The New York Times brought Sunday a very well written piece by George Johnson on why cancer is probably the thing that will take the lives of many of us as our population ages. Having conquered so many different illnesses and diseases, we can’t fight nature, and cancer is for many caused by just that.

As we eliminate or control illnesses and diseases that medicine can help us work through, cancer, which is caused by cell mutations, will inevitably occur as mutations occur naturally all the time (that’s how evolution occurs as well), and eventually one of those mutations will take over and lead to cancer.

For those unfamiliar with some of the basics about how cancer works, it’s a very good primer, and even for those who know, it’s a good review.

h/t Jamie DeLoma