Chernobyl : Stray dogs don’t suffer from mutations despite high level of radiation
Researchers have found that stray dogs living in the Chernobyl exclusion zone have not experienced genetic mutations, despite prolonged exposure to high radiation levels.
Following the 1986 nuclear plant explosion in the USSR, towns surrounding the site were evacuated. Nearly 40 years later, nature has reclaimed much of the area, even as radiation levels remain significant.
Scientists from NC State University and Columbia University conducted studies to determine whether the stray dogs in the region had undergone genetic mutations as a result of their exposure to radiation.
"We have been working with two dog populations that, while separated by just 16 kilometers, or about 10 miles, are genetically distinct," said Matthew Breen, the corresponding author of the study.
"First, we contextualized the level of genetic differences between two dog populations, which indicated that the genetics of Chornobyl City dogs were very similar to dog populations in Russia, Poland and the surrounding areas," said Megan Dillon, Ph.D. candidate at NC State and lead author of the study.
(QG - Source: Interesting Engineering / Picture: © Pixabay)