Years of exposure to ionizing radiation from Chernobyl made the dogs that survived in that region genetically different from others.
US scientists analyzed the blood of 302 dogs abandoned by residents who had to evacuate the city and who still live in the region. The study sought to understand the effects of the devastating explosion of 1986.
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and its 30,000 ton sarcophagus, Russian war booty
Researchers from the University of South Carolina and the National Human Genome Research Institute found that dogs might be divided into three genetically similar groups.
The report, according to Dailymailexplained that each of these groups lives in the former nuclear power plant, in the city of Chernobyl or in Slavutych, a city regarding 45 km away and that was built especially for the evacuees.
Through these groups they were able to determine that there are differences according to the distances of the place and, consequently, of the explosion. Ultimately, the scientists were able to determine a dog’s level of radiation exposure from its DNA.
According to the researchers, these studies would increase the “understanding [de] the biological foundations of animals and, ultimately, human survival in regions of high and continuous environmental attack”.
Chernobyl tripled its radiation levels and there is an alert regarding the risk of a nuclear incident
The Chernobyl tragedy
On April 26, 1986, one of the reactors at a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat caught fire and exploded, spreading radioactive material to the surrounding area. Thirty workers died immediately following the explosion. However, the long-term death toll from radiation poisoning might be in the thousands.
More than 160,000 residents of the city and its surrounding areas had to be evacuated, leaving the former Soviet site a radioactive ghost town. They were only allowed to carry what they might carry, which meant they had to leave their beloved pets behind.
The Soviet government sent to exterminate with the animals to prevent it from spreading radioactive contamination. But some pets managed to evade death by hiding in the forest.
Back to the Chernobyl disaster
Between 2017 and 2019, scientists revisited the city, meeting dogs that were somehow able to find food, reproduce, and survive.
Most lived within the plant itself, in the nearby train station or in the largely abandoned Chernobyl city some 15 kilometers away. A handful lived in Slavutych and were less exposed to radiation.
NT / ED
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