What is Digg?50 Comments
- AnthoMacP, on 01/30/2008, -0/+9It's a real shame that there's so little genetic diversity among this species. They need to examine upwards of 47 different alleles of two different animals in order to distinguish just that they're from different population groups let alone differentiating as an individual. It seems like the only way to prevent this would be find some radically different animals and breed them into random groups with the hopes that maybe there's enough genetic diversity to prevent the spreading of this cancer.
- NeoCortex, on 01/30/2008, -6/+14Did they check the crate he came in from ACME? Maybe the cure was listed in the packing slip.
- a10webb, on 01/30/2008, -1/+9Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease is pretty nasty. It is spread by fighting or when the facial tumor skin cells are shed into animal carcasses they eat and has harmed the population quite a bit. I hope they devise a way to prevent it from spreading throughout Tasmania.
- pinguwin, on 01/30/2008, -0/+7Nope, headline has it right. The existence of the species is under threat. Existence can mean has it ever existed but just as well it's current state. So if you ask "Has it existed" is a different question to "Does it exist." It has more to do with semantics than physics.
On a side not, in the current physical laws of the universe, for the most part they don't depend on which way time flows. So if things get jiggered up enough, according to many physicists, time might just go backwards and the Tasmanian Devil might have never existed. - a10webb, on 01/30/2008, -0/+6Because it's human's fault that their numbers are so low. They were hunted in Australia, and now only exist in large numbers on Tasmania.
- uberkling, on 01/31/2008, -0/+6I'm a Tassie, and it's a sad thing to see these little guys suffering so much. The worrying thing is that the facial tumor disease basically came out of nowhere about 5 years ago and we just weren't ready for it.
You wouldn't exactly want to come up and pat one of these guys because they'd take your hand off bones included. That said though, they're an icon for Tasmania and resilient little buggers :-) - polarbobbear, on 01/30/2008, -3/+8no, not Taz too!
- BigBallistix, on 01/30/2008, -0/+5Perhaps the tasmanian tiger? - OH *****
- tizzleG, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4the picture of their tumors on wikipedia broke my heart :(
like this < / 3 - CheeseburgerBro, on 01/30/2008, -6/+9Bad headline.
The "existence" of the species is not under threat -- the ongoing SURVIVAL is what's at stake.
Otherwise what you're suggesting is that cancer will wipe out Tasmian Devils both forwards and backwards through time. Which, while that would be a pretty impressive cancer, is unlikely to be the case what with the laws of physics being what they are. - a10webb, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3You do know that they were hunted in Australia where their numbers were drastically reduced. A separate metapopulation could have been able to help them repopulate if the one in Tasmania disappears.
/meant to reply to overkill - REMuse, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3The research can also be used to help understand other cancers, including human cancers.
- BigBallistix, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3Kind of. No foreseeable harm in saving these guys, and they bring in some tourist dollars. But most importantly; it probably wouldn't have mattered as much much if there weren't things like cats to compete with.
- binaryloop, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2so, when you're finished saving the Tasmanian devils how's about whipping up a cure for cancer in humans!?
- pearcey, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2You can donate money here to help the Tasmanian devil,
http://www.utas.edu.au/foundation/devil.htm - razorsedge555, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3This is the result of inbreeding. I think we're going to start seeing alot of problems with the populations of endangered species soon.
- Cannon49, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3And the American bible-belt
- graemee, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2with /b/ extinction is only a party van away.
- Terr01, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2And now, from Michael Crichton: Quaternary Park.
Revenge of the Thylacines. - hamhat, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2well, they are on an island, right? and not found anywhere else on Earth?
I wonder what other animal is close to them, that could donate some genes to save the lil guys, if thats possible.. - roqua, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2I love how the heading under the main picture said "A form of cancer has decimated (to reduce by 10%) the devil population by nearly 90 percent..."
- rustybones, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1Dugg since some of my friends at the ANU are working on this (and the lil' buggers are cute!)
