Word: tasmanians
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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They're six healthy Tasmanian devils, seemingly identical to the rest of their kind. Yet they're being kept at a secret location in Tasmania, and scientists are calling them the Special Six. What makes these devils different, and has their keepers so hopeful, is their genetic makeup. A virulently infectious cancer has wiped out more than half of their marsupial species, and so far only one devil has shown signs of resisting the disease. Starting this week, the Special Six will be injected with tumor cells to see if they can do the same. If their immune systems attack...
...Since hideous facial lesions were first spotted on Tasmanian devils in 1996, the species has been in freefall. At current rates, it's predicted that one of Australia's most unusual animals could vanish from the wild within three years. Spread by biting during mating and one of only three communicable cancers ever seen, devil facial tumor disease has baffled scientists. And as it rages through 60% of the devils' habitat, introduced pests like feral cats and foxes have been taking the place of Tasmania's largest native predator...
...Noah's arks" of devils are being stocked. Already 73 are in Australian zoos and wildlife parks, while another 63 have been caught this year. The aim is to build up a captive population of 1,500 - but that, says Steven Smith, manager of the state's Save the Tasmanian Devil program, may require the funds and 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...
...Rich though they are in curiosities, the collections have real scientific clout. They include more than 10,000 types, the specimens used to name and describe new species, as well as examples of creatures now rare (Gilbert's potoroo) or extinct (the skeleton of a Tasmanian tiger). Museum pays tribute to the science, both in Hay's historical essay and in the careful notes on each photograph: "The discrepancy between the information given here and the label on the bird's stand reflects a taxonomic refinement...
...early showcase of the dizzying range of topics set to be explored - the infrared beamline, for instance, is being used to study mouse eggs in an effort to pinpoint the best time to fertilize human eggs in IVF; to investigate the facial-tumor disease that's killing Tasmanian devils; and to preserve historic documents. "I thought scientists would want to wait and see how well the synchrotron performs," says Mark Tobin, who oversees the infrared beamline's operation. "But they've been very keen to jump in the deep end and try it out for themselves...