Mummy. What causes cancer to happen in the body?
Well, it can be a couple of things. You know how there are genes that can flip a regular cell into a cancer cell, right?
Yes. Then they grow really fast and can hurt the organs and travel around to new organs.
Right – well, environmental factors like chemicals can flip those genes on, or it can be genetic; sometimes they’re more likely to turn on when lots of people in the family have had cancer.
Oh. But both of those are “genetic” – cancer happens because some of those genes turn on.
Correct! That is a very precise and sophisticated way of thinking about it.
Can we watch some cells dividing on the internet tonight?
Whither Earthlings 