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Does the origin of cancer lie with a pregnant lizard?

New findings on the origin of cancer may lie with a pregnant lizard, a young Australian zoologist has found.

Bridget Murphy, a PhD student from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney, has discovered a protein that is pivotal to a pregnant lizard’s placenta, which may hold the answers to the origin of cancer in humans.

“Our egg-laying ancestors probably never got cancer, but things changed when we started having live young,” she said in a media release.

“Embryos need an extensive network of blood vessels to allow them to grow. So do tumours,” she said.

“I found that the three-toed skink, which gives birth to live young, uses a particularly powerful protein to encourage the growth of blood vessels. The only other place where this protein has been found is in pre-cancerous cells grown in the laboratory.”

Murphy says future testing of the protein may provide a basis of new therapies for cancer, promote wound healing or the regeneration of blood vessels in patients with heart disease.

This particular protein can assist in producing blood vessels in the uterus during pregnancy.

“Both tumours and embryos must develop an extensive network of blood vessels which bring in oxygen and nutrients to allow them to grow,” Murphy said.

“And they both must avoid rejection by hiding from the immune system of their host. In fact, many researchers think that cancers have hijacked the molecular machinery that originally evolved to allow embryonic development,” she said.

“It may be that animals that give birth to live young, such as humans and some lizards, have an increased susceptibility to cancer.”

Murphy is one of 16 early career scientists presenting their research to the public for the first time as part of Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the federal government.

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Celebrity holiday hot spots!

If you're looking for a holiday destination, take some inspiration from these jet-setting stars!

If you’re looking for a holiday destination, take some inspiration from these jet-setting stars!

If you’re looking for a holiday destination, take some inspiration from these jet-setting stars!

From Mexico to Italy, here is your guide to holidaying like a celebrity!

Jennifer Aniston loves Mexico so much that for her 41st Birthday she shipped all of her pals, including Courteney Cox and Gerard Butler, to the popular spot for some relaxation.

Super model Heidi Klum and her singer husband Seal chose Portofino, Italy for their family holiday.

Eva Mendes relaxes on board a boat, owned by designers duo Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, in Italy!

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony enjoy cruising around the South of France with their children when they are on holiday.

But JLO and Marc Anthony aren’t the only ones who have a soft spot for France. Beyonce and Jay Z regularly holiday in the South of France.

Paris Hilton usually spends her holiday time kicking back in Cannes.

Britney Spears showed off her new bikini body when she recently holidayed in Hawaii with boyfriend Jason Trawick.

Catherine Zeta-Jones’ holiday destination is Saint Barth. The actress usually spends her time there shopping up a storm and enjoying the sun!

When Miranda Kerr goes on holidays, she does it in style on a very large boat in the middle of Saint Barth.

Kate Moss and her daughter Lila Grace Moss left the cold weather in London behind and shared some quality time together in hot and sunny Thailand.

Kate Moss isn’t the only super model who loves Thailand. Naomi Campbell is a fan of the popular holiday destination as well.

Robbie William and Ayda Fields spend their holiday time together enjoying water sports in the Caribbean.

Gerard Butler braved the waves when he spent some time in the Caribbean.

Teri Hatcher is another fan of the Caribbean and has spent her holiday time there with her daughter Emerson Rose.

Victoria Beckham took her family down to Miami beach for some fun in the sun!

It’s easy for pop singer Kylie Minogue to get around Barcelona, Spain! She has her own personal tour guide thanks to her male model boyfriend Andres Velencoso and his family.

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Beau Brady

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The biggest celebrity weddings of 2010

Hilary Duff’s fairytale wedding to Mike Comrie was all organised by the starlet herself. “I planned every detail,” Hilary told OK magazine in an exclusive interview. “Mike and I kept saying to everybody, ‘We want it to look rustic. We want an organic feel. Soft colours, nothing too bright and shocking – very classic,” she said.

True Blood stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer tied the knot at a private residence in Malibu, California. The ceremony took place in a seaside tent and afterwards guests watched the sunset over the nearby landscape.

