Did you know that Tasmanian devils are getting cancer? Unlike cancer in humans, cancer among Tasmanian devils is contagious. The cancer is in the form of a face tumor, and it spreads when they fight over food. Scientists have found that the tumors hide from the immune system by switching off important molecules that are on the surface of cells. So when a Tasmanian devil gets the cancer, the immune system doesn’t know it and the Tasmanian devil is unable to fight back. Tasmanian devil populations have dropped 80-90% since scientists first noticed the cancer in 1996.
Photo by livescience.com
The discovery of the cell-surface MHC molecules was a breakthrough, however, in research for a cure. Scientists believe that there will be a cure within a few years, according to the BBC and Radio Australia. Upon learning of this epidemic, however, seventh grader Naim Saleem said, “The Tasmanian devils should be kept apart from each other until they find a cure.”