Cancer and Evolution
Cancer and level of selection

Cancer results from the opposite action of different level of selection. There is selection on the population of multicellular individuals and there is selection on the population of cells within each multicellular individuals.

There is selection among cells within an individual for increase replication rate while there is selection among multicellular individuals in the population for controlled replication rate of their cells.

Major transitions

The passage from small unit of selection to bigger units is called a "major transition". Such transitions include the grouping of genes on chromosomes, the grouping of cells onto multicellular individuals, the grouping of multicellular individual onto colonies and, if there are several planets inhabiting life in the universe, then the grouping of life forms in every planet into a population of living planets. One can list other, more extreme or intermediate major transitions but there is quite a bit of debate on what really constitute a major transition.

Literature on the subject


  [I]s there any literature thinking about it this way?


The keywords that will help search further information are group selection, kin selection, major transitions.

I recommend having a look at Major Transitions In Evolution by Maynard Smith and Szathmary and also The Major Transitions in Evolution Revisited by Calcott and Sterelny which is a book made of many small parts, each written by a different author on these same questions of level of selection.

You might eventually have a look at Evolutionary Dynamics: Exploring the Equations of Life  by Nowak as well.

These discussions of level of selection include discussion of what an individual is and what level is most important. The extremely popular and well written books by Dawkins will also bring you some light on the subject. Consider The extended phenotype for example.

For more book recommendations in evolutionary genetics, please have a look at Books on population or evolutionary genetics?.

If you like the sensation of thinking of the entire earth as an individual part of eventually a larger group of living planet, then you'll maybe enjoy having a physiological / ecological view of this living planet earth with Gaia by Lovelock