Bowhead whales can live past 200 years, and biologists studying their DNA have found unique gene variants for repairing damage that may explain why they almost never develop the cancers that kill most other large mammals before 80.

Bowhead whales live past 200 years and almost never get cancer. A 2025 study from the University of Rochester points to CIRBP, a cold-activated protein that helps the whales' cells repair DNA damage with unusual precision. The post Bowhead whales can live past 200 years, and biologists studying their DNA have found unique gene variants for repairing damage that may explain why they almost never develop the cancers that kill most other large mammals before 80. appeared first on Space Daily .