The need for evolutionary theory in cancer research
This easy to read article by ACE's Amy M. Boddy, just published in European Journal of Epidemiology (2022), argues that even if we could understand all the mechanisms for cells to turn cancerous, it wouldn't be enough to help us treat and avoid the disease. For...
ACE Research paper in the journal Nature
Phenotypic plasticity and genetic control in colorectal cancer evolution is the second article by ACE researchers published in Nature on 26 October 2022. Here they show that genetic variation within a colorectal tumor doesn't often affect gene expression traits and...
Remarkable study by ACE researchers just published in Nature
The co-evolution of the genome and epigenome in colorectal cancer Published on 26 October 2022 in the journal Nature, this groundbreaking study by ACE researchers and their colleagues shows the interaction of genetic and epigenetic changes in tissue taken from...
Cancer Garden creation described in ‘Leonardo’
A paper describing the background to the creation of Endless Forms Most Beautiful, the cancer cactus garden at Arizona State University, has appeared in the arts/science journal, Leonardo. Read about the unique collaboration between of the landscape architect, the...
Most Tumors in Snakes are Cancerous
This study, A Multi-Institutional Collaboration to Understand Neoplasia, Treatment and Survival of Snakes, is just published in the journal Animals (January 21 2022). Although snakes seem to have more tumors than other species of reptiles studied, nothing much is...
Why Some Species of Animals Get More Cancer Than Others – Exciting new paper!
Writing in the journal Nature in a paper titled Cancer Risk Across Mammals, ACE researchers and their collaborators discuss why cancer rates are higher in some species than others. It seems to have a lot to do with diet, with meat eaters having more cancer than...
Spatial Structure Governs the Mode of Tumour Evolution
Knowing how tumors evolve would be very useful to clinicians trying to predict the spread of cancer and the likely success of different therapies. New mathematical models developed by Robert Noble and his colleagues should...
Endless Forms Most Beautiful: A Garden Shows That Cancer Is a Part of Life
The story behind the remarkable development of a cancer cactus garden at Arizona State University has just appeared in Leonardo (August 2021). Leonardo is a leading journal that integrates science and the arts. The living-art garden, named for the beautiful quote by...
A theoretical analysis of tumour containment.
Cancer is often treated with high doses of chemotherapy, but is that the best path? In a recent paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution, ACE member Rob Noble and co-author Yannick Viossat say No. They combine extensive mathematical analysis and numerical simulations to...
Transmissible cancers and the evolution of sex under the Red Queen hypothesis
The predominance of sexual reproduction in eukaryotes remains paradoxical in evolutionary theory. Of the hypotheses proposed to resolve this paradox, the ‘Red Queen hypothesis’ emphasises the potential of antagonistic interactions to cause fluctuating selection, which...