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

Both sharks and crocodiles are immensly old creatures in evolutionary terms.

Could that have something to do with it? They have been the way they are much, much longer than us. So maybe they just had more time to adapt their bodies more ideally, making them more likely to avoid causes of natural death?

Just a speculation, but I find this thought very interesting.