Over an organism’s life, cells keep on dividing and with each division the risk of acquiring a mutation that may lead to cancer increases. Therefore, it is normal to assume that larger animals with greater life spans have a high risk of developing cancer.
However, this is not the case for elephants who despite their 5500 kg body weight have a startlingly low rate of cancer. Such rarity has puzzled researchers for decades until a recent research study might have cracked the code. More specifically, researchers discovered a “zombie gene” that is protecting Elephants from acquiring cancer. This gene is called LIF6.
Watch the video above to learn more about how elephants are protected by the discovery of the zombie gene.