http://guide-p.infoseek.com/Content?arn=a2025LBY176reulb-19961024&qt=%5BScience+Fiction%5D,+Netscape,+Language,+Politics,+Herzlia,+Israel,+%5BJohnathan+J.+Stavsky%5D,+%5BNear-East+History%5D,+Geldern,+Philosophy,+Famine,+%5BNetscape+Navigator%5D,+Chaos,+%5BFrank+Herbert%5D,+Astronomy,+Bezeq,+%5BArthur+C.+Clarke%5D&sv=V1&lk=noframes&col=NW&ud3=8BB19E2DBE2E26B18E9090E8D2400D8E&kt=A&ak=headlines
Take a look at this paragraph "Many researchers believe that cancer
occurs in part when apoptosis fails and damaged cells do not
self-destruct but become essentially immortal."
Mortality is biologically necessairy as long as already existing cells
cannot mutate in a way which will be marked on their genes. Since
mutation occur only on replication, the only way to evolve is by
replication. Immortal cells use the resources needed for the survival of
their off-springs, thereby killing them. Therefore are all mortal by
heredity. I suppose that the actual mutation which caused mortalness
first survived when somekind of a disaster or a temporary major change
in conditions caused a massive death among the mortal cells. This is the
only opportunity for their off-springs to survive. Of course there's no
way to know how much mortalness mutations evolved and perished before
that certain disaster.
As usual I'll relate it to memetics - are there any memes which don't
change at all? don't have any variation or anything; or do they all die?
Lior.