zlacker

This is an explicit hypothesis I have heard: that aging arises in part from a compromise between longevity and not getting cancer. Obviously an immortal who gets a bunch of tumors is not immortal.

That cancer cell lines are often immortal is interesting circumstantial evidence for this.

Telomere shortening for example is hypothesized as one stop mechanism for runaway cell division.

My bet would be that this is part of the answer but not the whole answer. Biological systems rarely have one part match one function. Biology is not “designed” the way humans design things.

>>api+(OP)
There’s cellular senescence that helps control the malignancies. Then we have an increase in senescent cell burden with age. Of course, you can put two and two together and say that aging protects from cancer. But that’s a wild jump. For one thing, we can’t prove there’s any kind of (evolutionary) benefit in controlling tumors in older age.

>>api+(OP)
I’ve heard that hair going grey is a cancer mitigation strategy.

>>corysa+U8
Do you have any additional info on this?

I am not saying you are wrong, I don’t know, but I know that hair becomes grey due to decreased melanin production in your hair follicles as people age.

So the natural conclusion based on what you are saying (assuming it is true) is that the decrease of melanin production in hair follicles reduces the risk of cancer. How so?

>>api+(OP)
There's also some details about how stem cell divide. Stem cells exist just so that they can be clean copies.

I read a paper about the depth of the tree of division of stem cells that also backs up the aging-is-side-effect-of-fighting-cancer. Sorry, I don't remember paper title or better keywords.

>>filole+Ed
The latest research indicates that the greying occurs when certain migrating cells get stuck in the hair follicle. This also suggests greying can be reversible, which I know from experience as I have plucked hairs which are grey at the tip and colored at the base.