After being engaged for just one month, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr tied the knot in their own private ceremony. Miranda confirmed the news in this statement about why she wasn’t present at the David Jones fashion show. “David Jones very graciously released me during this period so we could celebrate an intimate ceremony and honeymoon together,” she said. The couple are now awaiting the arrival of their first child.

The wedding of Robbie Williams and Ayda Field was a strictly non-traditional event. The pair had their eight dogs in the bridal party instead of bridesmaids and their guests were told they were attending a James Bond-themed party until moments before the ceremony started.

Kate Ritchie married Stuart Webb in a small ceremony of just 50 people in Quamby Estate in Hagley near Launceston. Kate said she was “deliriously happy” following the three day wedding celebration.

Long time couple Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart tied the knot in a low-key ceremony in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Penelope Cruz married Javier Bardem in yet another sec ret celebrity wedding. The pair, who have been together since 2007, wed in at a friend’s house in the Bahamas in front of close family and friends.

Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green got hitched in Hawaii in a beach wedding. The pair had a traditional ceremony with a local kahuna (a Hawaiian) priest on the shores of Hawaii’s Big Island.

Chelsea Clinton married her long time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky in a ceremony at Astor Courts, a secluded estate on the Hudson River. Before the wedding rumours circulated that the pair were inviting big name celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, but the pair kept it simple and invited just close friends and relatvies.

Isla Fisher married her long-term fiancé, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, in a romantic sunset ceremony in Paris. The private pair wed in a traditional Jewish ceremony.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand tied the knot in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India. The pair wore traditional Indian dress for the wedding ceremoy.

Alanis Morissette married rapper Mario “Souleye” Treadway in a small ceremony at the couple’s home. The couple are now awaiting the arrival of their first child.

Seth Green married model/actress Clare Grant in a ceremony at a vineyard in California.

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Mini celebrity fashionistas

Suri Cruise is rumoured to be starting her own clothing line, with a little help from her mum Katie Holmes. The fashionable four-year-old can often be spotted wearing high heels, carrying a mini hand bag and instructing her mum on what goes with what!

Gwen Stefani’s son Kingston recently joined his fashion designer mum on the run way at her L.A.M.B spring fashion show in New York. It seems the four-year-old is certainly a lover of fashion and isn’t afraid to let mummy paint his nails!

With a mum like Heidi Klum it’s no wonder little Leni Klum loves fashion. And Heidi’s lookalike undoubtedly has her own sense of style.

Willow Smith has launched her singing career after being signed by rapper Jay-Z. But even before that the daughter of Will Smith and Jayda Jada Pinkett Smith had her own quirky style.

Of course the original Material Girl Madonna would pass on some fashion tips to her teenage daughter Lourdes, but it seems she has turned herself into a fashionista on her own.

She and Madonna have a designed a fashion line together for teens.

Ryder Robinson has easily adopted the cool casual style of his mum Kate Hudson.

Little Liam McDermott, Tori Spelling’s son is all about the shades. The tiny tot is often spotted with stylish mini accessories.

Following in mum’s shoes Romeo Beckham will design his own line of children’s sunglasses. The eight-year-old reportedly begged his parents to let him become a fashion designer.

Following in mummy’s footsteps young Honor Warren the daughter of Jessica Alba and Cash Warren loves her pinks and purples!

Little Harlow not only has a designer mum Nicole Ritchie, she also hangs out with other stylish tots on play dates including Honor Warren.

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Celebrity Family Feuds

Angelina Jolie and her father John Voight have one of the most bitter family feuds in Hollywood. Angelina did not want to publicize the reason her and her father became estranged, but did change her acting name which was once Angelina Jolie Voight to simply Angelina Jolie. Recently reunited, the pair have put their differences aside and John is now part of his grandchildren’s lives.

Brooke Shields and her mother Teri Shields repaired their troubled relationship after Teri spoke to The National Enquirer about Brooke shutting her out of her grandchild’s lives. After reading the article Brooke called her mother to talk things through.

Demi Moore is keeping her kids close to her following her troubled relationship with her mother. Demi plans to release a memoir which will detail her troubled upbringing and her complicated relationship with her mother, Virginia King.

