.The former India skipper, however, backed Yuvraj and said Dhoni should have used him more as a bowler in turning conditions. “Dhoni has underutilized Yuvraj, he should have used him in turning conditions.” (India vs Australia will be an open game, says Sachin Tendulkar )However, Ganguly dismissed the poor form query regarding openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma and said they haven’t got best of batting surfaces.”The form of openers is not a worry, they are not batting on best of surfaces. Mohali pitch offers bounce with the ball coming on to the bat, so we can see them getting back to runs against Australia,” Ganguly said.When asked about Harbhajan Singh being included in the team for the Australia game, Ganguly answered in the negative. “Harbhajan can walk into any team, but other two spinners (Ashwin and Jadeja) are doing well.”
NEW YORK — All that stands between the New York Jets and the playoffs is Rex Ryan.Well, how’s that for an absolutely juicy story line?The Jets, in their first season under coach Todd Bowles, are facing a win-and-in scenario against the Buffalo Bills and their former coach, who was fired after failing to lead New York to the postseason in each of the last four of his six seasons.“In the words of the great Steve Smith,” linebacker Calvin Pace said, referring to Baltimore’s loquacious wide receiver, “‘Man, it’s going to be a bloodbath.’”The Jets (10-5) went from being outside the playoff picture to controlling their chances with a 26-20 overtime victory Dec. 27 over the New England Patriots — helped in large part by Bill Belichick choosing to kick off rather than start the extra period on offense.Ryan Fitzpatrick coolly marched the Jets down the field and won it with a 6-yard pass to Eric Decker.Pittsburgh, which held a tiebreaker edge over New York, surprisingly lost to Baltimore and slipped behind the Jets in the playoff race.As a result of Denver’s 20-17 overtime win over Cincinnati on Dec. 28, New York can earn a berth with a win or if Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland on Jan. 3.“I want it,” defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson said of reaching the postseason. “I want it bad.”He and the Jets get to prove how much Jan. 3 at Buffalo (7-8). The Bills had high hopes in Ryan’s first season, especially when he declared their playoff drought would end. Instead, they’ll miss out for the 16th straight year.So, after spending six years doing everything he could to get the Jets into the postseason, Ryan will be out to keep them from getting in.“It’s just the next game on the schedule,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said, downplaying the matchup.Ryan is already 1-0 against his former team after a 22-17 victory over the Jets in a Thursday night game. While Ryan was clearly excited by the win, he also predicted the teams’ next meeting would probably help decide who goes to the playoffs.He was half-right. On Dec. 28, Ryan praised the Jets, not adding any extra fuel — but, it’s early in the week, of course.“I think, first off, it’s about getting the win and we know we are facing a team that is red hot,” Ryan said in Buffalo. “This team is a complete football team.”After their loss to the Bills, the Jets fell to Houston 24-17 to drop to 5-5. A 4-1 start was washed away by inconsistency, lost opportunities and a search for answers.“We had to come together,” Pace said, “or the ship was gonna sink.” They haven’t lost since.“The past couple weeks have been playoff games,” Bowles said. “There really is no pressure. They just play together and we have fun and we try to get better as a team. There’s no pressure on us. We know have to win. We’ve been having to win the past five weeks. ”Fitzpatrick’s steady play during the winning streak has been MVP-like. He has thrown for 1,525 yards and 13 touchdowns with one interception. In three of the last four games, Fitzpatrick has driven the Jets to a win in the final 2 minutes of regulation or overtime.“Fitz has been amazing for us,” Pace said.So has Brandon Marshall, who set the franchise’s season record with 101 catches — and counting. Decker has, too, with 75 catches, including 11 TD grabs.The defense has been terrific the past month, led by a front line that made things miserable for Tom Brady and the Patriots.These are the things the Jets players expected back in September.“There was still a ton of belief and I just think you know being in the league and having experience that a lot of us do have, you can recognize when you have a good team,” Fitzpatrick said.“So, I think the belief’s always been there just because we see the way that everybody works week in and week out and we see the talent level on this team.“I think that the belief has been there from Day 1 and it hasn’t wavered.”Left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson echoed that sentiment: “I think we knew we had a special team even at the beginning of the season.”Bowles let his team know what’s at stake in his postgame speech Sunday, telling the players: “Win and we’re in.”That’s about as far as the coach will go in terms of motivational tactics. Bowles feels none of that stuff is needed at this point with so much on the line.“We’re going to treat it the same,” Bowles said of the approach for the game. “We understand what we’re going up against. We’ve got to continue to do the things we’ve been doing. We try to do anything else, then we won’t have a chance to win.”(DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer) TweetPinShare0 Shares
