Latest news with #Pomeranians
Sydney Morning Herald
20-05-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
At 2m tall, I'm at greater risk of cancer. An elephant could fix that
Kean spoke to researchers scouring the genomes of large animals for clues as to why they're so good at suppressing cancer despite having trillions more cells than we do. Some of what they've found can make human cancer cells self-destruct. 1000 times better at cancer suppression Body size and cancer rates only correlate between members of the same species, not between different animals. For example, little dogs such as Pomeranians, shih tzus and chihuahuas have a 10 per cent chance of dying from cancer while the risk for larger breeds including mastiffs and Burmese mountain dogs is up around 40-50 per cent, a 2024 study reported. If this correlation between size and cancer risk applied across different species, mice would never die from cancer and elephants would barely make adulthood. By one estimate, half of all blue whales should get colon cancer by the time they're 50 and all whales should have it by the time they're 80. But that's not the case. Mice actually have a colon cancer risk comparable to humans, even though they're tiny. About 46 per cent of wild mice raised in a lab, in fact, die from some kind of cancer. Blue whales do get colon cancer but at nowhere near the rates you'd expect for their size. They live as long as we do. So what's going on? 'Peto's Paradox suggests that large, long-lived animals such as the blue whale have evolved mechanisms capable of suppressing cancer 1000 times better than humans,' write Professor Carlo Maley and Dr Aleah Caulin in Trends in Ecology & Evolution. If we could harness the cancer-suppression mechanisms of mega-animals, they argue, 'then we could potentially eradicate cancer as a public health threat in humans'. Peto's paradox disproved? Just as I got excited about the idea of using the cancer-suppressing superpowers of the world's largest creatures to treat human cancer, I came across a new paper that slapped me down. No evidence for Peto's paradox in terrestrial vertebrates, the headline read. The authors analysed a dataset of 16,000 necropsy records for 292 species of mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles and found larger animals did get more cancer. 'We show that there is no evidence for Peto's paradox across amphibians, birds, mammals and squamate reptiles: Larger species do in fact have a higher cancer prevalence compared to smaller species,' they concluded. But other scientists quickly questioned that blunt conclusion. Although the authors did find more cancer in bigger animals, it wasn't enough to disprove Peto's paradox. Most large-bodied animals still had far lower cancer rates than you'd expect. Elephants, for example, had 56 per cent less cancer than the researchers' model predicted. 'The real question is not just whether there is a positive relationship between size and cancer prevalence, but whether this relationship is as strong as expected given the increased number of cell divisions associated with larger body size,' says Dr Antonie Dujon, who's researching cancer and evolution at Deakin University. 'In other words, there may be a positive correlation between size and cancer risk, but if this correlation is weaker than statistically expected, it suggests that natural selection has nonetheless favoured superior anti-cancer defences in large-bodied species.' So, despite the headline, Peto's paradox held up. Scientists remain convinced something powerful is going on within the world's biggest creatures that stops cells going rogue. Here's one way scientists are trying to use that to our advantage. Harnessing elephant evolution to kill cancer Large animals may have evolved to suppress cancer through lower mutation rates, cancer-resistant tweaks in the architecture of their tissue, and immune systems better at surveilling for cancerous cells. One specific example comes from elephants. Circling back to Kean's book about evolution, she writes that humans have an inbuilt defence against tumours in the form of a gene called TP53. Loading The gene codes for a protein called P53 that triggers cancerous cells to 'self-destruct' and repairs damaged DNA. Humans have two copies of the gene in each cell. But elephants, the largest land animals, have 40 copies. The elephant versions are seemingly more powerful at suppressing cancer than the human version of the gene, too. Only 5 per cent of elephants die from cancer compared to a quarter of humans. Now several teams across the globe are scrutinising these elephant genes with a long-term view of harnessing them for targeted cancer therapies. It's very, very early days for this research, but scientists have used the genes to kill the cells of a cancerous bone tumour that affects children during growth spurts.
