The study reveals the reality of cancer about large animals

Peto, or separation between the size of the body and the occurrence of cancer across species, is one of the most curious cases in biology. The size varies greatly through the animal kingdom, from Visitors love blue whale incredible swimming with them to A small creature packs the strongest punch in the world.

In theory, large animals should suffer from higher cancer rates, as they contain more cells and longer and thus more opportunities for an irreplaceable division. However, previous studies have shown that there is no connection between the size of the body and cancer, or that the smaller living organisms actually have higher rates of transplantation of large rates.

The epidemics and statistical scientist Richard Beto noticed this for the first time in 1977, noting that, on the basis of each cell separately, humans were less vulnerable to cancer than mice, which is inconsistent with which it suggested its interpretation of development. Thus, this phenomenon was formulated from the Beto paradox, a mystery in which biologists will achieve for decades.

For years, the evidence is supported by Bito’s paradox. The expectations of living organisms of the largest sizes of the body and/or extend a longer life for the experience of cancer at greater rates within species, such as humans and dogs, but not across species.

However, recent studies find evidence indicating the opposite, in fact, large living organisms suffer from higher cancer rates. One of these studies, which was published in February 2025 by the organizing biologist George Bater and his colleagues at the University of London UniversityI found data that does not support the paradox.

The death of the Beto paradox?

The study analyzed the rates of cancer in large and small types of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles

The researchers analyzed the sizes and rates of cancer Various mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. They found that the largest species were exposed to cancer at higher rates than the smallest, which contradicts the Beto paradox.

However, why did this study found data that does not support PETO, when other investigations found contradictory evidence for decades? Researchers discuss how early studies are likely to have contradictory results due to their lack of statistical force. It was also incomplete of data, as you need more types and effects to obtain a comprehensive animal cancer analysis.

On the other hand, Petrler and others. Use a sophisticated framework for evolutionary dynasty (related to evolutionary history and relationships) and analyzing more species and samples, allowing the Peto paradox to be tested on an unprecedented scale.

While lacked wider feminist evidence on Peto’s paradox, previous studies have identified anti -cancer mechanisms within individual species, such as elephant. The Butler et al. This study deals with this, taking into account how to diversify methods of body size to develop cancer defenses.

Elephants have many tumor gene copies

Some large animals, such as elephants, had to develop solutions to avoid the increasing threat of cancer

While Batrler and others. The study found that the elephant, the ideal example of Peto, has no exceptionally low deployment of cancer, and the rates are lower than someone expected for an animal of its size.

They explain that repeated cases of the development of the accelerated body size in mammals and birds coincided with the development of cellular growth control. Elephants, for example, It has about 20 copies of the TP53, a tumor inhibitor, a main factor that contributes to their low cancer rates.

Compared to other types, elephants have a greater decrease in the spread of cancer associated with high rates of body mass development. For example, in the Asian elephant (The largest elephant), This reduction was 56 %, while for long -haired fruit, it is a smaller type 30,000 times, and the rate was only 12 %.

Experimental, this means that E. The Great It has the expected cancer rate for an animal not exceeding 10 % of the body size. This indicates that the largest animals that have witnessed the largest body’s body development, such as Huge marine mammals that still roam the oceansMore mechanisms to combat malignant.

Other smaller types of elephants also show much lower cancer rates than one expects, such as The naked mole is not cancer. The exceptional anti -cancer defenses of naked mole mice are highlighted in this study, as they had a malicious rate compared to estimates. An investigation into these types can reveal ways to fight cancer clinically.

Animals that rarely develop cancer can help fight them

Studies that search for cancer -resistant types can be a way to develop new treatments

Discovering the reason for the presence of low or high levels of cancer can help us get a better understanding of its mechanisms, but also to develop new strategies that depend on developing malignity and preventing humans.

Big animals are not the only one that has evolved anti -cancer mechanisms, as some types of mammals have much longer than expected due to their size, a property that is attributed to resistance to cancer.

Big Ricette bats (Myotis Pilosus), For example, he has Reducing the organization of many genes associated with cancer (HIF1Aand COPS5And RPS))while Cancer -resistant micornas is organized in the larger bats of mouse (Myotis Myotis))and Britain’s most lonely breasts that came back to appear for the first time in the eighties.

Naked mole mice are particularly interesting in terms of cancer resistance. There were no documented cases of cancer in naked miceIt is a phenomenon attributed to its early genes to the tumor.

One of these genes, PDCD5, showed a strong tumor activity In one studyWith PDCD5 of naked mole mice that exceed the treatment of the same gene from different types. Thus, the strong capabilities of the genes in the naked mole mouse can be beneficial for the treatment of cancer in other types.

because of A large gap in the comparative tumor data on wild animalsMore studies are needed to collect additional data. Although it will be difficult to collect this data, it will significantly enhance the field of tumors.

Although the fact that large animals are actually infected with counterfeit cancer, the investigation of the species that has evolved in the augmented cellular growth is promising. Future studies aim to detect how to repeat the mechanisms of these species, and provide hope for fighting cancer.