Scientists Look for Genetic Effects of Radiation In Chernobyl's Stray Dogs (nytimes.com) 28
The New York Times reports:
After the disaster at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986, local residents were forced to permanently evacuate, leaving behind their homes and, in some cases, their pets. Concerned that these abandoned animals might spread disease or contaminate humans, officials tried to exterminate them.
And yet, a population of dogs somehow endured. They found fellowship with Chernobyl cleanup crews, and the power plant workers who remained in the area sometimes gave them food. (In recent years, adventurous tourists have dispensed handouts, too.) Today, hundreds of free-ranging dogs live in the area around the site of the disaster, known as the exclusion zone. They roam through the abandoned city of Pripyat and bed down in the highly contaminated Semikhody train station.
Now, scientists have conducted the first deep dive into the animals' DNA. The dogs of Chernobyl are genetically distinct, different from purebred canines as well as other groups of free-breeding dogs, the scientists reported Friday in Science Advances. It remains too soon to say whether, or how, the radioactive environment has contributed to the unique genetic profiles of the dogs of Chernobyl, the scientists said. But the study is the first step in an effort to understand not only how long-term radiation exposure has affected the dogs but also what it takes to survive an environmental catastrophe.
"Do they have mutations that they've acquired that allow them to live and breed successfully in this region?" said Elaine Ostrander, a dog genomics expert at the National Human Genome Research Institute and a senior author of the study. "What challenges do they face and how have they coped genetically?"
And yet, a population of dogs somehow endured. They found fellowship with Chernobyl cleanup crews, and the power plant workers who remained in the area sometimes gave them food. (In recent years, adventurous tourists have dispensed handouts, too.) Today, hundreds of free-ranging dogs live in the area around the site of the disaster, known as the exclusion zone. They roam through the abandoned city of Pripyat and bed down in the highly contaminated Semikhody train station.
Now, scientists have conducted the first deep dive into the animals' DNA. The dogs of Chernobyl are genetically distinct, different from purebred canines as well as other groups of free-breeding dogs, the scientists reported Friday in Science Advances. It remains too soon to say whether, or how, the radioactive environment has contributed to the unique genetic profiles of the dogs of Chernobyl, the scientists said. But the study is the first step in an effort to understand not only how long-term radiation exposure has affected the dogs but also what it takes to survive an environmental catastrophe.
"Do they have mutations that they've acquired that allow them to live and breed successfully in this region?" said Elaine Ostrander, a dog genomics expert at the National Human Genome Research Institute and a senior author of the study. "What challenges do they face and how have they coped genetically?"
Re: Safe? (Score:3)
Re:Safe? (Score:5, Informative)
I thought there was a war there, or something?
For those not following the war, the Russians did invade Chernobyl back in February last year, but retreated from Northern Ukraine at the end of March, after they failed to take Kyiv.
Re: (Score:1)
I bet those Russians have conveniently melted since spending that month in radioactive trenches. Now we can't ask how they came to be such military geniuses. A pity...
Re: Safe? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Well yes, I mean, trenches don't dig themselves, as I'm sure their CO reminded them. I'm sure that was a comforting thought as they lay there melting in their final days.
Perhaps they should've mandated the use of some sort of facial/respiratory protection? lol. Or perhaps stealing everything that isn't nailed down isn't the way to go? Namely radioactive artifacts...
Articulate that in your pipe and combust vigorously.
Re: Safe? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
Yes yes, a wee little dramatic over-exaggeration perhaps. Those deaths were still no less than absolutely horrific I expect, and they did take items that were 'hot' enough to kill them beyond playing in the dirt for a month, so yeah... Semantics. Of course, we'll never hear any of the truth beyond what the morons did in full view of the public. Like they never existed, perfect forgiveness.
Re: Safe? (Score:1)
over-exaggeration
It's hopeless.
Re: (Score:3)
they dug trenches in the red zone and slept there for days and weeks. Then effects showed and they left the NPP in a hurry. Stole a number of highly radioactive samples though.
Re:Safe? (Score:4, Informative)
I thought there was a war there, or something?
