Title |
Epidemiologic study of tumors in dinosaurs
|
---|---|
Published in |
The Science of Nature, October 2003
|
DOI | 10.1007/s00114-003-0473-9 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
B. M. Rothschild, D. H. Tanke, M. Helbling, L. D. Martin |
Abstract |
Occasional reports in isolated fragments of dinosaur bones have suggested that tumors might represent a population phenomenon. Previous study of humans has demonstrated that vertebral radiology is a powerful diagnostic tool for population screening. The epidemiology of tumors in dinosaurs was here investigated by fluoroscopically screening dinosaur vertebrae for evidence of tumors. Computerized tomography (CT) and cross-sections were obtained where appropriate. Among more than 10,000 specimens x-rayed, tumors were only found in Cretaceous hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs). These included hemangiomas and metastatic cancer (previously identified in dinosaurs), desmoplastic fibroma, and osteoblastoma. The epidemiology of tumors in dinosaurs seems to reflect a familial pattern. A genetic propensity or environmental mutagens are suspected. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Canada | 3 | 23% |
United States | 2 | 15% |
Finland | 1 | 8% |
Czechia | 1 | 8% |
Spain | 1 | 8% |
Brazil | 1 | 8% |
Unknown | 4 | 31% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 10 | 77% |
Scientists | 3 | 23% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Germany | 2 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 1% |
United States | 2 | 1% |
Spain | 2 | 1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Portugal | 1 | <1% |
France | 1 | <1% |
Argentina | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 185 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 45 | 23% |
Researcher | 29 | 15% |
Student > Bachelor | 23 | 12% |
Student > Master | 20 | 10% |
Professor | 10 | 5% |
Other | 39 | 20% |
Unknown | 31 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 49 | 25% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 41 | 21% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 23 | 12% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 18 | 9% |
Chemistry | 7 | 4% |
Other | 20 | 10% |
Unknown | 39 | 20% |