A contagious cancer is threatening Tasmanian devils with extinction, but these unique carnivores—and their human helpers—are adapting at breakneck speed, giving new hope for their survival.
Ecology
Mar 29, 2019
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5
Since colonisation, a dizzying array of Australia's native species and ecosystems have been altered or removed altogether. It therefore seems natural to consider the idea of restoring what's been lost – a process termed ...
Ecology
Feb 27, 2019
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9
The Tasmanian devil – despite its name – once roamed the mainland of Australia. Returning the devil to the mainland may not only help its threatened status but could help control invasive predators such as feral cats ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 26, 2019
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1
A new study of Tasmanian devils has revealed that a transmissible cancer which has devastated devil populations in recent years in unlikely to cause extinction of the iconic species.
Ecology
Jan 24, 2019
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14
Thyalacoleo carnifex, the "marsupial lion" of Pleistocene Australia, was an adept hunter that got around with the help of a strong tail, according to a study released December 12, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE ...
Archaeology
Dec 12, 2018
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168
The decline of Tasmanian devils is having an unusual knock-on effect: animal carcasses would once have been gobbled up in short order by devils are now taking many days longer to disappear.
Ecology
Nov 28, 2018
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21
Washington State University scientists have discovered genes and other genetic variations that appear to be involved in cancerous tumors shrinking in Tasmanian devils.
Evolution
Nov 28, 2018
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133
Researchers from The University of Western Australia and the Australian National University have uncovered new evidence that suggests dingoes arrived in Australia between 3,348 and 3,081 years ago, more recently than previously ...
Evolution
Jul 20, 2018
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24
Scientists from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP), the University of Sydney and Toledo Zoo spent eight days exploring the south west wilderness on a quest to find and trap devils in an area that nobody had trapped ...
Ecology
Apr 30, 2018
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6
Transmissible cancers are incredibly rare in nature, yet have arisen in Tasmanian devils on at least two separate occasions. New research from the University of Cambridge identifies key anti-cancer drugs which could be trialled ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 9, 2018
1
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