The Age
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Age
At 2m tall, I'm at greater risk of cancer. An elephant could fix that
Kean spoke to researchers scouring the genomes of large animals for clues as to why they're so good at suppressing cancer despite having trillions more cells than we do. Some of what they've found can make human cancer cells self-destruct. 1000 times better at cancer suppression Body size and cancer rates only correlate between members of the same species, not between different animals. For example, little dogs such as Pomeranians, shih tzus and chihuahuas have a 10 per cent chance of dying from cancer while the risk for larger breeds including mastiffs and Burmese mountain dogs is up around 40-50 per cent, a 2024 study reported. If this correlation between size and cancer risk applied across different species, mice would never die from cancer and elephants would barely make adulthood. By one estimate, half of all blue whales should get colon cancer by the time they're 50 and all whales should have it by the time they're 80. But that's not the case. Mice actually have a colon cancer risk comparable to humans, even though they're tiny. About 46 per cent of wild mice raised in a lab, in fact, die from some kind of cancer. Blue whales do get colon cancer but at nowhere near the rates you'd expect for their size. They live as long as we do. So what's going on? 'Peto's Paradox suggests that large, long-lived animals such as the blue whale have evolved mechanisms capable of suppressing cancer 1000 times better than humans,' write Professor Carlo Maley and Dr Aleah Caulin in Trends in Ecology & Evolution. If we could harness the cancer-suppression mechanisms of mega-animals, they argue, 'then we could potentially eradicate cancer as a public health threat in humans'. Peto's paradox disproved? Just as I got excited about the idea of using the cancer-suppressing superpowers of the world's largest creatures to treat human cancer, I came across a new paper that slapped me down. No evidence for Peto's paradox in terrestrial vertebrates, the headline read. The authors analysed a dataset of 16,000 necropsy records for 292 species of mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles and found larger animals did get more cancer. 'We show that there is no evidence for Peto's paradox across amphibians, birds, mammals and squamate reptiles: Larger species do in fact have a higher cancer prevalence compared to smaller species,' they concluded. But other scientists quickly questioned that blunt conclusion. Although the authors did find more cancer in bigger animals, it wasn't enough to disprove Peto's paradox. Most large-bodied animals still had far lower cancer rates than you'd expect. Elephants, for example, had 56 per cent less cancer than the researchers' model predicted. 'The real question is not just whether there is a positive relationship between size and cancer prevalence, but whether this relationship is as strong as expected given the increased number of cell divisions associated with larger body size,' says Dr Antonie Dujon, who's researching cancer and evolution at Deakin University. 'In other words, there may be a positive correlation between size and cancer risk, but if this correlation is weaker than statistically expected, it suggests that natural selection has nonetheless favoured superior anti-cancer defences in large-bodied species.' So, despite the headline, Peto's paradox held up. Scientists remain convinced something powerful is going on within the world's biggest creatures that stops cells going rogue. Here's one way scientists are trying to use that to our advantage. Harnessing elephant evolution to kill cancer Large animals may have evolved to suppress cancer through lower mutation rates, cancer-resistant tweaks in the architecture of their tissue, and immune systems better at surveilling for cancerous cells. One specific example comes from elephants. Circling back to Kean's book about evolution, she writes that humans have an inbuilt defence against tumours in the form of a gene called TP53. Loading The gene codes for a protein called P53 that triggers cancerous cells to 'self-destruct' and repairs damaged DNA. Humans have two copies of the gene in each cell. But elephants, the largest land animals, have 40 copies. The elephant versions are seemingly more powerful at suppressing cancer than the human version of the gene, too. Only 5 per cent of elephants die from cancer compared to a quarter of humans. Now several teams across the globe are scrutinising these elephant genes with a long-term view of harnessing them for targeted cancer therapies. It's very, very early days for this research, but scientists have used the genes to kill the cells of a cancerous bone tumour that affects children during growth spurts.
First Post
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Say Woof! These 10 dogs were made for the spotlight
Pomeranian Tiny but full of personality, Pomeranians flaunt their fluffy coats and adorable smiles. Their fox-like faces and animated antics make them standout stars in both posed and spontaneous snapshots.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Reveals The New Gelgoog, That's Just Like A GM
The new Gelgoog that's more like a GM. We're now finally in the new stretch of content for Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and it's a mixed bag. Following the initial clan battle, Machu and Shuji are doing very well for the Pomeranians, with multiple victories under their collective belts. Even Challia Bull is impressed with their output and doesn't seem at all concerned that having two psycommu mobile suits in close proximity could cause a Zek Nova. One neat detail is that the room where Challia watches the clan battles is actually a reused asset from the Rebuild of Evangelion movies (see below). This is in no way a criticism and is actually a smart and sensible approach to anime production. We are also introduced to a new Federation pilot called Shiiko Sugai. Known as the Witch during the war, due to her high kill count, we also get hit with a new term, 'unicum', which is this in-universe's name for an ace pilot. Why they just didn't call her an ace, I don't know. In any case, she wants to fight the Red Gundam, as Char killed her MAV during the war. Sugai is an interesting character because, on first appearance, she's a very sweet and polite mother with a mushroom bob haircut. I like the fact that her demeanor and appearance subvert what we expect an ace pilot to be like in Gundam. In amongst this, Shuji says that the Red Gundam