SIDELINES...

PERSIAN FISH FALL

An Iranian video shows many small fish, some alive, distributed along a section of paved highway in the city of Golpayegan following rain on 24 April. Could they have been lifted by tornado from a reservoir 11 miles (16km) away – or (more likely) had they fallen from a vehicle? mysteriousuniverse.org, 2 May 2018.

URANUS STINKS

According to research at Oxford University published in Nature Astronomy, the planet Uranus – butt of juvenile jokes – actually does smell like flatulence. Its upper atmosphere is made up of hydrogen sulphide, which smells like rotten eggs. New York Post, 25 April 2018.

HE IS THE WALRUS

A walrus was spotted in the UK for the first time in five years – in Orkney. It was first seen on 8 March off the shores of North Ronaldsay. It came ashore on Sanday the following day – thought to be the first ever to land there. A sighting so far south of the North Pole and the Arctic Ocean is a rare occurrence. In 2013, a male became the first walrus to land on North Ronaldsay for 25 years. D.Mirror, 10 Mar 2018.

ENTERTAINING GHOSTS

A Thai foundation screened three open-air movies at a graveyard in Chon Buri’s Phan Thong district on the night of 17 April for its 100 dead residents, along with a few staff and neighbours. It was the third time this year that movies had been screened at the graveyard. Boonsom Silapachai said he believed it would bring good luck for staff, and the ghosts would enjoy the movies. The Nation (Thailand), 18 April 2018.