Hannah Thomasy in The Scientist:
In 2015, scientists made a surprising discovery about physiologically normal human skin: More than 25 percent of cells carried genetic mutations known to cause cancer and the average number of mutations per cell was similar to the burden observed in many tumors.1 This research demonstrated that while genetic mutations are critical drivers of cancer development, other factors also play key roles. Indeed, scientists are increasingly finding that epigenetic factors, which do not change the genetic code but can drastically alter gene expression, are important for cancer risk and resilience as well.
More here.
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