Fir Tree Removed from Man's Lung: Expert Says "Is Not!"

"Surgeons find fir tree 'growing inside patient's lung' "
telegraph.co (April 15, 2009)

"Russian surgeons have claimed to have found a two-inch fir tree growing inside a man's lung.

"The amazing 'discovery' was apparently made when they opened up Artyom Sidorkin, 28, to remove what they thought was a serious tumour.

"Mr Sidorkin had complained of extreme pain in his chest and had been coughing up blood. Doctors were convinced he had cancer...."

There's a 1:57 video that goes with the article.

This could be a hoax - although I can't see what the motive would be, unless the surgeon wants to discredit himself. A botany expert explained that a green plant can't possibly grow inside a human body because there's not enough sunlight and carbon dioxide.

True enough: but this was a two inch sapling.

Oh, well: people who reported what's now called "sprites" over thunderstorms were assumed to be insane - until a video camera recorded the phenomenon. Then, experts had a choice between asserting that the video camera was insane and hallucinating, or investigating something they hadn't written about before.