F Rosa Rubicondior: Malevolent Designer News - Sponges Don't Get Cancer...

Friday 16 April 2021

Malevolent Designer News - Sponges Don't Get Cancer...

Tethya wilhelma
Can withstand 100 times the dose of X-rays that would be fatal for humans
Sponges can survive massive doses of radiation without getting cancer | New Scientist

According to a paper published in biorXiv ahead of peer-reviewed publication, a research team led by Angelo Forunato of Arizon State University's Arizona Cancer Evolution Center have found that sponges don't get cancer.

Sponges, which belong to the Porifera phylum, live for thousands of years, grow continually and lack an immune system. They are also exposed to solar radiation, so, since cancers normally arise due to mistakes in cell mitosis when the DNA is replicated, or to radiation damage to the DNA, they should accumulate numerous cancers over time.

Yet cancers have never been found in sponges. Clearly, there is something preventing this and, unlike with elephants which rarely get cancer, it can't be due to a highly efficient immune system.

In fact, sponges can survive the highest doses of ionizing radiation ever recorded for a living species. In their experiments, the Arizona team exposed the sponge species Tethya wilhelma to a dose of 600 Gy of X-ray radiation without harm. This is about 100 time the lethal dose for humans.

Following this exposure, the sponges were found to have "an over-expression of the genes involved in DNA repair, signaling transduction pathways and epithelial to mesenchymal transition". It is clear therefore that, probably because they occupy an environment which should make them susceptible to cancers, they have evolved these genes to counter any tendency to DNA damage or mistakes in replication.

Of course, that evolutionary explanation is not available to Creationists who must, according to the dogma of their cult, ascribe it to the intentional design of a magic deity. The question for creationists then is, if, as they believe, their favourite deity designed sponges complete with this repair mechanism to avoid cancers, why didn't this same designer, whom they believe also designed humans and all other living species, also give them this protection against cancers?

Does it actually want us to have cancers or did it lack the intelligence to know that the mechanism for repairing the DNA of Poriferae would also work for human and other DNA?

This is just another example of how those who believe in the absurd intelligent [sic] design notion, have to believe their favourite deity has some sort of malevolent hatred for humans and actually wants to see us suffer from these awful conditions, so doesn't allow us the same mechanisms it happily provides for other creatures and, if it really existed and does what Creationists claim, could have provided for us with equal ease, yet chose not to.

Of course, it's always open for a creationist to explain why cancer is such a great idea and humans suffering from it is perfectly consistent with the idea of an all-loving, caring and compassionate deity who loves its creations and only wants the best for them...

Sadly, the team's findings are behind a paywall, but their abstract can be read here:

Reference:

1 comment :

  1. The more simple and the more primitive a life form is, the lesser is its capacity to suffer, especially if it's brainless and lacks a central nervous system. Humans, mammals, birds, and reptiles suffer the most because they are physically and mentally more complex. It should be pointed out that amphibians, fish, and even crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs have the capacity to suffer and even insects have the capacity to suffer somewhat. Lobsters in boiling water will screech and try to escape. That's evidence that they feel some kind of distress.
    Cancer afflicts all vertebrate animals, including our beloved pet dogs, cats, birds, horses. Our beloved pet reptiles like Anole lizards, geckos, and Iguanas also fall victim to cancer. Creationists and Fundamentalists claim that this is the fault of Adam and Eve eating a forbidden apple. I say that's a load of dung and manure, a stupid false myth invented by stupid theologians. It's cruel, unfair, unjust, unloving, and stupid a God that does this to His creation.
    A beloved aunt in California died from cancer in November 2006. Tons of people at church prayed for her. Obviously the prayer failed.
    Olivia Newton John was the famous beloved singer and actress who passed away from cancer in August 2022. She starred in the movies Grease from 1977 and Xanadu from 1980. I was a fan of hers since 10 years old in 1978. She was a big part of my childhood. She gave us wonderful songs and wonderful music. Songs such as If Not For You, If You Love Me Let Me Know, Have You Never Been Mellow, Clearly Love, Dont Stop Believin, Hey Mr. Dream Maker, Borrowed Time are all wonderful songs I grew up on. She is much loved and will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, dear Olivia. Your music will live on forever in our hearts. Dont Stop Believin my dear Olivia. Thank goodness we have photos, LP records, CD records, videos, and youtube. She will live forever in our hearts.

    ReplyDelete

Obscene, threatening or obnoxious messages, preaching, abuse and spam will be removed, as will anything by known Internet trolls and stalkers, by known sock-puppet accounts and anything not connected with the post,

A claim made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Remember: your opinion is not an established fact unless corroborated.

Web Analytics