Amazing People

I’M THE FIRST to admit that I forget people’s names. Strangely enough, I rarely forget a face. Most of us catalogue the many faces in our lives by recalling the setting where we expect a person to be and this helps retrieve our memories and link the verbal (name) with the spatial (face) details. But, of course, it can be a hit or miss exercise. This month’s cover article, ‘Haven’t I Seen You Somewhere?’ (page 32) is about the remarkable talents of a small group of people working with London’s Metropolitan Police who have the rare ability to accurately identify and recall even the smallest facial characteristics of strangers – in large crowds. Called the super-recognisers, they are the new weapon in the fight against criminal gangs and terrorists and are more accurate than the most sophisticated facial-recognition software programs. I love it when humans outsmart computers!

Also this month, we delve into the entertaining world of people who strive hard to break world records to raise awareness about good causes – or just simply because they can (‘The Record Breakers’, page 97). While many of the records aren’t quite what you’d call ‘incredible’, at least these people are having a go and having fun with their attempts. Who knows, maybe their success might tempt some of you to try your own record-breaking challenge!