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80,000 Hours Podcast

80,000 Hours Podcast

#144 Classic episode – Athena Aktipis on why cancer is a fundamental universal phenomena

Jan 9, 2026 · 3h 31m

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What’s the opposite of cancer? If you answered “cure,” “antidote,” or “antivenom” — you’ve obviously been reading the antonym section at www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancer. But today’s guest Athena Aktipis says that the opposite of cancer is us: it's having a functional multicellular body that’s cooperating effectively in order to make that multicellular body function. If, like us, you found her answer far more satisfying than the dictionary, maybe you could consider closing your dozens of merriam-webster.com tabs, and start listening to this podcast instead. Rebroadcast: this episode was originally released in January 2023. Links to learn more, video, and full transcript:…