Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2020 June 12

= June 12 =

Need help identifying the flower in this photo
What is the species of the flower in this ? Is it Gaillardia pulchella? StellarHalo (talk) 00:57, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * It looks very similar to those identified as Gaillardia pulchella in the large image on this page. --Lambiam 05:22, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Almost certainly a Gaillardia pulchella. Color is right. Liguates (pedals) have 3 lobes. Stem is hairy.  Eve rgr een Fir  (talk) 21:13, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

How did sperm end up in this man's urine?
How did sperm end in this man's urine after a prostatectomy? :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3638671/

I'm well-aware of this man's vas deferens regenerating (what a surprise!), but I thought that the bladder after a prostatectomy was a closed container? If so, just how exactly would sperm have ended up there? Did this man's sperm create an opening in this man's bladder just like termites do when they bite through wood--thus allowing this man's sperm to enter this man's bladder? Futurist110 (talk) 20:58, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Retrograde ejaculation. AFAIK (from my father's procedure), radical prostatectomies do keep the urethra intact. Depending on the procedure, if the testicles and vas deferens were left, retrograde ejaculation is possible. Moreover, given that the surgery and any radiation treatments cause general dysfunction in the area, a weakening of the bladder sphincter or swelling that narrows the urethra would all potentially push semen and sperm into the bladder., this sound right?  Eve rgr een Fir  (talk) 21:09, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks, but I'm more interested as to how exactly this man's sperm was physically able to access his bladder in the first place considering that the bladder is a completely closed container, no? Futurist110 (talk) 21:43, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure what you mean by a "completely closed container." The bladder's certainly got openings to let urine come in and out, and the surgery doesn't change that. And the article states pretty clearly: "We hypothesize that this [that is, the presence of sperm in the urine post-operation] is due to fistula formation between the vas deferens and the urinary tract."  bibliomaniac 1  5  23:14, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes (and BTW, I already saw and read that part of the article), but where exactly was there an opening between this fistula and the bladder? Futurist110 (talk) 01:56, 13 June 2020 (UTC)
 * The fistula would be the opening. --Khajidha (talk) 22:13, 13 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Just how would this fistula have developed, though? Futurist110 (talk) 01:33, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

What has been the longest confirmed natural tubing regeneration in human bodies in history?
What has been the longest confirmed natural tubing regeneration in human bodies? I am asking because it states in this 1924 article that the human vas deferens has sometimes regenerated even when five centimetres (two inches) of it has been removed:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/536907

So, I am wondering what the longest confirmed natural (as opposed to artificial/man-made) tubing regeneration in human bodies in history has been. Any thoughts on this? Futurist110 (talk) 21:02, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
 * For some reason, Guinness World Records doesn't have an entry for that. 107.15.157.44 (talk) 17:29, 13 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Do you have any idea why? Futurist110 (talk) 23:08, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Because you have over-generalized the question. Imagine that someone wanted the know about how far the General Lee jumped. If they asked one of the following questions they would be likely to get a good answer:
 * How far did the car in Dukes of Hazard actually jump?
 * Were the car jumps in 1980s TV shows real or were they camera tricks?
 * How far can an unmodified 1969 Dodge Charger jump and still be driveable?
 * If, however, they asked the following question:
 * "What is the longest distance a ballistic 4000 lb steel projectile has ever traveled?"
 * they would most likely get an answer like "For some reason, Guinness World Records doesn't have an entry for that." Try asking the question you want an answer to, explaining why you want to know that. --Guy Macon (talk) 00:55, 15 June 2020 (UTC)