Tori Spelling’s feud with her mother Candy Spelling has been an ongoing known Hollywood rift. Tori, who became estranged from her parents and her brother, and Candy constantly bad mouthed each other in the press. But it seems they are trying to repair their relationship after they spent mother’s Day together this year.

Lindsay Lohan has had an ongoing battle with her father Michael Lohan for years. Lindsay has said she has estranged herself from her father because of his unpredictable behaviour. In 2009 Michael released private phone call recordings between him and Lindsay to the media. She followed this up by taking to Twitter: “I haven’t had a real relationship w/Michael Sr. in years.”

Following a long feud, it seems Jennifer Aniston and her mother Nancy are finally healing the rift. Jen stopped speaking to her mother when she appeared in a TV interview and revealed personal details about her famous daughter. Nancy followed that up with a tell all book about Jen’s childhood. Now, Nancy’s poor health seems to be bringing the pair back together.

Julia Roberts began a feud with her brother after she failed to see his point of view in his nasty custody battle with his ex-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham. Julia sided with Kelly in the pair’s battle for their daughter Emma. But when Julia gave birth to her twins, Eric visited her in hospital and it seems all was forgiven.

Gary Coleman’s initial funeral plans were not able to go ahead as his ex-wife and estranged parents were arguing over who had custody of his body. Coleman’s parents, who were estranged from him at the time he died, said they wanted his body returned to the place he grew up.

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What’s your celebrity travel style?

When you fly do you opt for comfortable chic, comfortable cool or do you go a little over the top? Check out our gallery of celebrities in transit to find out your own travel style.

Actress Anne Hathaway gives her casual jeans and T-shirt look a lift with this cream coloured blazer.

Miranda Kerr’s maxi dress is made cool with a black blazer and matching sunglasses.

Even with a baby in transit, Mary Crown Princess of Denmark, manages to keep herself looking stylish.

Queen of chic Katie Holmes is all about looking good, even after a 10 hour flight! Her plain white T-shirt and blue jeans teamed up with cream blazer leaves her looking comfy but chic.

Super cool singer Beyoncé Knowles, doesn’t let her comfort get in the way of looking good.

Cameron Diaz has successfully pulled off the comfy cool look, teaming light blue jeans with a scarf and jacket.

You can’t miss Katherine Heigl in this number! The Greys Anatomy star has lifted her comfy outfit with this bright silk trench coat.

Looking laid-back, Jennifer Aniston opts for the jeans and T-shirt look, teaming it with double jackets, a grey cardigan and a black leather jacket.

Hello, Reese. Are you in there? You can barely see Reese Witherspoon in her airport outfit. She has gone a little over the top with her accessories, or maybe she just ran out of room in her luggage!

Trench, check. Hat, check, Sunglasses, check. Kate Hudson keeps her accessories under control in flight

We aren’t sure if Kylie Minogue will be comfortable in this outfit for 10 hours, but she seems happy in her heels and figure-hugging dress.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, obviously didn’t have time to change after their flight, so decided to travel all dressed up. They probably weren’t comfortable but at least they saved time!

Peekaboo Posh we still see you! Victoria Beckham chooses to travel in all black and hide behind her hat.

Travelling with two children can’t be easy, so Bec Hewitt opts for the super comfy look in this aqua number.

And the same goes for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, except in their case it’s six children under eight years of age. The whole family goes for the super comfy look.

Courteney Cox looks all rugged up for her flight. Although she has chosen super comfy clothes her purple scarf makes her ordinary outfit pop.

An almost unrecognisable Heidi Klum is a far cry from her usual super model staus in these super comfy clothes.

Sophie Monk keeps herself looking comfy in this simple maxi dress.

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Oprah’s greatest TV moments

Dressed in skinny jeans Oprah wheeled a wagon loaded with fat onto the set of her show to represent her 67-pound weight loss. Oprah said recently that this show was her “biggest, fattest” mistake. “I had literally starved myself for four months, not a morsel of food, to get into that pair of size 10 Calvin Klein jeans. Two hours after that show, I started eating to celebrate, of course, within two days those jeans no longer fit!”

