The Hannibal Lectures: Twice Bitten, Still Standing

DILL PICKLE CLUB presents The Hannibal Lectures #15

Thursday November 12 @ 7.30pm

Twice Bitten, Still Standing: How Tasmanian Devils Are Coexisting With Two Transmissible Cancers

More than 30 years ago, a Tasmanian devil developed a cancer that did the unthinkable: it evolved the ability to spread from one animal to another, becoming one of the world's few known transmissible cancers.

The disease swept across Tasmania, causing dramatic population declines and raising fears that devils could disappear from the wild.

But the devils fought back. Over two decades of research have revealed remarkable examples of resilience, adaptation and coexistence with this deadly disease.

Then, in 2014, the unthinkable happened again. A second, independently evolved transmissible cancer emerged in southeastern Tasmania. Once may be chance, but twice is no coincidence.

How could two independent transmissible cancers emerge in the same species within such a short evolutionary time? And what can these extraordinary diseases teach us about cancer, evolution and the capacity of wildlife populations to survive emerging disease threats?

Join Dr Rodrigo Hamede to explore the remarkable story of Tasmanian devils and their evolving cancers, and discover how decades of field research, modern genomics and emerging technologies are transforming our understanding of cancer evolution, host–pathogen interactions and resilience in the natural world.

Dr Hamede is a senior lecturer in wildlife ecology and evolutionary biology at the School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania.

He is a disease ecologist and One Health researcher with more than 20 years of experience investigating wildlife diseases, host–pathogen interactions and their implications for biodiversity conservation.

Since 2018, he has led the Tasmanian hub of the International Associated Laboratory CANECEV, an international research collaboration exploring the ecological and evolutionary dimensions of cancer.

Please arrive for the talk by 7pm.