Pea plant grows inside man's lung

A Massachusetts man who was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung came home with an unusual diagnosis: a pea plant was growing in his lung.

Ron Sveden had been battling emphysema for months when his condition deteriorated.

He was steeling himself for a cancer diagnosis when X-rays revealed the growth in his lung.

Doctors believe that Mr Sveden ate the pea at some point, but it "went down the wrong way" and sprouted.

"One of the first meals I had in the hospital after the surgery had peas for the vegetable. I laughed to myself and ate them," Mr Sveden told a local Boston TV reporter.

Mr Sveden said the plant was about half an inch (1.25cm) in size.

"Whether this would have gone full-term and I'd be working for the Jolly Green Giant, I don't know. I think the thing that finally dawned on me is that it wasn't the cancer," Mr Sveden said.

He is currently recovering at home with his wife Nancy, who joked that God must have a sense of humour.

www.bbc.co.uk

What lies beneath the sea?

Marine scientists have discovered strange new species, but their census also reminds us how little we know about the creatures of the deep, says Tim Ecott. 

Holidaymakers forced out of the water on the Costa Blanca this week by an "invasion" of jellyfish will probably not have had time to admire the creatures' bright purple hue or the way their luminous transparent bodies emit a ghostly, yellow glow at night. Seen from below, with a shaft of sunlight illuminating the purple veins of their pulsing domes, they are as beautiful as a Tiffany glass lampshade.

As the beach-bound swimmers gaze longingly at the sparkling but forbidden Mediterranean, they should take comfort that the Spanish environment ministry had been preparing for the arrival of hordes of "mauve stingers" for some weeks, as part of Plan Medusa. Like the hapless authorities in a Fifties' monster movie, they had produced posters and advertising campaigns warning swimmers to brace themselves for an onslaught of the purple jellies (Pelagia noctiluca), just one of the species posing a hazard to bathers this year, as well as the potentially deadly Portuguese Man o' War with its 100-foot tentacles and the box jellyfish, which leaves welts that burn for three weeks.

Some of those barred from the water may be gladdened by the news that the Mediterranean has been identified in the newly released Census of Marine Life as one of the world's top five areas for marine biodiversity. The others are the oceans off Australia, Japan, China and the Gulf of Mexico, each containing as many as 33,000 individual forms of life that can be scientifically classified as species. In total, the census now estimates that there are more than 230,000 known marine species – but that this is probably less than a quarter of what lives in the sea.

Enjoy a Stay at Cambridge University in England

Cambridge University, one of the oldest and most famous universities in the world, is giving travellers the chance stay on its historic grounds. The university opens its doors to visitors for bed and breakfast accommodation during the school holidays.

Visitors can choose from a range of room styles. Visitors can book online for rooms in 19 colleges, some of them dating from the 15th century or earlier. Thousands of visitors come to Cambridge each year, attracted by the historical architecture and unique atmosphere of the colleges. Now everyone can experience it first-hand.

A total of 550 function rooms and 6,500 bedrooms are available.

Cambridge, 80km (50 miles) north of London, has been a seat of learning for over 700 years. The oldest college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284.

Wondering how much such a stay may cost? Purely as an example, but if you were to check in on 7 August 2010 rates start from around GBP 41 but vary depending on the room type and college chosen.