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Duck-Billed Dinosaurs Suffered From Cancer

Posted by timothy on from the car-accidents-killed-the-rest dept.

Polyploid Pimp writes "Nature reports a study by Bruce Rothschild of NEOUCOM about cancer in dinosaurs. Rothschild's group X-rayed 10,000 bones of over 700 museum specimens across North America. They found that only one group, the hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs got cancer. They hypothesize the cancer may be due to the dinosaurs presumed diet of conifers, which contain a number of known carcinogens. Additionally, this group of dinosaurs is thought (by some people) to have been warm blooded, which may have increased their cancer risk. They cite as support for conducting their study that understanding the causes and rates of cancer in other animals may provide insight into human cancers. I find it an interesting story as it demonstrates another use for museum specimens outside of their original collection purposes, and represents (to me at least) one reason to keep funding them, since you never know how the material may be used in the future."

10 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Gary Larsen knew... by rhombic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Come on, everybody knows dinosaurs got cancer from smoking. Duh.

    --
    1984 was supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual.
  2. Erm? by WTFmonkey · · Score: 3, Funny
    Dinosaur tumours have been mooted before...
    What? Is that a paleontological term, or just a british one?
    1. Re:Erm? by Valdrax · · Score: 2, Informative

      To moot means to bring up for discussion. The word has fallen out of usage in American English (at least).

      The adjective moot is originally a legal term going back to the mid-16th century. It derives from the noun moot, in its sense of a hypothetical case argued as an exercise by law students. Consequently, a moot question is one that is arguable or open to debate. But in the mid-19th century people also began to look at the hypothetical side of moot as its essential meaning, and they started to use the word to mean "of no significance or relevance." Thus, a moot point, however debatable, is one that has no practical value. A number of critics have objected to this use, but 59 percent of the Usage Panel accepts it in the sentence The nominee himself chastised the White House for failing to do more to support him, but his concerns became moot when a number of Republicans announced that they, too, would oppose the nomination. When using moot one should be sure that the context makes clear which sense is meant.

      -- The American Heritage Dictionary

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  3. X-rays can induce cancer as well (see picture) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    X-raying bones the way this guy does on the picture doesn't seem very safe to me. In hospitals, X-ray operations are protected by leaded windows or aprons (sp?)... Studying dinos causes cancer ;-)

    1. Re:X-rays can induce cancer as well (see picture) by greenhide · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's not easy to spot in the picture, but an experienced eye can easily pick out the bulge caused by a lead-lined jockstrap.

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      Karma: Chevy Kavalierma.
    2. Re:X-rays can induce cancer as well (see picture) by linzeal · · Score: 2, Funny

      What kind of exerience is required to spot lead lined jock straps? Do tell.

      --
      An Education is the Font of All Liberty
  4. Bone cancer, or all types? by bluGill · · Score: 2, Interesting

    AFAIK we only have bones (and fossilized ones at that, which don't really contain the origional bone), and not the rest of the dinosaur to examine. So are they willing to say no type of cancer in all those others, or just no bone cancer?

    1. Re:Bone cancer, or all types? by Carnildo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      When someone dies from cancer, it's usually because the cancer has spread all over the body, so what may have started out as skin cancer can be found in places like bones.

      --
      "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
  5. Lol by BoomerSooner · · Score: 2, Funny

    I find it an interesting story as it demonstrates another use for museum specimens outside of their original collection purposes, and represents (to me at least) one reason to keep funding them, since you never know how the material may be used in the future.

    I wish I could convice my parent company that they need to keep funding our office because they cannot predict what benefit we may be in the future! I bet there's more than one VC based company thinking the same thing.
  6. ducks? by bobba22 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I had no idea ducks were around in the age of the dinosaurs! What service were they providing and how did the billing system work? Why was it that only the dinosaurs being billed by the ducks were susceptable to cancer? How do we know now which dinos were indeed being billed by the ducks? Should we be avoiding ducks now? If I am over on my payments to a duck, should I be worried about cancer? Alternatively - Why are they called duck-billed dinos? surely they had the bills before ducks did, therefore making ducks dinosaur-billed waterfowl. Or were the dinos with those bills the original ducks, hence the name? Are there other kinds of non-duck bills, I can't recall any, so why not just call them bills? Is this just one big illusion by a clever guy called William? Are geese and swans duck-billed? Do they know, if so how do they feel? Is it art?