FOR LACK OF ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT TO WRITE ABOUT

Linda with her good friend Janie Geffken, in Exeter, N.H.

That's Marion - Linda's mother - walking down the stairs.

1998

I have been trying to stimulate interest in cancer research here at the university.  It is a very steeply uphill endeavor for any number of reasons.  I have a notice on the door to my office which designates it as “Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – Northern Annex”.  Under this is written: “ Come on in and talk about cancer.”  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that nobody has responded.  I even offered to talk about tectonics and/or paleomagnetism, but they still scuttle on by.  My latest trick is to post a “Weekly Cancer Fact”.  I’m fairly certain that people read these, but they never come in.  I wonder why?

 So, anyway, I think I’ll post these “facts” now and then.  That way they won’t be completely wasted.

I would like to bring the picture posted above to the attention of Janie Geffken, but I don’t have her email address.  If anybody does, please let me know.

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Cancer-related random fact of the week  #4

Apoptosis:  Programed cell death.

Oncogene:  See below

 It is important that cells die.  As an extreme but amusing example – if a single E. coli bacterium divided every 30 minutes – but then lived on forever – after a few months the earth would be covered with the little slimeballs to a depth of about one foot.  And the slime coating would continue to grow.  In a few years it would be expanding outward at the speed of light.

Tumors represent uncontrolled cell multiplication.  Any gene that, left to itself, would result in uncontrolled cell division is an oncogene. Thus apoptosis is our friend.   Cancer is complicated, and I probably should have stuck with plate tectonics.