Palaeontology

Neanderthals also suffered from cancer

By T.K. Randall
June 7, 2013 ·  15 comments

Image Credit: CC 2.0 Erich Ferdinand Up until now the oldest known incidents of cancer were in the bones of ancient Egyptians dating back around 4,000 years. The discovery of cancer in a Neanderthal dating back 120,000 years turns our understanding of the history of cancer on its head and shows that the disease existed at a time when the Earth was relatively unpolluted and when modern-age carcinogenics were nowhere to be found.

"It's the oldest tumour found in the human fossil record," said anthropologist Dr David Frayer. "It shows that living in a relatively unpolluted environment doesn't necessarily protect you against cancer, even if you were a Neanderthal living 120,000 years ago."

Source: BBC News | Comments (15)

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