291 | Venki Ramakrishnan on the Biology of Death and Aging
Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas
The Link Between Aging and Cancer: Evolutionary Insights
The relationship between aging and cancer is underscored by the biological mechanisms governing cellular division. Telomere shortening, which occurs with each cell division, leads cells to eventually enter a state of senescence before being destroyed. This process serves a protective role against cancer by limiting the proliferation of potentially cancerous cells. Cells are designed to lose their ability to divide indefinitely, allowing only certain stem cells to maintain this capacity. This evolutionary adaptation helps prevent cancer prior to reproduction; after passing on genes, aging and its consequences become less critical, as the evolutionary objective has been achieved.
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