In this episode, Dr. Cagan joins us to discuss his intriguing research on the rates and patterns of somatic mutation across a variety of mammalian species. Somatic mutation, the process of change in the DNA of an organism's cells other than sperm or egg cells, plays a key role in cancer and aging. However, the specifics of this process in non-human species have remained largely unknown.

Dr. Cagan and his team have shed light on the landscape of somatic mutation by conducting whole-genome sequencing of 208 intestinal crypts from 56 individuals across 16 mammalian species. They found that mutation is dominated by endogenous processes in all species, such as 5-methylcytosine deamination and oxidative damage. Interestingly, mutational signatures across species closely resemble those found in humans, though the contributions of each signature va ...