Jon Gruden TennesseeESPN Monday Night Football analyst and former Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden is known as a quarterback whisperer. His series of “QB Camp” videos with the sport’s top prospects are extremely popular during the lead-up to the NFL Draft, and this year he worked with Connor Cook, Jared Goff, Christian Hackenberg, Cardale Jones, Paxton Lynch, Dak Prescott, and Carson Wentz.Goff and Wentz are widely considered the top quarterbacks in the draft, with Lynch also a potential first rounder. Interestingly, Gruden really likes two of the other players that did episodes of “QB Camp,” and believes they will also be first round picks: Cook and Hackenberg.Saw Jon Gruden last Friday in Tampa. He predicted 5 QBs go in the first round: Wentz, Goff, Lynch, Cook and Hackenberg. Loves Cook and Hack.— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) April 19, 2016Both players should fit pro-style systems, have talented arms, and come from big time programs. Hackenberg struggles with consistency, while Cook has had to answer questions about his personality and leadership skills. Gruden previously called Cook the best quarterback in the draft, so his inclusion here may not come as a major surprise. Both seem like longer shots to go that early, but all it takes is one team to fall in love with their potential.
Press Trust of India BengaluruSeptember 16, 2019UPDATED: September 16, 2019 13:13 IST Reuters PhotoFive Indians, competing at the 11th Sara Futura Karnataka Golf Festival (KGF), have qualified for the World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC) to be held in Borneo, Malaysia in October.The winners of KGF, which is an amateur golf championship supported by Karnataka Tourism, earned the rights to represent India at the WAGC.On Sunday on the concluding day of the event, Narender Kudwa won the 21-24 handicap category with a gross score of 40, while Sandeep Malhan (16-20, 41 points), MK Aiyappa (11-15, 41 points), Amit Khansaheb (6-10, 40 points) and David D’Souza (0-5, 39 points) emerged as the overall winners.The KGF, which is an annual event, saw participation from over 500 golfers from across the country.Among the star names that participated in the tournament include former India cricketers Karun Nair, Subramaniam Badrinath, Sujith Somasunder, along with Lakshmipathy Balaji and Venkatesh Prasad.For sports news, updates, live scores and cricket fixtures, log on to indiatoday.in/sports. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for Sports news, scores and updates.Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from Post your comment Do You Like This Story? Awesome! Now share the story Too bad. Tell us what you didn’t like in the comments Posted byrohan sen Tags :Follow World Amateur Golfers ChampionshipFollow Karnataka Golf Festival Next Five Indians qualify for World Amateur Golfers Championship in MalaysiaThe winners of Karnataka Golf Festival, which is an amateur golf championship supported by Karnataka Tourism, earned the rights to represent India at the World Amateur Golfers Championship.advertisement
Story Highlights Over the 51-year period from 1961 to 2012, output per worker or labour productivity in Jamaica, grew at an average rate of 0.3. Minister Kellier called for a productivity revolution’ in Jamaica, “not as an event, but rather as a process.” The Ministry has committed the Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC) to embark on “the biggest mobilization and public education effort around productivity improvement that this country has ever seen.” Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says if Jamaica is to attain the level of growth of some of its CARICOM and global trading partners, it must radically improve its productivity levels beginning almost immediately.He pointed out over the 51-year period from 1961 to 2012, output per worker or labour productivity in Jamaica, grew at an average rate of 0.3 per cent annually, compared to a rate of 1.1 per cent in Barbados.