I recently read in NewScientist (19th August page 11) about a paper in Cell, vol 126 p477 (couldn't access the full text) about a type of cancer in dogs that is transmissable. The cancer is thought to have originated at least 250 years ago and is spread from individual to individual via sexual contact. The cancer cells from the infected dogs were sequenced and found to be derived from a common ancestor and not the dogs themselves.
"The cancer escaped its original body and became a parasite transmitted from dog to bitch and bitch to dog until it had colonised all over the world" Says lead researcher Robin Weiss of University College London.
My question is, is this an example of macroevolution from canivourous vertebrate to unicellular parasite? Is the cancer a new species? It is reproductivley isolated and is now an entirley seperate linage to dogs. If it isn't a new species, why not, by what criteria?
Edited by 12345, : spelling
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