Researchers have started to uncover the genetic basis for the unusual cancer resistance of certain animals–including elephants and whales–that defy scientists original beliefs: They get less cancer than had been previously expected based on their large body size or unusually long lifespan. Elephants, for example, have extra copies of a tumor suppressor gene, which makes their cells especially prone to triggering cell death at the first sign that something has gone awry.
Since these discoveries, many other species—of various sizes—have been studied. Uncovering the naturally evolved cancer resistance mechanisms in different animal lineages has a bigger goal: It could lead to new and better strategies for treating (or preventing) cancer in humans, researchers say