"Scientists searching for novel ways to fight cancer think they may have uncovered a promising new lead tucked away inside the cells of the bowhead whale.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, are part of a growing field examining the ways that long-lived animals like the bowhead manage to keep on trucking without being felled by malignant cells.

In cancer biology, there's a conundrum known as Peto's paradox: Large animals have lots of cells, which in theory should mean more chances to develop cancer. And long-lived organisms have more time to acquire the mutations needed to transform healthy cells into cancerous ones.

And yet — "that's not what happens," says Vera Gorbunova, a biologist at the University of Rochester. "It suggests that these large and longer-lived animals have additional protections from cancer that they evolved.""

Ari Daniel reports for NPR November 24, 2025. [2]