University of Pretoria (UP) scientists have contributed to discovering how the naked mole rat is able to withstand heart attacks and fend off bowel cancer, two of the most fatal human ailments in the developed world. Their findings were published recently in two Nature Communications papers. Prof Nigel Bennett and Dr Daniel Hart, co-authors on both papers and experts in mole rat evolution at UP's Department of Zoology and Entomology, say the findings add to a long list of mole rat "superpowers" that have already been discovered, including slower ageing, natural contraception and the ability to bypass pain responses.