Beacon Transcript

Information which Matters to You

Friday, February 26, 2021
Log in
  • National News
  • National News
  • Business
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Technology
  • Health
  • Health
  • Science
  • Science
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Authors & Contributors
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Authors & Contributors
    • Privacy Policy GDPR

Recent Articles

Ancient Babylonian Clay Tablet Holds the First Trigonometric Table

Ancient Babylonian Clay Tablet Holds the First Trigonometric Table

August 26, 2017 By Clayton Meason

The CDC Draws Attention To The Spike In Cyclosporiasis Cases

The CDC Draws Attention To The Spike In Cyclosporiasis Cases

August 11, 2017 By Troy G. Bennett

Travis Kalanick Resigns from His Position as Uber’s CEO

Travis Kalanick Resigns from His Position as Uber’s CEO

June 22, 2017 By Troy G. Bennett

Amazon Refunds Parents Whose Children Made Purchases Without Permission

Amazon Refunds Parents Whose Children Made Purchases Without Permission

June 2, 2017 By Clayton Meason

McDonald’s Has Been Quietly Altering Its Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

McDonald’s Has Been Quietly Altering Its Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

May 21, 2017 By Jennifer Licata

Washington Post Will Be Expanding Its Newsroom

Washington Post Will Be Expanding Its Newsroom

December 28, 2016 By Troy G. Bennett

Two Contagious Cancers Affecting Tasmanian Devil Populations

January 3, 2016 By Troy G. Bennett

Email, RSS Follow
"tasmanian devil"

Doesn’t really look like the Taz we all know and love, does he?

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – When you think about the Tasmanian devil, you’re most likely thinking about Loony Tunes’ Taz. Loud, fast, and with an insatiable appetite, the creature looks nothing like its real life counterpart, although it does share the aforementioned similarities. Researchers were taken aback to find two contagious cancers affecting Tasmanian devil populations.

Generally, transmissible cancers are believed to be exceedingly rare in nature, with only three cases recoded prior to the discovery of this new one.

For cancer cells to jump hosts it takes a lot of time and resilience on the part of the cell, as it usually dies once leaving the host. Previous cases were found in dogs, in soft-shell clams, and in 1994, the first case of transmittable cancer was observed in Tasmanian Devils.

In the Australian marsupial, it was found that the cancer was transmittable via biting, and as Tasmanian devils are known for their habits of biting each other during mating, eating, and even playing, the cancer spread at a very fast rate throughout the animal population. It spread so fast, that the animal was declared an endangered species in 2008.

In 2014, however, scientists encountered a specimen with nearly identical tumors to those generated by the first cancer. Upon further, long-term examination, it was proven that the animal suffered from a different type of cancer, a second one, and that the disease had no relation to the first one.

In the meanwhile, 8 more specimens were confirmed to suffer from the new disease, which was so genetically different from the first one, that it even had different chromosome arrangements.

This baffled the scientists, as it is almost inconceivable for such a rare occurrence in nature to develop twice for the same species. Keep in mind that there used to be only 3 types of transmittable cancer, and now the fourth one is affecting one of the species that already had one.

So, the experts now have to reconsider everything they know about nature’s contagious cancers, as they cannot seem to find an explanation as to why a species would be particularly vulnerable to developing such a rare condition.

Multiple programs are funding the research, with multiple reasons.

First of all, the discovery is huge for the entire scientific world, as it turns on its head everything we know about cancer.

Last but not least, the Tasmanian devils are a very interesting species, and if another cancer epidemic were to befall them, they would almost undoubtedly go extinct.

Image source: Pixabay

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Health

Recent Posts

  • Security Guard List As Suspect in 1974 Stanford University Chapel Slaying Kills Himself June 29, 2018
  • Texas Teens Arrested After Decomposing Body of Elderly Woman Found in Garage June 28, 2018
  • Montana Woman in Custody After Forcing Ex to Have Sex with Her June 27, 2018
  • Newly Released Audio Transcript Proves Monalisa Perez Objected to Deadly YouTube Prank June 26, 2018
  • Virginia Woman Shoots New Zealand Man Who Smashed Glass Door with Brick   June 26, 2018
  • Arizona Woman Lied About Kidnapping to Cover Boyfriend’s Slaying June 25, 2018
  • Brooklyn Man Arrested in Niagara Falls Allegedly Chopped off Pregnant Wife’s Arms with Steak Knife June 25, 2018

Related Articles

  • green laser

    Boy from Greece Burns Hole Through Retina after Staring into Green Laser

    Jun 21, 2018
  • machine brain

    Google’s Latest AI Algorithm Can Predict the Likelihood of Death

    Jun 19, 2018
  • Kat von D

    Beauty Blogger Tears Down Kat von D’s Anti-Vaxx Post with Pictures of Son with Measles

    Jun 15, 2018
  • white cell

    Terminally Ill Patient Now Cancer Free Thanks to Experimental Treatment  

    Jun 7, 2018
  • eggplant

    Chinese Man Inserts Foot-Long Eggplant in Anus to Get Rid of Constipation

    Jun 5, 2018
  • pregnancy

    Scotland OB-GYN Specialist Found Guilty of Medical Misconduct in Birth of Headless Infant

    Jun 5, 2018
  • gym day

    Texas Teen Diagnosed with Potentially Deadly Muscle Disease after Over Exercising at the Gym

    Jun 4, 2018
  • a bandaged hand extended towards the left side of the screen

    New, Handheld 3D Skin Printer to Be Used to Heal Deep Wounds? (Study)

    May 9, 2018
  • Car Crash Leads to Brain Tumor

    California Student Gets Diagnosed with Thumb-Sized Brain Tumor after Car Crash

    Mar 21, 2018
  • Air pocket in Man's Brain

    Irish Man Found with Large Air Pocket on Right Side of the Brain

    Mar 14, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Stocks
  • Technology
  • US
  • World

Copyright © 2021 beacontranscript.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.