Birds vary in response to stress

A NOTABLE centenary passed almost unnoticed this autumn; in August 1914, the Endurance set sail for Antarctica. 

The three-masted barque became trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea, was crushed to pieces and sank, leaving 28 men stranded with no hope of rescue. Their leader, however, was an extraordinary Irishman, Ernest Shackleton. Thanks to his bravery and judgement nobody was lost.

The great explorer’s 1,267km journey, with five companions in a six-metre open boat, from Elephant Island to South Georgia is legendary. The Titanic had fallen victim to ice two years previously but its captain, Edward Smith, was no Shackleton. Overcome by the enormity of the looming disaster, he sank into emotional paralysis. Had he taken charge of the situation, all of the ship’s lifeboats might have been launched filled to capacity and many more lives saved.