Before beginning this assignment, read Chapters 11 and 12 ("Allergy" and "Cancer") in Why We Get Sick (Nesse and Williams), and re-read the section of chapter 5 on regeneration of body parts (pages 65-76). Then write a one-page essay that addresses the points raised in the problem below. As usual, assume that the intended audience for your essay includes intelligent and interested readers who are unfamiliar with Darwinian medicine and evolutionary biology. Your job is to inform these readers, as best you can, in your one-page essay.

Your essay must be computer-printed. Although the choice of font style and margins is up to you, your essay must be double-spaced, in 10-point or larger font, and fit on a single page. As usual, submit your essay attached to a cover sheet that has your name, honor pledge, and date.

Salamanders are well known for their capabilities in regenerating severed limbs (see figure at right). After amputation of a limb, the cells of the limb stump lose their specialized cellular characteristics and a return to a more generalized state in which their ability to undergo cell division is restored. Eventually, after a period of growth and cell proliferation, the cells undergo subsequent cell differentiation, leading to the redevelopment of a normal limb. In many species of salamanders, individuals may completely regenerate a functional limb as quickly as 2-3 months after amputation. These capabilities, however, are absent in mammals and other vertebrates.

Based on this information and your readings from the text, what can you hypothesize about the relative susceptibility of mammals and salamanders to cancer? As part of your answer, be sure to include a brief but complete explanation of your hypothesis and a brief description of how you might test it.