You'd think elephants would be getting cancer left and right: They are giants of the animal kingdom and have trillions more cells than humans -- cells that, in theory, could turn into cancer over their decades-long lifespans.⁠ But you'd be wrong. It's not that they never get cancer, but less than 5% of elephants die from it, versus up to 25% of humans. "Because of their body size and how many cells they have and how long they live, they should all be developing cancer," said pediatric oncologist Dr. Joshua Schiffman, professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah and an investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ There is a gene called the "zombie gene" which arose from what's known as a "pseudogene," a mutated or inactive copy of a normal gene that can accumulate over eons of evolution. Elephants, as well as close living relatives like manatees, have many duplications of a gene known as LIF -- but these copies don't work like the original. In elephants, however, one copy...