Contagious Cancer Found in North American Catfish
Javier CarbajalScienceJul 25, 2026 5:00 AMContagious Cancer Found in North American CatfishScientists identified the first known cancer transmissible among freshwater fish in a lake that spans the US and Canada.Photograph: A. CALEGARI/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe idea that cancer could behave like a contagious disease may seem absurd; in humans, cancer cannot be transmitted from one person to another. In exceptional cases, cancer cells themselves can pass from one individual to another and continue to multiply in a new host.
- ▪Javier CarbajalScienceJul 25, 2026 5:00 AMContagious Cancer Found in North American CatfishScientists identified the first known cancer transmissible among freshwater fish in a lake that spans the US and Canada.Photograph: A.
- ▪CALEGARI/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe idea that cancer could behave like a contagious disease may seem absurd; in humans, cancer cannot be transmitted from one person to another
- ▪In exceptional cases, cancer cells themselves can pass from one individual to another and continue to multiply in a new host.
3 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 31 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ First-known freshwater contagious cancer spreading among catfish in Vermont lake — FOX 10 Phoenix
- ▪ Deep in a Vermont Lake, a Contagious Cancer Is Spreading — Hacker News (Newest)
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Javier CarbajalScienceJul 25, 2026 5:00 AMContagious Cancer Found in North American CatfishScientists identified the first known cancer transmissible among freshwater fish in a lake that spans the US and Canada.Photograph: A. CALEGARI/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe idea that cancer could behave like a contagious disease may seem absurd; in humans, cancer cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Yet nature is still full of surprises. In exceptional cases, cancer cells themselves can pass from one individual to another and continue to multiply in a new host.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at WIRED.
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