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An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue including one by Tina Hesman Saey about cancer cells that move from victim to victim, one by Christopher Crockett about scientific efforts to trace the origin of Earth's water, and the author's review of the film "Ex Machina."

The article discusses reports on a leukemia-like disease in soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) that spreads from clam to clam, which was first noticed in the 1970s when clams in the Chesapeake Bay, shared by Maryland and Virginia, and in Maine started dying in large numbers. Research by virologist Stephen Goff and colleagues that found the clams were not infected with a retrovirus, but carried the Steamer retrotransposon, or mobile genetic element, is discussed.

The article discusses a study by geneticist Hannah Siddle at the University of Cambridge in England, and colleagues that found a contagious cancer in Tasmanian devils, called devil facial tumor disease, evades the immune system by turning off genes that the immune system uses to distinguish between cells from its own body and foreign cells. The role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is discussed.

The article discusses a contagious cancer, devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), in Tasmanian devils that has resulted in a large number of deaths. According to a study published in the January 1, 2010 issue of "Science," DFTD stems from Schwann cells, which normally insulate nerve fibers, become cancerous in a single devil that then spreads the disease to other individuals. Researchers fear that devils could become extinct if a vaccine to prevent DFTD can not be developed.

The article discusses research into canine transmissible venereal tumors, which are contagious, cancerous tumors able to spread to other animals within the canine species, most notably in Tasmanian devils. Robin Weiss presents the findings of a study on transmissible cancer cells in dogs in the August 4, 2006 issue of “Cell.”.