Data from: Coevolution of cooperative lifestyles and reduced cancer prevalence in mammals

We hypothesized that cancer prevalence and mortality risk might have been fine-tuned by evolution. Using public databases, we show that species with cooperative habits have lower cancer prevalence and mortality risk.

By developing a mathematical model, we provide a mechanistic explanation: an oncogenic variant that elicits higher cancer mortality in older and less reproductive individuals is detrimental to cooperative mammalian societies but can lead to a counterintuitive overcompensation in population size and fitness within competitive contexts. The phenomenon of a population increasing in response to a decrease in its per capita survival rate is called the hydra effect, a process never explored in the field of cancer before.