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What if cancer is the evolution in action. Evolution has to go through a huge number of permutations to get a viable macro organism. By trying to cure cancer, w

by Kip9000 10y ago

What if cancer is the evolution in action. Evolution has to go through a huge number of permutations to get a viable macro organism. By trying to cure cancer, we are trying to withhold the natural selection in some form and preventing the next stage of evolution.

eru 10y ago
There is no such thing as `next stage of evolution'. Evolution doesn't have stages. Also, we are only interested in curing cancer in humans (and perhaps at most livestock). Wild animals will still get cancer. (Do plants and funghi etc get cancer?)
- Kip9000 10y ago
  Humans evolution can be characterised into major stages from ape to homosapien.
  - quonn 10y ago
    No it can't. There were only many small adaptions, not stages. Stages also suggests that there is a next stage to evolve to which is not correct.
    - Kip9000 10y ago
      You are conflating 'evolution is directionless' with 'no stages'. Stages can only be seen when looking back at the evolutionary history. For example: Study reveals human body has gone through four stages of evolution (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/bu-srh083115.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/bu-srh083115....) http://www.pnas.org/content/112/37/11524.abstract http://www.pnas.org/content/112/37/11524.abstract
      - eru 10y ago
        Stages are a human abstraction that help us understand and make sense.
        Kip9000 10y ago
        You can say that for just about everything
    - jacquesm 10y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium
- the_af 10y ago
  Apparently plants do develop tumors, but they don't metastasize because of cell walls that stop them from spreading. Also, like this article says ( http://www.popsci.com/article/science/ask-anything-do-plants-get-cancer http://www.popsci.com/article/science/ask-anything-do-plants... ), plants don't have vital irreplaceable organs, so tumors are less dangerous for them.
- comex 10y ago
  Just to nitpick, we're not only interested in curing cancer in humans. From elsewhere in this thread, a transmissible cancer that threatens an entire species, for which attempts have been made to find a cure or vaccine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumor_disease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumor_disease
leakybit 10y ago
Cancer usually refers to a cell mutation that is harmful to the organism. I'm sure DNA mutations happen all the time in individuals, but in most cases they don't provide the utility to increase "fitness" relative to the environment which would increase the individuals quantity of reproduction/offspring, thus spreading the gene. If people were still able to reproduce at older ages, I'm sure we could evolve to be more resistant to cancer; since cancer will most likely affect you later in life, it has no impact to how much you reproduce.

by Kip9000 10y ago

eru 10y ago

There is no such thing as `next stage of evolution'. Evolution doesn't have stages. Also, we are only interested in curing cancer in humans (and perhaps at most livestock). Wild animals will still get cancer. (Do plants and funghi etc get cancer?)

Kip9000 10y ago
Humans evolution can be characterised into major stages from ape to homosapien.
- quonn 10y ago
  No it can't. There were only many small adaptions, not stages. Stages also suggests that there is a next stage to evolve to which is not correct.
  - Kip9000 10y ago
    You are conflating 'evolution is directionless' with 'no stages'. Stages can only be seen when looking back at the evolutionary history. For example: Study reveals human body has gone through four stages of evolution (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/bu-srh083115.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/bu-srh083115....) http://www.pnas.org/content/112/37/11524.abstract http://www.pnas.org/content/112/37/11524.abstract
    - eru 10y ago
      Stages are a human abstraction that help us understand and make sense.
      - Kip9000 10y ago
        You can say that for just about everything
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium
the_af 10y ago
Apparently plants do develop tumors, but they don't metastasize because of cell walls that stop them from spreading. Also, like this article says ( http://www.popsci.com/article/science/ask-anything-do-plants-get-cancer http://www.popsci.com/article/science/ask-anything-do-plants... ), plants don't have vital irreplaceable organs, so tumors are less dangerous for them.
comex 10y ago
Just to nitpick, we're not only interested in curing cancer in humans. From elsewhere in this thread, a transmissible cancer that threatens an entire species, for which attempts have been made to find a cure or vaccine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumor_disease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumor_disease

leakybit 10y ago

Cancer usually refers to a cell mutation that is harmful to the organism. I'm sure DNA mutations happen all the time in individuals, but in most cases they don't provide the utility to increase "fitness" relative to the environment which would increase the individuals quantity of reproduction/offspring, thus spreading the gene. If people were still able to reproduce at older ages, I'm sure we could evolve to be more resistant to cancer; since cancer will most likely affect you later in life, it has no impact to how much you reproduce.