Study shows DNA of dogs inhabiting Chernobyl changed after nuclear disaster

nuclear accident Chernobyl It has been celebrated as one of the greatest tragedies that happened in the history of mankind and it is fully demonstrated with all the consequences that it had and that are still being revealed almost 4 decades after it happened. In the most recent case, we are talking about wild dogs living in the exclusion zone, which have undergone unique mutations in their genetic code due to radiation.

In 2017, scientists from University of South Carolina and other recruits started Dog of the Chernobyl Research Initiativeproject, the purpose of which was to study dogs living in areas close to Chernobyl. The study took the opportunity to obtain blood samples from wild dogs in these locations to analyze their DNA, and will finally publish the results this month in the journal. Scientific achievements.

What happened to the dogs living near Chernobyl?

According to what the researchers say, they noticed that wild dog litters in an area affected by a nuclear accident would increase in size in summer and decrease in winter due to lack of resources. For this reason, all of these dogs have completed all the necessary medical examinations, vaccinations, and neuter/castration to proceed with the evaluation.

When scientists compared the genetics of wild dogs from Chernobyl with that of other dogs from other parts of the world, they found a very obvious difference, indicating that these individuals and their descendants managed to survive in the conditions of this area since 1986. Living in this place has changed their DNA and even the dogs of the Exclusion Zone have a lot of differences.

Chernobyl disaster and its impact on dogs

Gabriella Spatolalead author of the study Dog of the Chernobyl Research Initiativementioned to the portal the following contraption: “We found that there are two main dog populations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone; those who live in the industrial areas of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and those who live about 15 kilometers away in a residential area called Chernobyl City. In these two large populations, we found that there were 15 families in total. But we also saw a lot of migration and mixing, and the largest family had dogs in every area we studied. They also have purebred ancestors, especially herding-type breeds.”.

In addition, the researcher added the following: dog population. Chernobyl provides a unique opportunity to study the long-term effects of radiation in a population closely related to humans in natural settings. Nuclear disasters are bound to happen, and the information we can gain by studying the impact they have on local populations will provide key insights into how we can better prepare for the future.”.

It is important to note that while scientists were able to distinguish between wild dog populations, they did not point to radiation as a direct cause of these genetic differences. For now, the study will set a precedent in this case and provide insight into how the radioactive environment can affect animal genomes.

We recommend you METADATA, an RPP technology podcast. News, analytics, reviews, recommendations and everything you need to know about the world of technology.