“This average rate of 0.3 per cent of labour productivity growth means, in effect, that it will take some 225 years for output per Jamaican worker to double. In contrast, with a labour productivity rate of 1.1 per cent per annum, it will take only 63 years for labour productivity to double in a country like Barbados,” the Minister said.He was addressing the opening ceremony for National Productivity Awareness Week held on Monday, October 7, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston. The week is being observed under the theme: ‘Productivity – Pathway to Competitiveness and Growth: Getting From 2013-2030’.Minister Kellier called for a productivity revolution’ in Jamaica, “not as an event, but rather as a process.”“In fact, we aim to unleash a ‘productivity virus’ throughout the length and breadth of the country. We want to create a ‘productivity pandemic’ in all the public spaces of Jamaica,” he stated.Minister Kellier said that towards this end, the Ministry has committed the Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC) to embark on “the biggest mobilization and public education effort around productivity improvement that this country has ever seen.”He appealed for all sectors to get involved in the effort, noting that the country has much to gain.The Minister argued that it is only through productivity growth that Jamaica can enhance business competitiveness; expand or create new enterprises; attract foreign and local investments; create productive and decent jobs; and fulfill the growing expectations of the people for improvement in their standard of living.He pointed to some notable successes in increasing efficiency, output, and levels of competitiveness in enterprises that have used the services of the JPC and applauded the companies.The Minister further noted that while Government is responsible for creating the environment in which businesses operate, long-term productivity growth can only be realized by enterprise, innovation, skills and investment.“In other words, by investing in new capital, increasing skill levels, introducing new innovations and encouraging entrepreneurial activity,” he said.National Productivity Awareness Week continues with the hosting of a two-day conference (October 8 and 9) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
The vast majority of these – some 2,000 men, women and children travelling third class – were crammed below decks, far from the mahogany-lined luxury enjoyed by Benjamin Guggenheim and Lady Astor above.Unusually, the ship was even reversed into its berth in Southampton to prevent passengers from seeing the marked side, Mr Molony will claim in a documentary, Titanic: The New Evidence, to be broadcast on Channel 4 on New Year’s Day.Mr Molony said: “The official Titanic inquiry branded [the sinking] as an act of God. This isn’t a simple story of colliding with an iceberg and sinking. It’s a perfect storm ox extraordinary factors coming together: fire, ice and criminal negligence. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. “Nobody has investigated these marks before. It totally changes the narrative. We have metallurgy experts telling us that when you get that level of temperature against steel it makes it brittle, and reduces its strength by up to 75 per cent.“The fire was known about, but it was played down. She should never have been put to sea.”There are also suggestion that, despite warnings of icebergs, the Titanic was travelling faster than was advisable as stokers and firemen sought to dispose of burning coal by putting it in the only place available to to them – the furnaces powering Titanic’s massive engines.“There are aspects of this saga that have never been adequately explained,” Mr Molony said.David Hill, former secretary of the British Titanic Society, told The Times: “There certainly was a fire. It set sail on Wednesday and they didn’t get it out until the Saturday, so it must have been a big one.“Was it a life-changer? It’s my personal opinion that it didn’t make a difference”. The claim was made by journalist and Titanic expert Senan Malony, who has spent more than 30 years researching the disaster.He used little known photographs taken by the Titanic’s chief electrical engineer before it left Belfast shipyard to identify 30ft-long black marks along the front right-hand side of the hull.Mr Malony said: “We are looking at the exact area where the iceberg stuck, and we appear to have a weakness or damage to the hull in that specific place, before she even left Belfast”. A photograph of the Titanic berthed in Belfast, taken by engineer John KempsterCredit:Steve Raffield/Kempster Archive/Channel 4 
