News > Elephants, Who Have a Lifespan up to 70 Years, Rarely Get Cancer

Elephants, Who Have a Lifespan up to 70 Years, Rarely Get Cancer

Elephants seem to carry copies of tumour-suppressing genes which contribute towards cancer resistance. The researchers analyzed different species of elephants- Asian, African savanna and African forest elephants and their living and extinct relatives to find out that these tumour suppressing genes ‘facilitated the evolution of increased body size by compensating for decreasing intrinsic cancer risk.’

It is also believed that these genes repair DNA and are involved in internal stress resistance and growth, ageing and death of cells.