Colorectal cancer cells use the physical squeezing of your gut to turn themselves into more aggressive stem cells.

The KRAS G12C mutation makes individual cancer cells less viscous and much squishier than healthy ones. This decreased internal friction allows the cells to feel and react to the rhythmic contractions of your intestines. Standard medical models assume cancer spreads primarily through chemical signals, but these cells use mechanical force as fuel. Squeezing these mutated cells triggers a biological response that generates dangerous new cancer stem cells. This discovery means the physical environment of the digestive tract actively drives the progression of the disease. Controlling these mechanical forces could provide a completely new way to stop cancer from evolving.