In recent times cancer has plagued many families, which most people have attributed the disease to be caused by unhealthy diets and the lack of exercise. However, scientist have recently discovered the disease in the bone of a human foot that is dated over 1.7 million years old. Until this recent discovery the oldest trace of cancer in humans is about 120,000 years old making the timeline of the disease more extensive than what was previously believed.
Key Takeaways:
- a surprising discovery has revealed that the disease existed in human ancestors more than a million years ago.
- Researchers and scientists have held to a tacit assumption that cancer didn’t exist in humans this far back in history.
- The takeaway is the notion that cancer is a huge continuous problem in the developed world. Even if we have very healthy, perfect lifestyles we still have the capacity for cancer.
“Scientists have found evidence of cancer in a foot bone and spine from two ancient hominin specimens in South Africa.The foot fragment is approximately 1.7 million years old and the vertebrae almost 2 million years old.”