1.7-Million-Year-Old Bone Shows Cancer Has Been Around For A Long Time

<p>Cancer might be an older disease than some research has lead us to believe&nbsp;&nbsp; at least that&#39;s what a&nbsp;<a href="http://sajs.co.za/earliest-hominin-cancer-1-7-million-year-old-osteosarcoma-swartkrans-cave-south-africa/edward-j-odes-patrick-s-randolph-quinney-maryna-steyn-zach-throckmorton-jacqueline-s-smilg-bernhard" target="_blank">new study</a>&nbsp;says.</p><p>&quot;Recent studies on Egyptian mummies failed to identify traces of cancer, leading some researchers to suggest that it wasn&#39;t present in the pre-modern world. This study falsifies that,&quot; researcher Edward Odes said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65TjgYFB9uw&utm_content=bufferbf7f4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg</a>&nbsp;video.</p><p>The study shows evidence of a type of bone cancer in a more than 1-million-year-old toe found in South Africa. Researchers say it marks the earliest identifiable case of malignant neoplastic disease in an&nbsp;<a href="http://sajs.co.za/earliest-hominin-cancer-1-7-million-year-old-osteosarcoma-swartkrans-cave-south-africa/edward-j-odes-patrick-s-randolph-quinney-maryna-steyn-zach-throckmorton-jacqueline-s-smilg-bernhard" target="_blank">early human ancestor.</a></p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/coffee-is-no-longer-on-who-s-list-of-cancer-causing-substances/">Coffee Is No Longer On WHO's List Of Cancer-Causing Substances</a></b></p><p>The main takeaway from the researchers&#39; argument is that modern society didn&#39;t invent cancer, but environmental and lifestyle changes might have increased its frequency.</p><p>The study also points out that higher cancer rates in modern lifestyles may also be attributed to increased life expectancies.&nbsp;</p><p><i>This video includes images from&nbsp;</i><a href="http://sajs.co.za/earliest-hominin-cancer-1-7-million-year-old-osteosarcoma-swartkrans-cave-south-africa/edward-j-odes-patrick-s-randolph-quinney-maryna-steyn-zach-throckmorton-jacqueline-s-smilg-bernhard" target="_blank"><i>Odes et al. / CC BY 2.5 ZA</i></a><i>. Music provided courtesy of APM Music.</i></p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/is-it-safe-to-store-carbon-dioxide-deep-underground/">Is It Safe To Store Carbon Dioxide Deep Underground?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/the-strange-dangerous-truth-about-dietary-and-workout-supplements/">The Strange, Dangerous Truth About Dietary And Workout Supplements</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/an-orangutan-was-able-to-learn-and-mimic-human-speech/">An Orangutan Was Able To Learn, And Mimic, Human Speech</a></li></ul>