Experts subsequently confirmed these were likely to have been caused by fire damage, as a result of hundred of tonnes of coal catching fire due to “self-heating” in a three-storey-high fuel store behind boiler room six.Twelve men battled to bring the resulting conflagration under control, but it was still raging days later – as temperatures of between 500 and 1000 degrees Celsius.Ship’s officers were reportedly under strict instruction from J Bruce Ismay, president of the company that built the ship, not to mention the desperate situation to any of the Titanic’s 2,500 passengers. The Titanic makes it’s way out to seaCredit:Raffield/Kempster Archive/Channel 4
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in James Cameron’s 1997 film 
The sinking of the largest ship ever built, the Titanic, may owe as much to a enormous fire onboard as it did to a gigantic iceberg, it has been claimed.The doomed vessel, which measured more than 880ft long and 100ft tall, went down with the loss of more than 1500 lives on April 15, 1912 during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.However fresh evidence that the Titanic’s hull may have been crippled by a massive blaze that burned unchecked for almost three weeks immediately behind the spot where it was later pierced. A poster advertising the RMS Titanic before its fateful first voyage 
Family breakdown is leading to a growing number of “paupers’ funerals”, funeral directors have said. Figures from the Royal London, an insurance firm, show that the overall number has increased by 12 per cent over five years. “Public health funerals” are held when a person does not have a family who can organise a funeral, so the funds and organisation must be provided by the local authority. In some cases the family cannot afford to pay the fees and in others the deceased person does not have a family member available to organise the funeral. The insurer said FOI data from 260 local authorities showed there were 3,784 public health funerals across Britain in the financial year 2015/16, a 12 per cent rise since 2011. The total cost to local authorities was £4m. Royal London said the total cost of public health funerals to councils across the UK had increased by more than a third over the past five years.Alison Crake, president of the National Association of Funeral Directors, said: “People becoming estranged from or outliving relatives can be a factor leading to a public health funeral being required.“In fact this is one of the saddest aspects of public health funerals; the individual who has died is often not only without money, but without mourners of any kind too. Louise Eaton-Terry, funeral cost expert at Royal London, said: “With an increasing number of people living alone, for a variety of reasons, it’s not surprising that some public health funerals may be carried out because the deceased has no family to arrange a funeral. “In these cases, local councils take on the responsibility of paying for a funeral and it’s evident that councils are facing increasing pressure to accommodate the rising number of public health funerals in the UK.” “Quite often NAFD members will actively seek to find individuals to come and pay last respects – perhaps those who have in some way cared for or come into contact with the person during the last years of their lives. “However, in the absence of any mourners attending a funeral, many funeral directors will pay respects to the deceased person themselves, often accompanied by a representative of the local authority that has arranged the funeral.”
Watch Dogs looks to be one of the first games to pick up on next-gen consoles, but it’s also being released on the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Wii U. And while you may have already decided which platform to buy the game for, you now have another choice to make–do you buy the standard or limited edition?Ubisoft has announced that a Limited Edition Pack version of the game will be made available across PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, and PC (the Wii U isn’t mentioned). Unlike the standard game, which is expected to cost $60, the Limited Edition will be $130.That’s a high price to pay, especially if you’ve just shelled out for a brand new next-gen console, but in return you get the following items:Watch Dogs game disc in collectible steelbook featuring DedSec artHardcover 80-page book full of concept art for the gameSoundtrack from composer Brian Reitzell9-inch Aiden Pearce statue including gun and glowing smartphoneAiden Pearce vigilante maskThe image of the pack Ubisoft has released suggests the statue is of a very high quality. If that remains the case for the statue that ships in the box, then this is quite a good selection of items, although a $99 price point would have been more realistic.Both the standard and Limited Edition Pack will be available when the game launches on November 19. However, we don’t yet know the launch dates of the PS4 and Xbox One, so the Watch Dogs launch may be delayed or brought forward for those platforms.
