Cancer, Evolution and the Science of Life – With Kat Arney

This lecture examines cancer through the lens of evolution, exploring its history across life, how mutations and cellular competition drive its development, and how evolutionary thinking informs treatment strategies.

Syllabus

Intro
What is cancer
Modern human life
Every branch of the tree of life
Cancer is not unique to humans
Cancer has been found in dinosaurs
This is not a new disease
Why is cancer so rare
The oldest cancer diagnosis
A thought experiment
Multicellular body
Rules for cells
Cheaters slime molds
Cape honeybees
Cancer
Cheating cells
The patchwork of mutation
A sad cell
Evolution
Negative Selection
Fitness
clonal expansion
environment
mutational load
Reducing cancerrelated infections
Solutions
Drugs
Targeted therapies
Breath
Resistance
The process of cancer development
Human chromosomes
chromosomal instability
rocket fuel
Darwinian evolution
Advanced cancer
Learning from cancer
How to beat cancer