For those not following the war, the Russians did invade Chernobyl back in February last year, but retreated from Northern Ukraine at the end of March, after they failed to take Kyiv.
More relevant than that they were instructed to dig trenches in still highly radioactive soil and sleep there without protection [businessinsider.com].
A bunch of the soldiers were eventually sent back to Belarus for treatment for radiation poisoning. Of course we don't know what happened beyond that, they might have been seriously ill, the symptoms might have been psychosomatic, and/or they might feel fine but still get terrible cancer in a few years.
Re: (Score:2)
they might have been seriously ill, the symptoms might have been psychosomatic, and/or they might feel fine but still get terrible cancer in a few years.
Even with the dirt kicked up, background radiation levels are far too low to cause acute radiation sickness (radiation poisoning).
The concern was over inhaling dust particles. It only takes a microscopic amount of caesium-137 or strontium 90 to cause cancer over time.
However, the risk is not clear. Most observed cancer increase following the Chernobyl disaster was from thyroid cancer, caused by iodine-131, which has long since decayed.
Excess leukaemia rates in liquidators were observed, but much lower expe
Re: (Score:2)
More relevant than that they were instructed to dig trenches in still highly radioactive soil and sleep there without protection
Even this area is not radioactive enough to give acute radiation sickness. The levels there are 20-50 mR per hour (that's more than 1000 times the normal level, btw). You need around 100 R to get mild acute radiation sickness, and this works out to at least 2000 hours of continuous exposure.
A couple of soldiers might have gotten unlucky and swallowed hot particles (fuel or graphite pieces), but there's no way it could have happened to the reported dozens of people.
What's more likely, soldiers suddenly "
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Safe? (Score:4, Informative)
From the paper:
In 2017 to 2019, three clinics providing veterinary care for free-roaming dogs in and around the CEZ were established strategically to sample the greatest geographic diversity of dogs. During this period, blood samples from 302 dogs were obtained and preserved for subsequent studies, including those herein.
It'll be an Off Broadway production (Score:3)
Genetic Effects of Radiation In Chernobyl's Stray Dogs
The original had a snappier title [wikipedia.org] ... :-)
Elephant in the room (Score:4, Funny)
The dogs of Chernobyl are genetically distinct, different from purebred canines as well as other groups of free-breeding dogs
That's certainly an understatement, given that the article fails to mention that these dogs each stand as tall as a 10-story building.
Re: Elephant in the room (Score:2)
That would make for one hell of a guard dog
Re: (Score:2)
...these dogs each stand as tall as a 10-story building.
....and shoot lasers from their eyes...
Re: (Score:3)
The dogs of Chernobyl are genetically distinct, different from purebred canines as well as other groups of free-breeding dogs
That's certainly an understatement, given that the article fails to mention that these dogs each stand as tall as a 10-story building.
This sub breed is less well studied due to some unfortunate incidents involving the research teams.
It seems like the dogs still have a strong instinct to bond with humans and upon sighting the researchers they quickly establish a psychic link that unfortunately transforms the researchers into mindless drones chanting about the return of the "old ones".
Here boy! (Score:2)
Here boy.... Come Cerberus, come on boy. Your a good boy Cerberus!
Dogs of war (Score:2)
You Thought He Was American (Score:2)
Un-der-dog!
But watch out. This mutant is coming for your Polly Purebread.
Or maybe the story is more like Tarzan...
Do they want Rampage Ralph? (Score:1)
What did the nuclear scare movement mutate into? (Score:4, Interesting)
We know about the dogs left behind at Chernobyl who are fine (and thus must be mutants) and the people who stayed behind who aged into senior years (https://web.archive.org/web/20230118153659/https://chernobylx.com/those-who-returned-chernobyl-babushkas/) Who also must be mutants. But why are we so afraid of nuclear zones if all they make us do is mutate into a form that can handle the radiation?
It couldn't possibly be that the real mutants are the messaging arm of an energy industry that works to radically overstate the risk of it's competitors like nuclear while radically understating it's own risks?
Re: (Score:2)
Cerberus got three heads. The anti nuclear movement mutated to have zero, thereby maintaining the preexisting average distribution of heads per life form.