Latest news with #BiancastellaCereser
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dinosaurs Had Cancer, Too, According to a Staggering New Study
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Over the years, scientists have found examples of cancerous tumors within the fossilized bones of ancient dinosaurs. A new study analyzes the fossil of the duck-billed hadrosaurid Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus and found proteins that help pinpoint molecular marks of disease in ancient species. This animal's particular cancer—a benign tumor of the jaw called ameloblastoma—also impacts humans, so scientists are exploring whether understanding the disease in its ancient context could lead to novel therapies in our current epoch. Whether depicted in textbooks or Hollywood films, dinosaurs are often portrayed as powerful beings with sharp jaws, thick hides, and indomitable strength. But just like us, it turns out, dinosaurs were susceptible to a variety of illnesses, diseases, and cancers. Over the years, scientists have actually discovered cancerous tumors clinging to fossilized bone, giving us insight into the ancient life of this deadly malady. In 2016, a team of U.S. and Romanian scientists announced the discovery of a tumorous fossil belonging to a 70-million-year-old duck-billed hadrosaurid (Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus) that once roamed the Hateg Basin in present-day Romania. Finding tumors along with dinosaur fossils is relatively rare, and cancer specialists at Imperial College London and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the U.K. had different interests in this particular specimen. 'We wanted to see if this tumor in the dinosaur could give us any information about any parallel with human cancers,' Biancastella Cereser, a co-author of the study from Imperial College London, told The Independent, 'because the tumor that this dinosaur had was an ameloblastoma, a benign tumor in the jaw, which humans have as well.' The results of their inquiry, published in the journal Biology, found that using advanced techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM) could recover structures resembling red blood cells, proving that soft tissues and cellular components are more common in fossils than previously believed. And before any Jurassic Park fans ask, that does not include DNA. 'Jurassic Park isn't right, because what they said is dinosaur DNA could be recovered and cloned to resurrect dinosaurs, but we can't get DNA out of this because it's broken down by weathering and time,' Justin Stebbing from ARU told The Independent. Luckily, proteins found in calcified tissues are much more stable, and provide the perfect opportunity for studying the ancient history of cancers that inflict us today. By analyzing how cancers impacted extinct species, the authors hypothesize that they might be able to uncover new methods of cancer suppression. 'Dinosaurs, as long-lived, large-bodied organisms, present a compelling case for investigating how species managed cancer susceptibility and resistance over millions of years,' the authors wrote. 'The identification of tumors, such as the ameloblastoma in Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, suggests that cancer was not an anomaly but a recurring biological challenge in prehistoric ecosystems.' The researchers are also stressing the importance of preserving specimens for molecular investigations like this. They hope that the information hidden in the fossils of these long-dead animals can now help protect the lifeforms that inherited the planet these dinos once called home. 'Our research, using relatively underused methods, invites further exploration that could hold the key to future discoveries that could benefit humans,' Stebbing said in a press statement. 'It is crucial that long-term fossil conservation efforts are co-ordinated to ensure that future researchers have access to specimens suitable for cutting-edge molecular investigations.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
New dinosaur discovery could hold the key to human cancer treatment
Scientists believe dinosaur fossils could hold the key to new cancer discoveries and influence future treatments for humans. A decade-long study published in the journal Biology by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Imperial College London has identified preserved red blood cell-like structures in a dinosaur fossil. The findings raised the possibility that prehistoric creatures could be used to study ancient tumours, helping to complete the 'jigsaw' of cancer's molecular building blocks, and potentially influencing future treatments for humans. Professor Justin Stebbing, an oncologist at ARU, said the idea for the study began in 2016 after reading an article about the discovery of a new fossil in Romania with a tumour in its jaw. The remains were those of a Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, a duck-billed, plant-eating 'marsh lizard', a specimen that had lived between 66-70 million years ago in the Hateg Basin in present-day Romania. 'Justin said, guys, I want to go and get this tumour and see what we can get out of it,' Dr Biancastella Cereser, a cancer specialist at Imperial, said. 'We wanted to see if this tumour in the dinosaur could give us any information about any parallel with human cancers, because the tumour that this dinosaur had was an ameloblastoma, a benign tumour in the jaw, which humans have as well.' From 2017, a team was put together, including three scientists who traditionally work on human cancers – Professor Stebbing, Dr Cereser, and Professor Pramodh Chandrasinghe from the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka. 'We contacted the town in Romania, which was very excited to loan us the fossil,' Dr Cereser said. 'We went to Romania and collected the specimen. We brought it back, and we basically drilled into it with a very, very, very fine drill. 'Then we mounted it into this very sophisticated microscope and imaged it. What we saw inside – there were some structures, some forms, that looked like blood cells.' This Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) technique enabled the researchers to identify low-density structures resembling erythrocytes, or red blood cells, in the fossilised bone. 'Up until recently, the fossil record and finding ancient things was really interesting for finding hard things like shells or skeletons to assess tissues,' Professor Stebbing said. 'But if we're trying to look at the building blocks of life or the building blocks of cancer, to understand cancer better, what we found was you can actually as well as seeing the skeleton, we can actually see soft tissue as well. 'We could actually see like the flesh of the cancer. This means we can look at cancer not only occurring in human or in animal models, but we can look at it tens and tens of millions of years ago. 'It helps us understand the role of environment on cancer.' He continued: ' Jurassic Park isn't right, because what they said is dinosaur DNA could be recovered and cloned to resurrect dinosaurs, but we can't get DNA out of this because it's broken down by weathering and time. 'But what we have found is that we've actually found proteins in soft tissues can survive over time. 'All we're trying to understand is the molecular building blocks of cancer from a very, very ancient perspective. 'If we can understand cancer better, we can come up with better treatments. I do a lot of research in cancer, so, you know, it all comes together. It's just part of a jigsaw that you are trying to build.'
