Chernobyl dogs have genes adapted to 'end of the world'
RTÉ News · RTÉ News ·
Although the landscape around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant may seem apocalyptic, dog packs have managed to inhabit it. Scientists have now described how these animals have coped and how it is reflected in their genes.
Although the landscape around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant may seem apocalyptic, dog packs have managed to inhabit it. Scientists have now described how these animals have coped and how it is reflected in their genes.
After the tragic explosion and the largest nuclear disaster in history at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, many living creatures, including dogs, remained on site. Over the decades, during which animals have lived here without humans, but under conditions of higher radiation and massive contamination, they have begun to adapt to this new world. A new study, published in the journal Genes, has now described how dogs have managed this and how they have changed.
Researchers have long been interested in Chernobyl dogs. Experts have noted that they have divided into two populations in the enclosed area, with each evolving somewhat differently. The "more normal" population lives in the city of Chernobyl and is genetically quite similar to other dog populations in Russia or Belarus. In contrast, the dogs living directly in the nuclear power plant or its immediate surroundings are genetically quite different. They have managed to develop mechanisms that can repair their DNA.
Read the full story at RTÉ News · All coverage of this story