

However, a 2015 study that compared cancer incidence from zoo necropsy data for 36 mammals found that a higher risk of cancer does not correlate with increased body mass or lifespan. Therefore, large bodied and long-lived organisms should face a higher lifetime risk of cancer simply due to the fact that their bodies contain more cells and will undergo more cell divisions over the course of their lifespan (Fig. If every cell division carries a certain chance that a cancer-causing somatic mutation could occur, then the risk of developing cancer should be a function of the number of cell divisions in an organism’s lifetime. Some somatic mutations may occur in genetic pathways that control cell proliferation, DNA repair, apoptosis, telomere erosion, and growth of new blood vessels, disrupting the normal checks on carcinogenesis. These mistakes are called somatic mutations. Every time a human cell divides, it must copy its six billion base pairs of DNA, and it inevitably makes some mistakes. ( Washington Post)īoth are contradictions, but a paradox is something to think on, and an oxymoron is a description, enjoyed in the moment then gone.In a multicellular organism, cells must go through a cell cycle that includes growth and division. "The ultimate oxymoron: I was once invited to an agoraphobic convention," he said. "This article proves that good economic news is an oxymoron." ( New York Times)

It comes from the Greek oxys for "sharp" and moros for "stupid." Sharply stupid. You're oxymorons! The word itself is an oxymoron, a contradiction. Oh jumbo shrimp of the world, we're not calling you morons. "The answer, for Muji, is a neat paradox, like a Zen koan: massive minimalism through perpetual growth." ( New Yorker) "He seemed to absorb the baffling paradoxes of quantum theory with ease." ( Big Science) Here's a paradox by William Wordsworth, "The child is father of the man." Check out the word in action: He's my son." Confused? Ha! Not a paradox, though - the doctor is his mom. The son goes to the hospital, but the doctor says, "I can't operate on him. How about this one: A father and son get in a car wreck and the father dies. The floor is the ceiling! Part of the fun of a paradox is figuring out if it really is one.

Escher's "Relativity" is a visual paradox. An oxymoron is a figure of speech - words that seem to cancel each other out, like "working vacation" or "instant classic."Ī paradox makes your brain hurt because it seems like something is true and false at the same time. A paradox is a logical puzzle that seems to contradict itself.
