Word: beloved
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Sydney University geneticist Kathy Belov admits that until recently she thought the species, soon to be officially listed as endangered, was doomed. Her team's work on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes - which activate an immune response in all vertebrates - confirmed late last year that devils have so little genetic diversity that their immune systems simply don't treat the tumor cells as a threat. That was the grim news from the island's east, where the disease has hit hardest. But it now seems that devils from the more isolated west could be different. It's a distinction that...
...been tracking an odd trend in the epidemic. In the past two years, only 10 animals with tumors have been found in a forestry area known as West Pencil Pine, a favorite devil haunt. That suggests that the disease's spread is slowing. Could local devils be resisting it? Belov and Woods are both itching to compare MHC types in the region, and a major effort to trap West Pencil Pine devils will soon begin. "The next month could be a watershed," says Woods. "We're hoping for a lot of positive data...
...facilities of a massive international breeding program, the first for an Australian species. Keeping devils is costly, as adults must be held in large individual enclosures to prevent fighting. Extra money is coming - $10 million from the federal government over the next five years - but more is needed, says Belov: "I don't think there's enough urgency attached to this." She has 600 tissue samples she can't afford to analyze and relies on volunteers and students for lab work. She's also one of a number of scientists seeking financial backing to sequence the devil genome for more...