Friday, October 15, 2010

Is cancer caused by modern day lifestyle?

Ramses II
A New Scientist article discusses a publication that claims to have found no sign of cancer in Egyptian mummies. The authors concluded that cancer must therefore be caused by modern day carcinogens that were not present in ancient Egypt. The New Scientist review criticizes this conclusion by pointing out that none of the mummified people died older than fifty years old, and most cancers occur in people over fifty. The study and the review is an interesting example for what you can conclude from data and what not.

Briefing: Cancer is not a disease of the modern world - health - 14 October 2010 - New Scientist

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