The naked mole rat can live more than 40 years — nearly ten times longer than rodents its size. When University of Rochester scientists engineered mice with one of its longevity-associated genes, the mice lived longer, and among animals older than 27 months, cancer incidence fell from 83% to 49%.

The naked mole rat can live more than 40 years — nearly ten times longer than rodents its size. When University of Rochester scientists engineered mice with one of its longevity-associated genes, the mice lived longer, and among animals older than 27 months, cancer incidence fell from 83% to 49%.

University of Rochester researchers genetically engineered mice to make the naked mole-rat version of an enzyme called HAS2. The altered mice lived modestly longer and developed fewer visible cancers in old age than control mice. This was an animal experiment, not a test in people. The headline number is striking but needs its denominator. Among mice older than 27 months, the paper reported cancer in 83 percent of 81 control animals and 49 perce…