wants to go to Earth, and the constant dialogue he has with the mobile suit makes me think that something of Char Aznable was left behind after the original Zek Nova. Machu also enthusiastically agrees to go to with him. The resultant clan battle then reveals some bizarre mobile suits which are called Gelgoogs but are in fact GMs. Let me explain, in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, the initial objective was to get the Gundam back to the Federation so they could mass produce it. As they were on the clock, the Federation made a simpler version called the GM. The name is sometimes thought to be 'Gundam type Mass-production model', but that hasn't always been consistent. Now, in this weird new timeline, Char told the Zeon higher-ups to stop production of the Zeon Gelgoog and instead mass-produce the Gundam, which in turn creates a mobile suit that looks like a GM, but because this is Zeon, it is now called a Gelgoog. It does make sense, but all of this is beginning to feel like bad fan fiction again, and it's also just confusing to newcomers, which this series is seemingly aimed at. One interesting feature is that the head design for this 'Gelgoog' does really remind me of the Daughtress from Gundam X, and I suppose that's no bad thing, especially as Gundam X deserves more love as it is. Anyway, the fight between Sugai and the Gundams goes as you'd expect. Sugai uses hooks and wires to move around her target in a difficult-to-predict manner, but is eventually undone by Shuji, who literally zips behind her in 'nothing personal, kid' meme fashion and shivs her mobile suit in the back. To be honest, this felt massively unnecessary. Yes, Sugai was determined to get vengeance on the Red Gundam, but Shuji could have easily immobilised her mobile suit rather than kill her. After all the prior clan battles weren't to the death. Like with most of GQuuuuuuX, it's not really coming together as it should and feels oddly amateurish at times. The designs are still bugging me, but I think that now we are in new narrative territory, the story will hopefully pick up. However, this latest episode didn't really do it for me and just felt overly convoluted to get to a death that was wholly unnecessary. Here's hoping the following episodes get better from here on out. Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Mint
30-04-2025
- Health
- Mint
How pet parents can guard against bladder stones this season
Golu, a five-year-old Shih Tzu, was rushed into our clinic one summer afternoon, trembling and unable to pass urine. He'd been straining to urinate for a day but managed only a few drops tinged with blood. The family had assumed it was a urinary tract infection, and hoped it would clear up. But Golu had a cluster of tiny, sharp crystals in his bladder—stones that caused pain with every attempt he made to relieve himself. This is the story of countless dogs and cats across the country, especially during summer when the risk of bladder stones increases. Bladder stones, or uroliths, are mineral formations that develop in the bladder when urine becomes concentrated and certain minerals start crystallising. In dogs and cats, they can vary in composition and each has its own causes, implications and treatments. The stones may be single or multiple, large or gravel-like, and can be so many and so tightly packed that they resemble a bag of marbles on an X-ray. These stones irritate the bladder lining, cause pain, inflammation, blood in the urine, and most dangerously, obstruction—especially in male animals, where the urethra is narrower and more prone to blockage. Symptoms can be subtle at first. Dogs may start urinating more frequently, dribbling small amounts of urine, or licking themselves excessively. Cats will go to the litter tray repeatedly, straining, vocalising or peeing outside the box in frustration. Sometimes, you'll notice blood in the urine or a colour change. I once saw a Persian cat named Whiskey who had been assumed to be protesting a new brand of litter by peeing in the living room, only for us to discover he had bladder stones and was desperately trying to find a comfortable position. In India, the summer plays a huge role. With high humidity and temperatures, pets may dehydrate more quickly. This concentrates the urine, creating an ideal environment for mineral precipitation. If the pet is on a diet high in minerals or if their pH balance is off, the risk multiplies. The causes of bladder stones vary by species and even by breed. In dogs, struvite stones often form secondary to urinary tract infections, especially in females. Calcium oxalate stones, on the other hand, are more common in male dogs and have no infectious component, and instead relate to genetic predispositions. Breeds like Miniature Schnauzers, Lhasa Apsos and Pomeranians are more prone. Neutered male cats, particularly Persians and British Shorthairs, appear predisposed. Diagnosis typically involves a combination of urine analysis, X-rays and ultrasound. Crystals in the urine give us the first clue, but imaging helps locate and size the stones. Occasionally, stones don't show up well on X-rays. I remember once removing nearly 30 small oxalate stones from a Dachshund whose X-ray had looked unremarkable until we did an ultrasound. Treatment depends on the type of stone, the size, number, and if there's an obstruction. Struvite stones can often be dissolved medically with special diets that acidify the urine. This, however, demands strict compliance and careful monitoring. Calcium oxalate stones don't dissolve and typically require surgical removal. Obstructed animals are medical emergencies and must visit a veterinarian immediately. Prevention is the golden strategy. For dogs, routine urine tests, dietary modification and encouraging water intake are key. For cats, it's also about reducing stress because feline lower urinary tract disease, including stones, often flares up during times of environmental stress. While bladder stones often recur, knowing the type of stone your pet formed the first time around helps in crafting a customised prevention plan. I once treated a Golden Retriever whose struvite stones returned twice before his family understood the importance of completing every antibiotic course and sticking with his diet. He hasn't had a recurrence in three years. Bladder stones are painful, disruptive and, in some cases, life-threatening. Yet they're also one of those conditions where early intervention and informed care can drastically alter the outcome. Nameeta Nadkarni is a veterinary soft tissue surgeon and pet blogger from Mumbai.
