On 28 April 1986, the defective Number 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine exploded, releasing a significant portion of its radioactive reactor core into the environment.
In the wake of the explosion, numerous people lost their lives in the weeks following the disaster, and around 350,000 individuals were evacuated from the surrounding area.
Despite its occurrence many years ago, the event continues to have lasting effects on those living nearby.
For instance, stray dogs inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) – the radioactive region surrounding the nuclear plant – appear to have adapted to the hazardous environment.
A recent study analyzed blood samples from 116 stray dogs in the area, revealing that they have not only adapted but are also thriving in the environment.
“Somehow, two small populations of dogs managed to survive in that highly toxic environment,’ stated Norman J. Kleiman, an environmental health scientist at Columbia University.
“In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs… we took the first steps towards understanding how chronic exposure to multiple environmental hazards may have impacted these populations.”
The study’s findings were published in the Canine Medicine and Genetics journal in March 2023.
Researchers discovered that the stray dogs possessed several genomic locations – the positions of genes within chromosomes – that differed from the rest of the genome.
It was noted that 52 genes ‘could be associated with exposure to the contamination of the environment at the Nuclear Power Plant’.
The study suggests that the contamination may have led to mutations in the dogs – likely descendants of those left behind post-evacuation – helping them adapt to their surroundings.
This research is part of broader studies examining the site and the potential for animals and humans to safely return in the future.
Earlier this year, scientists found that wolves in the zone exhibited resilience to radiation, which is known to cause various cancers.
In March, experts visited Chernobyl to study nematodes, small worms residing in the soil.
Despite the high radiation levels, the genomes of these worms remained unaffected.
Dr Sophia Tintor, the lead author of the study, remarked: “Chernobyl was a tragedy of incomprehensible scale, but we still don’t have a great grasp on the effects of the disaster on local populations.
“Did the sudden environmental shift select for species, or even individuals within a species, that are naturally more resistant to ionizing radiation?”
