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    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-27-014",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-smilodon-spinal-tumors",
    "edition_id": "mp-2026-07-27-morning-0018",
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    "position": 14,
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    "section": "research",
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    "headline": "Three Saber-Toothed Cats Carried a Rare Spinal Signature",
    "slug": "three-saber-toothed-cats-carried-a-rare-spinal-signature",
    "dek": "Widened nerve openings and developmental defects in La Brea fossils suggest tumors and possible late-population inbreeding.",
    "summary": "Widened nerve openings and developmental defects in La Brea fossils suggest tumors and possible late-population inbreeding.",
    "body_text": "Researchers examined 3,722 Smilodon vertebrae representing at least 849 adults from the La Brea Tar Pits. Three bones had smoothly widened foramina consistent with spinal nerve tumors, alongside numerous developmental abnormalities. The apparent tumor prevalence far exceeds that in modern people and animals, leading the team to propose inbreeding as one possible explanation and pain-impaired scavenging as another. Without ancient DNA or soft tissue, both interpretations remain hypotheses rather than diagnoses.",
    "why_it_matters": "Widened nerve openings and developmental defects in La Brea fossils suggest tumors and possible late-population inbreeding.",
    "limitations": [
      "Without ancient DNA or soft tissue, both interpretations remain hypotheses rather than diagnoses."
    ],
    "importance": 8,
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    "first_published_at": "2026-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "content_status": "new",
    "is_carryover": false,
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        "text": "Widened nerve openings and developmental defects in La Brea fossils suggest tumors and possible late-population inbreeding.",
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        "qualification": "Without ancient DNA or soft tissue, both interpretations remain hypotheses rather than diagnoses."
      }
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    "source_ids": [
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    "tags": [
      "Smilodon",
      "paleontology",
      "spinal tumors",
      "inbreeding"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-27-014",
      "title": "Frontiers: Saber-toothed cat spinal abnormalities",
      "publisher": "Frontiers",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2026/07/27/saber-toothed-cats-spinal-tumors-inbred-species-frontiers-veterinary-science",
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      "source_type": "secondary_reporting",
      "is_primary_source": false,
      "published_at": null,
      "accessed_at": "2026-07-27T08:28:41.001-04:00",
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  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "Three Saber-Toothed Cats Carried a Rare Spinal Signature",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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