3-D Cancer Cells (IMAGE) Arizona State University Caption Two scientists, including ASU’s Paul Davies, write about the idea that cancer has ancient evolutionary roots in a paper released Feb. 7 in the journal Physical Biology. Davies heads up the Center for the Convergence of Physical Sciences and Cancer Biology at ASU, a major research initiative funded by the National Cancer Institute. His center is investigating insights from physical science on cancer cells, similar to the ones in this image. Shown here, the upper row shows a normal breast cell with a smooth nuclear membrane of regular shape. The bottom row shows an aggressive breast cancer cell with a distinctively irregular nucleus and overall shape. The left column shows the whole cell, with the cytoplasm appearing as a gray haze. The middle column shows the naked nuclear membrane and the right column shows density variations in the nuclear DNA. Credit Image courtesy of Vivek Nandakumar, Center for Biosignatures Discovery Automation, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University Usage Restrictions w proper credit License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.