underthehedge:

brawltogethernow:

professorsparklepants:

zachsanomaiy:

……………………today i learned that because cancer is just your own cells going rogue, that the viral cancer dogs can spread to one another is actually a breed of dog; it is the only surviving member of its dog breed. Even though it is a viral cancer, its dna is 100% dog and the breed it came from is now extinct.

there is an asexually reproducing immortal breed of dog that behaves like a virus

a breed of dog that is a malicious disease that targets other dogs….. 

what the fuck

Sequence analysis of the genome suggests it diverged from canids over 6,000 years ago; possibly much earlier. The most recent estimates of its time of origin date it to about 11,000 years ago. However, the most recent common ancestor of extant tumors is more recent: it probably originated 200 to 2,500 years ago. 

dude, what the fuck

This is cool as fuck and I despise it.

Yeah canine transmissible venerial tumour is one of my favourite bits of Weird Biology because it’s like,
1: it’s basically an Immortal Dog and
2: this is a full on tetrapod vertebrate that has moved life history from barking, running animal to essentially a colonial, single/multi celled parasite. This is a mammal that has turned into an obligate parasite.