Hallmarks, Overview

Cancer is a disease that affects people of all nationalities and age groups and all cancers start with mutations in one cell.

Gene mutation in a cell can result in uncontrolled division called cancer. Exposure of cells to certain chemicals and radiation increases mutations and thus the chance of cancer.| AAAS#5C/H6
The genetic information encoded in DNA molecules provides instructions for assembling protein molecules.| AAAS#5C/H4a
Changes in DNA (mutations) occur spontaneously at low rates. Some of these changes make no difference to the organism, whereas others can change cells and organisms. Only mutations in germ cells can create the variation that changes an organism's offsprin| NSES#C 2.3
Given adequate resources and an absence of disease or predators, populations of organisms in ecosystems increase at rapid rates. Finite resources and other factors limit their growth| AAAS#5D/M3
Populations can reach limits to growth. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals that can be supported in a given environment. The limitation is not the availability of space, but the number of people in relation to resources and capacity of earth systems to support human beings.| NSES#F 2.3
Much can be learned about the internal workings of science and the nature of science from study of individual scientists, their daily work, and their efforts to advance scientific knowledge in their area of study.| NSES#G 3.1