Deadly Facial Tumors Spur Tasmanian Devil Evolution: Study

The largest study to date of the animals’ genetics provides robust evidence that they are adapting to survive a highly lethal, contagious cancer scientists feared would cause their extinction.

christie wilcox buehler
| 6 min read
A Tasmanian devil with its nose in the air

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
6:00
Share

ABOVE: A Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
MENNA JONES

On the whole, the 20th century was pretty rough for Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii). Just when their numbers seemed to finally be recovering after more than a century of poisoning and trapping, a strange, deadly disease emerged: the contagious cancer known as devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). Infected devils grow large, disfiguring tumors, especially on their faces—hence the name—and the vast majority die. In fact, within five years of DFTD’s first appearance in 1996, populations hit by the disease had declined by around 80 percent, and scientists feared the cancer would wipe the devils out in a matter of decades.

These days, the disease continues to kill the world’s largest marsupial carnivore, and populations remain concerningly small. But, according to experts such as Menna Jones, a vertebrate ecologist at the University of Tasmania who has worked with devils for more than 30 years, ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Discover a serum-free way to produce dendritic cells and macrophages for cell therapy applications.

Optimizing In Vitro Production of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells and Macrophages

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with Lipid Nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo