Biology Lesson Idea | Why don't whales get cancer (more often)?

Summary

Cancer can arise when errors occur as cells divide. Because whales are both very large and long-lived, they have many cells and many opportunities for DNA errors. In theory, they might therefore be expected to develop cancer more often.

Yet whales do not appear to get cancer as often as their size and lifespan would predict. This puzzle is known as Peto’s paradox.

Researchers found that whales have repeated sections of DNA containing genes associated with:

• Suppressing cancer
• Immune-system function
• DNA repair

These genetic features may help whales prevent cancer or correct cellular mistakes. Studying whale genetics could improve scientists’ understanding of cancer and eventually inform research into cancer in humans.

Speaker or source featured

• Narrator: An unidentified presenter; no individual speaker is named in the subtitles.
• The subtitles mention the article “Why Don’t Whales Get Cancer?” as a source for further learning.