- antechinus, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1You must be seriously ***** up to take pleasure from this. Perhaps you should go out and strangle a few grannies to get whatever is bothering you off your chest.
- kurby, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1Apparently the Tasmanian Devil's preferred media service is unaware of the dangers of cell phones and diet soda.
- muxaulo, on 02/01/2008, -0/+1Get to the Zoo? Man you gotta see (and hear) these Devil's in the flesh, no fu**en zoo is ever going to replicate the natural environment they live in, or any other creature for that matter. And for the pro-extinction(ers); they will laugh at us when they dig us up in 10,000 years.
- BigBallistix, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2Um, so your friend is a god who exists in each and every one of us, therefore when he/she dies we do too and we become extinct? Or is your friend another personality of yours? You neither have cancer, or face the extinction of your species.
- modeloxpto, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1why? I'm glad I don't know you.
- ChiffX, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2Because they're cute little guys with the power to chomp through some serious *****. They're too awesome to go extinct!
- Privil3g3, on 01/31/2008, -0/+0as vicious and scary as they sound, it's sad to think our children won't be able to go to the zoo and see one of these in the flesh. They're kind of cute in a frightening kind of way.
- BigBallistix, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1Lol, if you weren't aware; the mainland of Australia regularly jokes about Tasmanian people inbreeding and such. There's an occasional TV skit even. Very bad taste, really.
- Cyclone, on 01/30/2008, -2/+1I'll miss those lil buggers and the way they used to spin around like a tornado.....sniff, sniff
- BTraina, on 01/30/2008, -1/+0"Insert Cartoon Joke here"
- zspitfire04, on 01/30/2008, -2/+1Isn't anyones existance threatened by cancer?
- serif69, on 01/30/2008, -2/+0It's only a bad thing when environmentalists say it is. Or when PETA does it. Now you'll have to excuse me, my red panda steaks are almost ready.
- bfron110, on 01/30/2008, -3/+0I wish i didnt google image "Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease".... I may have to watch 2girls1cup to get my mind of those images... o wait.
- danielrh9, on 01/30/2008, -9/+5Gee, that's too bad. Though good news for Bugs and Daffy, I expect.
- akkibaba, on 01/30/2008, -7/+2I know how those Tasmanian Devils feel. My friend /b/ also has cancer.
- inactive, on 01/30/2008, -7/+2BLAA blu blu BLAAA blu BLAA BLAA BLAAA blu blu blu!
- cnot3, on 01/30/2008, -6/+1Should have laid off the smokes a bit, Taz.
- smackafiyah, on 01/30/2008, -6/+1BLAHBLEBLEASBADF$#%!$TREG)$#^$%(^!*$#%($)!#()T%()^(!)^!^(*?:"%&:#%PPFFFTT!
- Solas, on 01/30/2008, -6/+1Why? I don't mean to sound like an ***** here but why do we need/want to save an animal from becoming extinct or endangered by natural processes?
Unless there is something that humans are doing to cause it then we should leave it alone. This is how evolution works... If we decide which individual in a species lives or dies then we weaken its gene pool. Environmentalists can't and shouldn't save every little animal from getting hurt. - hamhat, on 01/30/2008, -8/+3Roadrunner unaffected.
- OverkillTASF, on 01/30/2008, -7/+2So wait, an animal is dying out from natural causes, and man wants to step in and interfere... I thought interfering with natural processes was an environmentally BAD thing?
- greeniemeani, on 01/30/2008, -5/+0lolDevils: "whut u luking at?"
- Doomsan, on 01/30/2008, -7/+2I wonder what Bugs have to say about this
- chesscat, on 01/30/2008, -7/+2I thought it was threatened by Elmer Fudd.
- deaconyermouf, on 01/30/2008, -8/+2Why don't we drown this cancer with a nice, refreshing glass of OJ?
- ninepointfive, on 01/30/2008, -7/+1Whatever happened to survival of the fittest?
- ethanpack, on 01/30/2008, -7/+1That's sad, but kinda understandable with all of that dust and smoke they kick up when they spin around.
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