Lucky devils: Tasmania's iconic marsupials may be saved from 絶滅 as deadly 癌 破滅的な the 全住民 starts to peter out 自然に

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絶滅 may not be on the cards for the Tasmanian devil after all, with the deadly 癌 that was 破滅的な the 全住民 now showing 調印するs of petering out.?

Numbers of the 黒人／ボイコット, antipodean marsupials ― which grow to the size of a small dog ―? have fallen by 80 per cent since the 病気 was first （悪事，秘密などを）発見するd in?1996.

Their 全住民 has dropped 負かす／撃墜する to as few as some?20,000 individuals.?

While humans struggle to 打ち勝つ COVID-19, however, 研究員s from the US have 結論するd that Tasmanian devils have their pandemic under 支配（する）／統制する.?

The 率 of reproduction, they explained, is now around one ― meaning that each 感染させるd devil is passing the 癌 on to one or いっそう少なく of their peers.

The 致命的な 癌 ― dubbed Tasmanian devil facial tumour 病気 ― is transmissible, spread by biting. It 原因（となる）s?集まりs to develop on the animals' 直面する and in the mouth.

絶滅 may not be on the cards for the Tasmanian devil (pictured) after all, with the deadly 癌 that was 破滅的な the 全住民 now showing 調印するs of petering out

The 致命的な 癌 ― dubbed Tasmanian devil facial tumour 病気 ― is transmissible, spread by biting. It 原因（となる）s 集まりs to develop on the animals' 直面する and in the mouth, as pictured

'It is 慎重に 楽観的な good news,' said paper author and biologist Andrew Storfer of the?Washington 明言する／公表する University.

'I think we're going to see continued 生き残り of devils at lower numbers and 濃度／密度s than 初めの 全住民 sizes.'

'But 絶滅 seems really ありそうもない even though it was 予報するd a １０年間 ago.'

While 初めは native to 本土／大陸 Australia, devils in the wild were long 設立する only on the island 明言する／公表する of Tasmania, from which they take their 指名する. Earlier?this year, a small 産む／飼育するing 全住民 has also been 再提出するd to?New South むちの跡s.

They were made famous in popular culture thanks to the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies character, Taz, who began as an 対抗者 of Bugs Bunny.

Previous 調査s of?Tasmanian devil facial tumour 病気 have typically relied on field 熟考する／考慮するs and modelling to understand the spread of the 癌.

Numbers of the 黒人／ボイコット, antipodean marsupials (pictured) ― which grow to the size of a small dog ― have fallen by 80 per cent since the 病気 was first （悪事，秘密などを）発見するd in 1996

While 初めは native to 本土／大陸 Australia, devils in the wild were long 設立する only on the island 明言する／公表する of Tasmania, from which they take their 指名する. Earlier this year, a small 産む／飼育するing 全住民 has also been 再提出するd to New South むちの跡s

In their 熟考する／考慮する, Professor?Storfer used a new 道具 ― 'phylodynamics' ― to 決定する how changes in the devil’s genetic code have 衝撃d the spread of the 病気.

Phylodynamics is also used to 跡をつける the spread of other ウイルスs, 含むing influenza and COVID-19.

The 研究員s 審査するd more than 11,000 遺伝子s taken from 見本s of Tasmanian devil facial tumours ― 記録，記録的な／記録するing those 28 which changed in a 'clock-like' manner, 示すing 突然変異s that were growing quickly.

From their 分析, the team 決定するd that the 病気's 伝達／伝染 率 ― or it's いわゆる R number ― has 減ずるd 十分に that the 癌 could be left to go extinct by letting it 発展させる 自然に.

'It looks like the devil 全住民s are 自然に 発展させるing to 許容する and かもしれない even resist the 癌,'?Dr Storfer explained.

While humans struggle to 打ち勝つ COVID-19, 研究員s from the US have 結論するd that the Tasmanian devil (pictured) had got its pandemic under 支配（する）／統制する

The 率 of reproduction, they explained, is now around one ― meaning that each 感染させるd devil is passing the 癌 on to one or いっそう少なく of their peers

The findings 示唆する that it is time to 再考する the 環境の approaches 現在の 存在 雇うd に向かって saving the Tasmanian devils.

解放（する）ing 捕虜-bred devils into the wild could in fact do more 害（を与える） than good, the 研究員s say.

'Active 管理／経営 may not be necessary and could 現実に be harmful,'?Dr Storfer explained.

'By introducing a whole bunch of genetically na?ve individuals, they could 産む／飼育する with the wild individuals, 基本的に mix up the 遺伝子 pool and make it いっそう少なく 井戸／弁護士席-adapted.'

'One of the most exciting 前進するs this 熟考する／考慮する 現在のs is the 適切な時期 to 適用する these types of approaches to 事実上 any pathogen,' 追加するd paper author and biologist Austin Patton of the Washington 明言する／公表する University.

'It opens the door to using the 肉親，親類d of methods that have been shown to be so important in the 熟考する／考慮する of ウイルスs to a whole new 控訴 of pathogens that 衝撃 humans 同様に as 野性生物.'

The findings were published in the 定期刊行物 Science.