Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading  Processing Request

EVOLVED FOR CANCER?

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): Zimmer, Carl
  • Source:
    Scientific American Special Edition. Jun2008 Special Edition, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p14-21. 8p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      Natural selection; Cancer risk factors; Cancer treatment; Biological evolution; Etiology of diseases
    • Abstract:
      The article presents an overview of scientific thought which has suggested that natural selection may play a role in the development of cancer in human beings. Arguments are offered which suggest that natural selection has favored certain defenses against cancer but that it cannot eliminate cancer altogether. The role evolutionary biologists and a better understanding of the evolution of cancer may play in its treatment in the future is presented. INSETS: Overview;Evolution of a Cancer-Causing Virus;The Surprising History of a Dog Cancer.