I mean, not exactly. Cancer currently kills us because it figured out a version of immortality that will currently outperform your cells.
It is theoretically possible for our cells to mutate in such a way that they have the specific genes that certain jellyfish have, allowing them to become “immortal” by not continuing ad infinatum, and instead having the cell “rebirth” itself like the legendary Phoenix.
Rather than what cancer currently does, which seems to be, a cell forgets how to die and starts replicating its mutated form out of control.
I think that’s like asking if a fire can burn down an entire house but end up remodling it. Isn’t cancer defined by its destructive traits?
I mean, not exactly. Cancer currently kills us because it figured out a version of immortality that will currently outperform your cells.
It is theoretically possible for our cells to mutate in such a way that they have the specific genes that certain jellyfish have, allowing them to become “immortal” by not continuing ad infinatum, and instead having the cell “rebirth” itself like the legendary Phoenix.
Rather than what cancer currently does, which seems to be, a cell forgets how to die and starts replicating its mutated form out of control.
I wouldn’t say ‘outperform’… Cell death is a deliberate and desirable feature. Without it, we’d be unable to repair damage.
I was using outperform in the evolutionary sense. As in they stick around