S4.23 A menagerie of malignancy: Cancer across the animal kingdom
Hello, and welcome to Genetics Unzipped - the Genetics Society podcast, with me, Dr Kat Arney. In this episode we’re taking a trip to the zoo, to find out how studying tumours across the animal kingdom, from naked mole rats to elephants, can reveal insights into cancer in our own species
All cancers, great and small
In 2014, Croatian geneticist Dr. Tomislav Domazet-Lošo and his colleagues at the University of Kiel in Germany published a paper describing tumors in two different species of tiny freshwater Hydra. Little more than a tube with tentacles, Hydra comprise three distinct groups of stem cells. One of these groups, known as interstitial stem cells, turned out to be the source of the cancers, which severely impacted growth and fertility.
But while Hydra may be the simplest organisms currently known to develop cancer, they are far from the only example outside our own species. Cancer has been found on virtually every branch of the tree of multicellular life, from the simplest to the most complex. Read the full story over at Technology Networks.
Why don’t elephants get cancer? The curious case of TP53
There aren’t many great scientific stories that start with a trip to the zoo, but this family outing certainly made a big impact on the world of cancer research, in more ways than one. Click here to find out more about this fascinating story.
That’s all for now. If you’d like to find out more about cancer across the animal kingdom and its evolutionary history, then check out my book, Rebel Cell: Cancer, evolution and the science of life, out now in paperback, ebook and audiobook, with signed copies and book plates available at Rebelcellbook.com
We’ll be back next time taking a look at whether our genetics can influence how our lives turn out, and what - if anything - we should do with this kind of information.
For more information about this podcast including show notes, transcripts, links, references, music credits and everything else head over to geneticsunzipped.com You can find us on Twitter @geneticsunzip and please do take a moment to rate and review us on Apple podcasts - it really makes a difference and helps more people discover the show.
Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by me, Kat Arney. It is produced by First Create the Media for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. You can find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk. Our theme music was composed by Dan Pollard, and the logo was designed by James Mayall, and audio production was by Hannah Varrall. Thanks for listening, and until next time, goodbye.
Music and sound effects licensed from Epidemic Sound and Envato
Image credits:
Animals in Round, Danjazzia via Envato
