As people age and gain weight, the risk of cancer increases. But these laws do not apply to all species. Some animals may not even develop cancer, despite their large size and long life span.
Like elephants, dolphins and whales, they have a very low incidence of cancer. As the world’s largest and longest-lived mammal, the blue whale is one of the animals with the lowest risk of cancer.
Research has shown that whales are unique among mammals. In order to evolve a huge body size, these important “housekeeper” genes must keep up to keep the species healthy. Are these evolutionarily conserved genes the reason why whales are less likely to get cancer?
Subtitle translation and production: findlamp