One thing we do know. The quicker you can identify a cancer and stop it spreading, the more chance you have of stopping it in its tracks. Any new way of doing that has to be good. Now a remarkable application of Fractal mathematics may do just that.
Most readers will have some ideas of what fractals are. It’s a branch of geometry that studies ever repeating patterns and the way they change. The work of Benoit Mandelbrot(1924-2010) is a good place to start if you want to know more. At first it all seems very abstruse and pure mathematics sort-of-stuff. But actually we find examples of fractal patterns in nature, such as the fronds of ferns. So they could be useful in human health.
Which is exactly what American research teams think. Your link today by Juan Matias Sepulcre Martinez of El Pais describes how the fractal analysis of tissue patterns may reveal the early warning signs of developing tumours. (spoiler alert for anglophones-you’ll need to hit the ol’ translator button) It’s early days yet. But it proves one old trope we keep banging on about-today’s pure research is tomorrows application.
Imagine if all the money the world is spending on Putin’s ego-trip into Ukraine were spent on research-what would our lives be like then?
[1]https://elpais.com/ciencia/cafe-y-teoremas/2022-03-01/geometria-fractal-para-la-deteccion-eficaz-de-tumores.html
#fractals #cancer #tumour #diagnosis #health #geometry #mathematics
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