Oprah sat down with the extremely private and shy entertainer Michael Jackson after he refused to do an interview for 14 years. The interview attracted a worldwide audience of 90 million people. “It was the most exciting interview I had ever done,” Oprah said. “It certainly was going to be the most watched interview I had ever done.”

Oprah’s favourite things put audiences into a screaming, cheering frenzy on more than one occasion. The show where Oprah goes through a list of her favourite things and then gives them away to the audience proved to be extremely popular with both the studio and home audience.

Oprah stepped on to the set of TV show Friends for their first farewell interview after 10 years of the show.

Tom Cruise famously declared to Oprah, and to the world, that he had found love again with his now wife Katie Holmes.

Oprah surprised her audience members with a new car for each of them worth more than $7 million.

Oprah conducted the first interview with the world’s first pregnant man Thomas and his wife, Nancy.

Always a giver, Oprah surprised this overjoyed woman with a new house.

Jennifer Aniston opened up to Oprah about her love life and her candid interview with Vogue in which she called Angelina Jolie’s past behaviour “really uncool”.

When former child star Mackenzie Phillips appeared on Oprah, she revealed a secret that she had kept for 30 years about her father rock legend John Phillips. She told Oprah of her father’s sexual abuse towards her when she was a child in an interview which stunned the music industry.

Oprah unleashed her support for Barack Obama after he won the election. Oprah says she has always vowed never to campaign on her show. But after the election she said: “So I kept my mouth shut and supported Barack Obama as a private citizen,” she said. “Today, though, the election is over – and I’m unleashed!”

When Sex and the City The Movie hit theatres, who had the exclusive interview with the entire cast? Oprah of course!

Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York, revealed to Oprah how her family reacted to the news that she accepted a bribe from an undercover reporter in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Britain’s Prince Andrew.

Oprah took her show to Radio City Music Hall Celebrating her magazine O for the Magazine`s 10th Anniversary. She helped Dr Phil shave off his moustache for the first time in many years.

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At home with Jamie Durie and his daughter Taylor

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Super celebrity slim-downs

Kelly Osbourne has had a long battle with her weight. But she managed to go from this in 2007…

…to this! At the end of 2009 Kelly slimmed down thanks to a stint on the American Dancing with the Stars. She also said her successful weight loss was due to nibbling on half an apple before bed.

Drew Carey went from this…

…to this! He has lost just over 36 kilos in seven months. “I like being skinny. I was sick of being fat on the camera,” he told People magazine. “I just got sick of it.”

In 2005 Kate Winslet looked like this. Now…

…she looks like this! The beauty showed off her stunning figure at the premiere of The Unusuals in New York. Despite her slim down Kate says she will always love her backside! “I’ve decided I am going to start loving my backside because I don’t know anyone who does that. And for my daughter, I want to be able to say to her, “I love this”,” she told the UK’s Daily Mail.

Lily Allen slimmed down from a size 12…

…to a size eight, which she put down to eating organic food, going to the gym and simply being happy!

Actor John Goodman went from this to…

…to this! He has lost just over 45 kilos thanks to a new healthy lifestyle encourgaed by his life coach. “I know it sounds sappy, but it was a waste,” he told People magazine. “It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your ass and figure out what you’re going to eat next … I wanted to live life better.”

Jennifer Lopez has slimmed down from this…

…to this! She says the secret to maintaining her weight is a healthy diet and regular gym sessions.

Star Jones has always battled with her weight and says at her heaviest she tried to disgise her weight by increasing the size of her personality. She went from this to…

…to this! Her super slim down took her from weighing 130 kilograms at one stage to a new slim physique.

Catherine went from this…

…to this! Her slim down was thanks to her highly demaning physical role in the broadway musical A Little Night Music.

Jennifer Hudson went from this…

…to this! The singer dropped 5 dress sizes during her slim down and went from a size 16 to a size 6.

Ricki Lake went from this…

…to this! The television host has had one of the most dramatic transformations in Hollywood loosing 63.5 kilos.

Hilary Duff slimmed down after feeling pressured to lose weight. She went from this…

…to this skinny frame. She says she maintains her weight loss by eating a healthy diet.

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