So I haven't been around as much online, mostly
because I've been helping out with a friend
diagnosed with Glioblastoma.
Nasty business, that.
So Googling it, I see that the usual life expectancy
is around 15 months, while my friend has already
past his 4th anniversary. But it's also pretty
advanced, which is why he needs the help...
Anyway, another thing I noticed, doing the Google,
is that it seems to be mostly a Eurasian thing. It
seems that being European or Asian is a risk factor.
And to me this lends credence to Regional Continuity.
But...
Age is a risk factor. This friend is older than me, he
was already 67 when he was diagnosed, which is
well beyond life expectancy of any population of an
evolutionarily significant age.
But here's where we need a doctor:
I have been told -- read, seen on a documentary -- that
mtDNA is a factor in our ability to fight off cancer. Which
is weird, because it is the Eurasian populations which
should display the most evolution within our mtDNA.
I mean, the climate and hence environment should have
been the most stable around the equator, and the least
stable in the northern hemisphere. So, the greatest
selective pressures on our mtDNA should have been
found in the northern hemisphere.
Correct?
Eurasian mtDNA, to put it bluntly, should be turbo charged
compared to equatorial populations...
Or is it? And the fact that this cancer develops late,
usually, beyond an age which should be of any evolutionary
concern, kind of negates any selective pressures. Maybe?
This could be similar to how the same "Adaptations" that
help sub saharan Africans to fight off malaria are a strong
factor in sickle cell anemia...
Also: As far as I know, mtDNA does slow down with age.
Which is why the older people get, the colder they always
seem. My friend, for example, usually won't go out without
a wool cap, sweater and even a scarf. Clearly he is not
generating a lot of body heat.
Anyway, we need a doctor to talk a little about these
subjects if they don't mind. This is a truly medical area in
paleo anthropology.
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https://jtem.tumblr.com/post/683605167873146880