9781422282953

11

Science and Medicine

In recent years, a group of scientists in Utah have looked at elephants and their genes to try to understand cancer in humans. Elephants have many more cells than people and so should be at a higher risk for having some of those cells turn cancerous. That, in turn, would increase their risk of dying of the disease. But death rates from cancer for the huge mammals are actually much lower than in humans. A study released in 2015 said the answer seems to lie in certain elephant genes.

Humans have two genes that produce a protein called p53.This protein can stop the development of cancerous cells or cause the

Can elephants cure cancer? Some scientists think that these amazing animals might hold the secret to new cancer treatments in their blood.

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online