Why do some animals, like sharks and crocodiles, have such powerful immune systems that they rarely get sick or develop cancer, and could we learn from them to improve human health?

Question

Why do some animals, like sharks and crocodiles, have such powerful immune systems that they rarely get sick or develop cancer, and could we learn from them to improve human health?

In: 9649

Answer 1

Lots of money was made in the 1970’s selling people shark cartilage based on the idea that sharks don’t get cancer and that ingesting the cartilage would prevent/cure human cancer. The problem was that sharks do get cancer and it doesn’t work anyway.