Welp... No need for mice to test the genetic effects of radiation, dogs beat the scientists to it.
Chernobyl, Ukraine is where numerous families left their precious dogs to roam around and find a new home surrounding the abandoned Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Shortly after the 1986 nuclear explosion, the location was renamed the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, or a better-suited name The Chernobyl Exclusive Dog Zone. After 38 years of offsprings from different breeds, locations, and radiation intake scientists are now proceeding to collect scientific data from this dog park to set the stage for future research.
The real science behind this exclusive dog park is how these once family-owned dogs managed to reproduce, hunt for food and water, and survive through environmental changes for nearly four decades. Personally, I am internally crying if it's below 70°F and I don't have three meals a day, but I'm just a helpless human. As scientists began research they are slowly uncovering the complex family dynamics of both the dogs that live inside the power plant and the dogs that live miles away from the power plant in nearby towns; they uncovered the basic knowledge that long-term radiation exposure can kill the dog. Utilizing these dogs as research collectors with detector radiation collars.
Regardless of the domesticated dogs, farms, and ranches were also left unattended with livestock throughout the years, causing the deformation of their offspring. Livestock animals were inaccessible to vaccines and medication as farms were miles away from the power plant. Radiation exposure to livestock offspring consists of facial malformations, reduction of size, pigment mutation, and overall extinction.
Unfortunately, this dog park is going to stay a dog park until a majority of all radiation is clear from water and air in another twenty thousand years.
Resources:
ThoughtCo. by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D (July 18, 2024)
https://www.thoughtco.com/chernobyl-animal-mutations-4155348
New York Times by Emily Anthes (March 03, 2023)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/science/chernobyl-dogs-dna.html
ScienceAdvance by Gabriella J. Spatola (March 03, 2023)
Wow! This is a really, really interesting study on radiation's impact on genes. I think it's well known now that radiation can cause deformities in offspring, but seeing the picture really puts into perspective how bad those deformities can be. I wonder if there are any types of common deformities among the livestock offspring?
ReplyDeleteThis article, although very interesting, is sad and inspirational. I feel for these pets left behind in such conditions, and am also so proud of how they adapted and survived. The mutations that they have breaks my heart, and I am curious if they have tried to breed one affected by radiation with a dog that has not been affected to see the difference in possible pheno and geno type, whether one is dominant over the other after the exposure.
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