Thursday 7 Mar 2019, 6:02 PM I would encourage anyone with information on this incident to bring it forward to the PSNI.SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty has said that “a dark cloud has been cast over Newry today”.Councillor Michael Savage said that it had “sent shock waves across our city and has left many local people unnerved”. Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Glin Ree Court Image: Google Maps 124,050 Views Updated Mar 7th 2019, 6:02 PM DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING THE discovery of three bodies at an address in Newry this afternoon have said that they are “not currently seeking anyone else in connection with the deaths”. The bodies of a man (38), a woman (37) and a 15-year-old girl were found at a flat at 11am today.Officers were called to attend the scene at an apartment in Glin Ree Court, close to the centre of Newry.Detective superintendent Jason Murphy of the PSNI said: “The bodies of an adult male, an adult female and a teenage girl were discovered at around 11am this morning.“The circumstances of the deaths will now be subject to investigation and post mortem examinations will take place in due course.“At this time the three have not been formally identified and cause of death has not been established.”ReactionLocal Sinn Féin Councillor Charlie Casey has said that the community in Newry is “in shock” and has asked anyone with information to contact police. “My thoughts and sympathies are with all of those involved in this incident and their families,” Casey said in a statement today. “Details are still emerging and a police investigation is underway and that should be allowed to proceed”. Mar 7th 2019, 2:04 PM Police ‘not looking for anyone else’ after bodies of three people found in Newry The bodies of a man (38), a woman (37) and a 15-year-old girl were found at an apartment this morning. By Sean Murray Image: Google Maps Glin Ree Court 51 Comments https://jrnl.ie/4528649 Share65 Tweet Email Short URL
By Pat Flynn File photo 45 Comments Aer Lingus flight forced to return to Dublin Airport after crew report ‘smell’ on board The flight landed safely in Dublin at 9.05am and was met at the terminal by ground crews and engineers. File photo Image: PA Archive/PA Images Friday 30 Aug 2019, 9:54 AM https://jrnl.ie/4788618 Share41 Tweet Email2 
65,959 Views Aug 30th 2019, 9:54 AM Image: PA Archive/PA Images AN AER LINGUS flight was forced to return to Dublin Airport this morning after the crew reported a ‘smell’ on board.Flight EI-776 from Dublin to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, departed at around 7.50am and was about 30 minutes into its journey when the flight crew advised air traffic controllers that they would need to return to Dublin.The crew had been in contact with the airline’s operations centre and advised them that the cabin crew had detected a smell in the passenger cabin.The flight crew reported that no one had displayed any signs of being affected by the smell but that they would monitor the situation for a while.Soon afterwards, when the Airbus A320-200 jet was about 100 kilometres south of Cork, the flight further advised air traffic control that cabin crew members had reported experiencing some side effects.It’s understood that while the flight attendants were not feeling unwell, they were experiencing ‘watery and itchy eyes’. As a result, the pilot opted to return to Dublin to have the issue investigated. It’s not known whether any passengers were affected.The pilot also told controllers they believed the smell may have originated in the plane’s air conditioning system. The crew did not declare an emergency and confirmed they would not require any services on arrival at Dublin.The flight was cleared to a lower altitude to allow the crew burn off aviation fuel to ensure the flight touched down within safe landing weight limits.While a comment has been sought from Aer Lingus, an airline source confirmed there was an issue with a smell on board and that the crew decided to return as a precaution.The source added that one passenger complained of feeling ‘nauseous’ which ‘may not have been linked to the odour’. Ambulance paramedics were requested to meet the aircraft on arrival as a precaution, the source said said. ”Aer Lingus flight EI776 from Dublin to Lanzarote departed Dublin at 07:28 local time and was required to turn back shortly after take-off due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely at Dublin Airport at 09:06,” an Aer Lingus spokesperson said.“Guests are being re-accommodated on a different aircraft with a new departure time of 13:00 local time, arriving at Lanzarote at 17:00 local time. Guests have been issued with meal vouchers,” they said. “Subsequently the returning EI777 has been delayed with a new departure time at Lanzarote of 17:50 local arriving into Dublin at 21:55 local time.”The spokesperson said guests in Lanzarote have been advised of their new departure time by text and email, and guests at the airport provided with meal vouchers.“Aer Lingus would like to apologise for the delay to affected guests,” they said.The flight landed safely in Dublin at 9.05am and was met at the terminal by ground crews and engineers.The passengers are expected to resume their journey later today. Short URL Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article