Genetics and Longevity

U.S. researchers report in Nature that bowhead whales produce abundant levels of a DNA-repair protein that helps prevent cells from becoming pre-cancerous, offering a potential clue to their extreme longevity and low cancer rates. The team led by University of Rochester biologist Vera Gorbunova says the whales favor robust DNA maintenance over cell elimination, contrasting with elephants’ multiple p53 tumor-suppressor copies; outside experts caution human translation is complex but potentially promising.