Hot elephant testicles could hold the secret to a cure for cancer.
Elephant testicles could be the key to a cure for cancer
The animals are known for their strong resistance to the disease and scientists believe that this is the case because their testicles do not drop.
Researchers think that the mammals developed anti-cancer genes to safeguard their temperature-sensitive sperm production.
Elephants have 20 copies of the TP53 gene and the p53 protein that it creates to suppress cancer by helping to repair damaged DNA and to get rid of cells that cannot be repaired.
It is hoped that the new discovery will lead to further research into the cellular response to DNA damage in humans.
Professor Fritz Vollrath, a biologist at the University of Oxford who carried out the research, said: "Elephants provide us with a unique system to study the evolution of a robust defence mechanism against DNA damage in our battle against cancer and ailments like ageing."