Advertisement

November 21, 2012

Cancer Is Not an Evolutionary Throwback

PZ Myers, ScienceBlogs


AP Photo

A while back, two physicists, Paul Davies and Charles Lineweaver, announced their explanation for cancer with a novel theory, which is theirs, that cancers are atavisms recapitulating in a Haeckelian reverse double backflip their premetazoan ancestry. They seemed very proud of their idea.

I was aghast, as you might guess.

Read Full Article ››

TAGGED: atavism, cellular biology, cancer, evolution

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

November 19, 2012
Is Cancer the Ancestral Lifestyle of Cells?
Paul Davies, Guardian
Medical science treats cancer as a disease in which rogue cells proliferate uncontrollably, running amok around the body. Therapy focuses on killing the cancer before it kills the host. Unfortunately, the emphasis on cancer... more ››
November 13, 2012
Automated Method Detects Cell Division, Cancer
University of Warwick
Scientists have developed a statistical image analysis method which can assist in the grading of breast cancer by automatically segmenting tumour regions and detecting dividing cells in tissue samples.The system, developed at... more ››
November 13, 2012
Ten Greatest Survivors of Evolution
Brian Switek, Smithsonian
When we think about the history of life on earth and the vast changes that have transpired over millions and millions of years—as single-celled organisms evolved into species as disparate as redwood trees, dragonflies... more ››
November 9, 2012
Charles Darwin Got 4,000 Votes in Georgia
Brian Palmer, Slate
Anti-evolution Congressman Paul Broun (R-Ga.) ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election, but nearly 4,000 voters wrote in Charles Darwin to protest their representative’s views. (Broun called evolution “lies straight... more ››
|