Astronomers holding thumbs in Beagle searchMarch 08 2004 at 06:30PM By Mark Meadows London - Beagle 2, the British space probe which disappeared as it descended towards Mars, may have been detected on the surface of the Red Planet, scientists said on Monday. No signal has been received from the craft since it was due to land on Christmas Day last year, despite various attempts by Mars orbiters and telescopes on Earth to make contact. But photographic images of the area where Beagle 2 was to have come down show four bright spots, dubbed a "string of pearls" by scientists,...