Various research studies have indicated that cancers may not only be an affliction and malign cell growth, but also a entirely new species. Scientists have studied various parasitic cancers, and gained insight into the behavior of their specific evolution. Tasmanian devils have a transmissible strain of cancer that is spread by bite, and is continuously evolving. Canines have a particular strain of venereal disease that is purported to be the oldest form of cancers. New evidence has only supported the idea those cancers may be able to evolve into an entirely new species.
Key Takeaways:
- Cancers that can manage to move between hosts may be able to create unique multicellular species.
- Marine parasites known as myxosporeans have some of the smallest known animal genomes.
- Transmissible cancers have been passed to humans from parasitic worms.
“They specifically lack certain genes thought to be essential for multicellular life.”
Read more: https://www.quantamagazine.org/can-new-species-evolve-from-cancers-maybe-heres-how-20190819/
