Home News Tasmanian devil genome offers cancer clues

Tasmanian devil genome offers cancer clues

By AAP with Jenna Hanson • 20 February 2012

A devil at the Tasmanian Devil Breeding Centre in Sydney. (Credit: Greg Wood/AFP)

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Understanding the facial tumour disease decimating devil populations could provide insight into human cancers, say experts.

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Before species go extinct, their populations often shrink and become isolated. Healthy populations tend to have a large gene pool with many genetic variants circulating. But the path to extinction erodes genetic diversity, because a species’ gene pool shrinks as the population declines. Losing genetic diversity limits the ability of populations to adapt to threats such as disease and climate change.