Mutations chernobyl aftermath9/11/2023 Scientists said the research could tell us if exposure to radiation changes the genomes of large mammals at a rapid rate. To do this, they will look for differences in the DNA of the dogs living in separate areas of Chernobyl, as well as those that have not been exposed to radiation at all.ĭr Ostrander said: 'We can compare them and we can say: OK, what's different, what's changed, what's mutated, what's evolved, what helps you, what hurts you at the DNA level?' The fact that the populations have remained so isolated means that they 'provide an incredible tool to look at the impacts of this kind of a setting' on mammals overall, according to co-author Dr Tim Mousseau. Pictured: Differences in breed ancestry between Chernobyl populations The 15 families of the three Chernobyl populations were unique compared to free-breeding dogs that live elsewhere in the world, but they also do breed with each other. Inbreeding may also have been promoted in the individual regions as they are so cut off from each other, leading to them developing genetic distinctiveness. Individuals in each population may just have possessed genetic mutations that allowed for them to survive and breed. It is still unclear if the three populations have evolved because of different levels of direct exposure. These families were unique compared to free-breeding dogs that live elsewhere in the world, but they also do breed with each other. 'And what's surprising is we can even identify families' - about 15 different ones.' 'That was a huge milestone for us,' said Dr Ostrander. This surprised the researchers, as they thought the dogs might have intermingled so much over time that they'd be much the same. Genome analysis, published in Science Advances, revealed that the three dog populations living in and around Chernobyl were genetically distinct. Pictured: A dog is seen near the New Safe Confinement shelter, built in 2016 to seal in some of the most dangerous waste material in the world for 100 years Geneticist and study author Dr Elaine Ostrander said: 'We've had this golden opportunity' to lay the groundwork for answering a crucial question: "How do you survive in a hostile environment like this for 15 generations?"' Through comparison, they are hoping to probe the effects of the radioactive material on the Chernobyl dogs' DNA, or lack thereof. The researchers also collected DNA from about 200 free-breeding dogs from other parts of Ukraine and global countries. The majority either lived inside the plant itself, the nearby railway station or in the largely-abandoned Chernobyl City about nine miles (15 km) away.Ī handful lived in Slavutych, and were less exposed to radiation. Squads were sent in to kill them to prevent them spreading radioactive contamination, but some managed to evade death by hiding in the woods.īetween 20, scientists went back to visit the remaining canine residents, which have somehow been able to find food, breed and survive. They were only permitted to take what they could carry, meaning they had to leave their beloved pets behind. More than 160,000 residents of the town and surrounding areas had to be evacuated, leaving the former Soviet site as a radioactive ghost town. Thirty workers were killed in the immediate aftermath while the long-term death toll from radiation poisoning is estimated to eventually number in the thousands. On April 26 1986, one of the reactors at a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat caught fire and exploded, spreading radioactive material into the surroundings. They say that the populations could increase 'understanding the biological underpinnings of animals and, ultimately, human survival in regions of high and continuous environmental assault.' As these groups exist at different distances from the site of the explosion, the scientists could determine a dog's level of radiation exposure from its DNA.
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