First Cancer Found in Dinosaurs Hints at Communal Life

First Cancer Found in Dinosaurs Hints at Communal Life
A cast of a cancerous dinosaur fossil is shown in a handout photo. HO-Georgia Kirkos, McMaster University/The Canadian Press
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EDMONTON—It’s a diagnosis that took 75 million years.

Canadian researchers who included specialists from surgeons to paleontologists have identified what they say is the first known cancer in a dinosaur. The conclusion not only sheds light on the history of what is still one of humanity’s most feared diseases, but also hints at how the ancient lizards may have lived with—and protected—each other.