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Stranger Than Fiction

Bats could hold important clues to beating cancer

Published:Thursday | September 28, 2023 | 8:44 AMBANG Bizarre

A new study shows that rapid evolution in the animals could explain their ability to host and survive infections - as well as avoid cancer.

Experts writing for the Genome Biology and Evolution journal studied the Jamaican fruit bat and the Mesoamerican mustached bat and compared their genetic sequencing with a diverse collection of bats and other mammals.

The team found a number of genetic adaptations, including 46 that were cancer-related.

Dr Armin Scheben, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the US, said: "These investigations are the first step towards translating research on the unique biology of bats into insights relevant to treating diseases, such as cancer, in humans.

 

 

 

 

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