SIDELINES...

EAR HORROR

After a day of unbearable itching and strange noises in her ear, a woman named only as Yi went to a hospital in Zhuzhou in Hunan, China. There doctors were surprised when, after placing a small camera in her ear, a spider loomed up at the lens; medics removed it with an electric otoscope. Back in August, a six-year-old girl in Shenzen had a cockroach removed from her ear by doctors after complaining of “tingling”. metro.co.uk, 25 Aug, 21 Oct 2021.

METEORITE DISAPPOINTMENT

In 1996, a NASA-led team controversially announced that a meteorite found in Antarctica that originated from Mars contained organic compounds that appeared to have been created by living creatures. A recent re-examination of the rock using modern techniques, though, has revealed that the compounds are actually the result of salty water flowing over it for long periods. The scientists who did the original study have described this as “disappointing”. theguardian. com, 14 Jan 2022.

SUPER SNIP

The 2021 Diagram Book Prize for the oddest book title of the year went to Is Superman Circumcised? which examines how the experiences of his Jewish creators influenced the superhero. Others shortlisted included The Life Cycle of Russian Things: From Fish Guts to Fabergé and Curves for the Mathematically Curious. Previous winners have included Bombproof Your Horse and Cooking with Poo (the name of a celebrity Thai chef) Guardian, 4 Dec 2021.