GoKawiilHearts that didn’t beat were quickly overtaken by cancer cells in mice. Plus, huge octopuses might have ruled the ancient seas and how geopolitics is affecting huge health data sets.
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Artist’s impression of an extinct Nanaimoteuthis species, often called krakens, which could have rivalled large marine reptiles in terms of size.Credit: Masato Hattori/Science Photo Library
In the age of dinosaurs, giant octopuses — sometimes named krakens after the mythological monsters — might have grown to nearly 19 metres in length. The estimate is based on fossilized jaws, which researchers say show patterns of wear that came from devouring animals that had hard shells and skeletons. The team suggest that these giant cephalopods might have sat at the top of the marine food chain in the Cretaceous period alongside huge marine reptiles such as mosasaurs. But other researchers say that estimates about the size of the soft-bodied creatures, and how they hunted, should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Science paper
In mice, the mechanical action of the heart beating stops tumours from growing — which could explain why heart cancers are so rare in all mammals. Researchers compared a non-beating heart that had been transplanted onto the necks of mice with the ‘native’ hearts in the animals. After being injected with cancer cells, the external hearts were swiftly taken over by the disease, while the beating hearts stayed much closer to cancer-free. But there is a downside: pumping also seems to stop the heart from regenerating like other tissue can.
Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Science paper
18.3 million The number of children who have been vaccinated since 2023 by the Big Catch-Up programme, a global drive to reverse pandemic-related declines in childhood immunization. (STAT | 1 min read)
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