While scan prehistorical human fossil found near Johannesburg at the Swartkrans National Heritage Site , a squad of researchers fromthe Universities of Central Lancashire and Witwatersrand discover what they now conceive to be the older grounds of Cancer the Crab ever discover in a human ancestor . accord to a subject in theSouth African Journal of Science , the 1.7 - million - year - old cancer was discover inside the fossilized toe of a hominid .
Prior to this uncovering , the oldest know evidence of hominin Cancer the Crab dated back to around 3000 BCE . In aninterview withThe Telegraph , Central Lancashire biologic and forensic anthropology expertPatrick Randolph - Quinney said that the researchers noticed that the inside of the fogey was opaque when it should have been empty . They examined the fossil using micro - focus X - ray work out imaging and then compared it to the biopsies of genus Cancer patients . They key the growing as anosteosarcoma , a uncommon case of malignant neoplastic disease that starts in bone . Osteosarcomas are usually found around the knee or in the long bones of the arm or leg .
The researchers say that bone destruction is uncommon , so they’renot certain whether or not the tumor was fatal . “We do n’t know whether it was the cancer that killed him or something else , " Randolph - Quinney said . " It would have for certain bear on his mobility , so it ’s just as potential he was kill by a saber - toothed tiger . "
The long time of the tumour suggests that the blood of cancer is more complicated than previously guess . " Whilst most modern human malignancy are think to be triggered by environmental agents of a chemical nature , the evidence for this is not entirely conclusive , " the researchers compose [ PDF ] . " The expression of malignant osteosarcoma in the Swartkrans SK 7923 specimen show that whilst the explosion of malignance incidence is understandably correlated with the hazards of the modern world and increase liveliness anticipation , main bone tumors evidently occurred throughout history . "
[ h / tTelegraph ]
