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What do elephants have to do with the war against cancer? Perhaps everything

Also in Tattle: Angie Bowie, Bill Cosby, Ryan Coogler, America Ferrera and Eva Longoria

Retired circus elephants may provide the next frontier for research in the fight against cancer.

How rare when one good deed leads to potentially two positive outcomes.

The first bit of good news was that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has decided to end its elephant acts a year and a half early, and will retire its final 11 touring elephants in May.

These eleven elephants will join 29 more pachyderms (two additional elephants are at zoos hoping to make more elephants) at Feld Entertainment's 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation, located between Orlando and Tampa.

Think of it as The Villages for elephants.

Except these big guys and gals will also be part of cancer research.

Cancer is much less common in elephants than in humans, even though elephants are a lot bigger than humans. Some scientists believe the reason could be because elephants' cells contain 20 copies of a major cancer-suppressing gene. The gene helps damaged cells repair themselves or self-destruct when exposed to cancer-causing substances.

The findings aren't proof that extra p53 genes make elephants cancer-resistant, but if future research confirms it, scientists could try to develop drugs for humans that would mimic the effect.

Dr. Joshua Schiffman, a pediatric cancer specialist at the University of Utah, is one of the researchers trying to find clues in the blood samples of some of the Ringling elephants.

"There's so much to be learned from their DNA," Feld said.

And given that they never forget, maybe elephants can also help cure senility.

Feeling 'Low'

From the U.K. yesterday morning came word that producers of the trashy British reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother" had not yet informed David Bowie's ex-wife, Angie, of the music icon's death.

Angie Bowie, who was married to David from 1970 to 1980, is currently appearing on the show, whose contestants must live together in a house, cut off from the outside world, common sense and basic human decency while being filmed by ever-present cameras.

The show's publicists said yesterday that "Angie Bowie will be informed off camera today at the earliest opportunity."

But if something happens off camera did it really happen? (That's known as the Kardashian Conundrum.)

By yesterday afternoon, Angie had been told and had decided to remain on the show.

Considering Angie has been trashing her ex, whom she said she hasn't seen in nearly forty years and is also estranged from their son, Duncan Jones, is it any surprise she's staying in the "Big Brother" house.

TATTBITS

* In a reversal of its previous stance, George Washington University said yesterday it will rescind an honorary degree awarded to Bill Cosby in 1997, saying the debate over the honor was creating trauma for sexual assault victims.

Last fall, GW said that it never took back honorary degrees based on information that came to light later.

But debate over the subject continued on campus, and GW president Steven Knapp said in a statement yesterday that he was persuaded by those who voiced ongoing concerns about the honor.

"What has particularly moved and impressed me has been the argument that, whatever may ultimately be determined about the guilt or innocence of Mr. Cosby in a court of law, the controversy itself has become a cause of renewed distress for our students and alumni who are survivors of sexual assault," Knapp said.

* The Nielsen company says an estimated 18.5 million viewers watched the Golden Globes Awards ceremony on NBC on Sunday night.

And not one of them could tell you who won anything.

* It's official! Marvel announced yesterday that Ryan Coogler ("Creed," "Fruitvale Station") will direct "Black Panther."

Ater winning a future Golden Globe, Black Panther will forget to thank Coogler. (You had to see show.)

* Speaking of the Globes, when America Ferrera and Eva Longoria came out to present at Sunday night's heavily bleeped awards gig, some genius at MTV Australia decided to Tweet out:

"Where are the English subtitles? We have no idea what @AmericaFerrera and @EvaLongoria are saying."

Huh? You're from Australia. After "G'day, mate," do you think anyone can understand what you're saying?

- Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

Email: gensleh@phillynews.com
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