SIDELINES...

TACO SURPRISE

After a motorbike accident, an unnamed 38-year-old Idaho man had to have his foot amputated. He was allowed to take it home with him, and later invited 11 friends to share a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure. Ten said yes, and a chef friend prepared a chunk of meat from the top of the shin, marinating it overnight and sautéeing it with peppers, onions, and lime. It was served with corn tortillas and a tomatillo sauce. iflscience.com, 25 Mar 2021.

WOOLLY WONDERS

A sheep beat odds of a million to one when it gave birth to five lambs, with each weighing around 7.5lb (3.4kg), at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire. Sun, 8 April 2021.

SHRINKING HEARTS

Space travellers will need to follow a high-intensity exercise routine to stop weightlessness shrinking their hearts. Without gravity, the organ doesn’t need to work so hard, said University of Texas researchers, Metro, 30 Mar 2021.

ALLERGIC TO HERSELF

Niah Selway, 23, from Hastings, East Sussex, suffers from aquagenic pruritus, making her allergic to water. Everything from rain to her own sweat, urine and tears burn her skin. Not surprisingly, she is mostly housebound. Sun, 30 Mar 2021.

SOLAR PARANOIA

Officials in Woodland, North Carolina, have rejected plans for a solar farm amid worries from residents it would “suck up all the energy from the Sun”. Three such farms had already been approved in the area, but locals weren’t impressed, fearing that businesses would not come to the area. D.Mirror, 29 Aug 2020.