X-Message-Number: 32112
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:01:33 -0700
Subject: Mole rats, self interest and chronic radiation
From: Keith Henson <>

I have long advocated sorting through the genome of naked mole rats to
see how they live 15 times as long as similar sized rodents.  It looks
like their inordinate resistance to cancer is now getting attention.

http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3479

Re self interest, to think clearly about this topic you really need to
understand the basics of evolutionary psychology.  Our psychological
traits have been selected no less than any other characteristic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusive_fitness

I have talked about this for close to a decade.  It seems very hard
for most people to get their minds around it.

And then we have this fascinating bit of research.

Is Chronic Radiation an Effective Prophylaxis
Against Cancer?

http://www.jpands.org/vol9no1/chen.pdf

I would speculate that low level radiation damage is keeping the
immune system tuned up to clear out damaged cells and that the active
immune system is working more than enough to keep cancer at a very low
level.

Keith

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