Peculiarities of diggers’ organisms form the basis for medical treatments
South Africa is taking a new step in the fight against cancer
Scientists from the University of Pretoria have contributed to the discovery of how naked diggers are able to withstand heart attacks and colorectal cancer, two of the most deadly human diseases in developed countries. This is reported by Pretoria News, a partner of TV BRICS.
The results, according to University of Pretoria professors Nigel Bennett and Daniel Hart, add to the growing list of "superpowers" of diggers that have already been identified. These include the capacity to lessen pain responses, slow ageing, and act as a natural birth control method. All of these properties are of great interest to biomedical researchers who study human health.
Researchers discovered that adult intestinal stem cells and cells that fend off damage from ageing and colon cancer are more prevalent in diggers. This is due to the low prevalence of colon cancer in all types of diggers, suggesting that the same systems guard against cancer in general.
The research team is still working to pinpoint the precise metabolic and genetic traits that shield bare diggers' hearts.
Photo: iStock
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