The Dogs of Chernobyl Are Experiencing Rapid Evolution, Study Suggests
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Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded on April 26, 1986, sending a massive plume of radiation into the sky. Nearly four decades later, the Chernobyl Power Plant and many parts of the surrounding area remain uninhabited. Living among radiation-resistant fauna are thousands of feral dogs, many of whom are descendants of pets left behind in the speedy evacuation of the area. A study analyzed the DNA of 302 feral dogs living near the power plant, compared the animals to others living 10 miles away, and found remarkable differences. While the study doesn’t prove that radiation is the cause of these differences, the data provides an important first step in analyzing these irradiated populations, and understanding how they compare to dogs living elsewhere. Despite a current lack of firm conclusions, the study has shown once again that an area that—by all rights—should be a wasteland has become an unparalleled scientific opportunity to understand radiation and its impact on natural evolution.
For decades, scientists have studied animals living in or near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to see how increased levels of radiation affect their health, growth, and evolution.
A study analyzed the DNA of 302 feral dogs living near the power plant, compared the animals to others living 10 miles away, and found remarkable differences.
While the study doesn’t prove that radiation is the cause of these differences, the data provides an important first step in analyzing these irradiated populations, and understanding how they compare to dogs living elsewhere.
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor in northern Ukraine—then part of the Soviet Union—exploded, sending a massive plume of radiation into the sky. Nearly four decades later, the Chernobyl Power Plant and many parts of the surrounding area remain uninhabited—by humans, at least.
Animals of all kinds have thrived in humanity’s absence. Living among radiation-resistant fauna are thousands of feral dogs, many of whom are descendants of pets left behind in the speedy evacuation of the area so many years ago. As the world’s greatest nuclear disaster approaches its 40th anniversary, biologists are now taking a closer look at the animals located inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), which is about the size of Yosemite National Park, and investigating how decades of radiation exposure may have altered animals’ genomes—and even, possibly, sped up evolution.
Scientists from the University of South Carolina and the National Human Genome Research Institute have begun examining the DNA of 302 feral dogs found in or around the CEZ to better understand how radiation may have altered their genomes. Their results were published in the journal Science Advances.
“Do they have mutations that they’ve acquired that allow them to live and breed successfully in this region?” co-author Elaine Ostrander, a dog genomics expert at the National Human Genome Research Institute, told The New York Times. “What challenges do they face and how have they coped genetically?”
The idea of radiation speeding up natural evolution isn’t a new one. The practice of purposefully irradiating seeds in outer space to induce advantageous mutations, for example, is now a well-worn method for developing crops that are well-suited for a warming world.
Scientists have been analyzing certain animals living within the CEZ for years, including bacteria, rodents, and even birds. One study back in 2016 found that Eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis), which are usually a green color, were more commonly black within the CEZ. The biologists theorize that the frogs experienced a beneficial mutation in melanin—pigments responsible for skin color—that helped dissipate and neutralize some of the surrounding radiation.
This made scientists ponder: could something similar be happening to Chernobyl’s wild dogs?
The study uncovered that the feral dogs living near the Chernobyl Power Plant showed distinct genetic differences from dogs living only some 10 miles away in nearby Chernobyl City. While this may seem to heavily imply that these dogs have undergone some type of rapid mutation or evolution due to radiation exposure, this study is only a first step in proving that hypothesis.
One environmental scientist, speaking with Science News, says that these studies can be tricky business, largely due to the fact that sussing out radiation-induced mutations from other effects, like inbreeding, is incredibly difficult.
However, this study provides a template for further investigation into the effects of radiation on larger mammals, as the DNA of dogs roaming the Chernobyl Power Plant and nearby Chernobyl City can be compared to dogs living in non-irradiated areas. Despite a current lack of firm conclusions, the study has shown once again that an area that—by all rights—should be a wasteland has become an unparalleled scientific opportunity to understand radiation and its impact on natural evolution.
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Scientists search breakthrough on how dogs of Chernobyl survived the world’s worst nuclear disaster
Scientists are analysing the impact of the world’s worst nuclear disaster 36 years ago on semi-feral canines that roam the decaying buildings of the power plant and the surrounding radioactive Red Forest. Researchers say humans can learn from the resilience of the 500 stray dogs whose numbers have increased in the 36 years after the cataclysmic accident and Soviet coverup. The packs are thought to be descendants of dogs left behind by families during the chaotic evacuation. Despite sharing breed makeups with German shepherds and being separated by only ten miles, the free-breeding dog populations were found to be reproducing independently of each other. Future studies will reveal the genetic effects of exposure to radiation and observe adverse health effects of other nuclear or environmental disasters on both animals and humans.
Scientists are analysing the impact of the world’s worst nuclear disaster 36 years ago on semi-feral canines that roam the decaying, abandoned buildings of the power plant and the surrounding radioactive Red Forest.
Miraculously, the wild dogs are still able to breed and endure extreme winters while relying on scraps from tourists who are warned not to touch them.
Many of the dogs form packs for protection, while some have surprisingly bonded with humans (Getty)
Researchers say humans can learn from the resilience of the 500 stray dogs whose numbers have increased in the 36 years after the cataclysmic accident and Soviet coverup.
On April 26, 1986, an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine caused radioactive fallout to spew into the atmosphere. Thirty workers were killed while the long-term death toll from radiation poisoning is estimated to number in the thousands.
The packs are thought to be descendants of dogs left behind by families during the chaotic evacuation. They are thought to have survived attempts by Soviet soldiers to shoot the animals to prevent the spread of radiation.
“Somehow, two small populations of dogs managed to survive in that highly toxic environment,” head researcher Dr Norman Kleiman said.
Blood samples were collected from the semi-feral dogs captured around the power plant and another pack operating in nearby Chernobyl City.
Stray dogs have survived radiation and attempts by Soviet soldiers to kill them (Getty Images)
Despite sharing breed makeups with German shepherds and being separated by only ten miles, the free-breeding dog populations were found to be reproducing independently of each other.
By analysing the dogs’ DNA, the team identified 391 outlier regions in their genomes that differed between the two groups with some pointing to genetic repair after exposures similar to Chernobyl.
Scientists maintain there is still work to be done to evaluate how decades of radiation exposure may have altered animals’ genomes—and even, possibly, sped up evolution.
They hope future studies will reveal the genetic effects of exposure to radiation and observe adverse health effects of other nuclear or environmental disasters on both animals and humans.
All 61 of the Nuclear Power Plant dogs and 52 of the Chernobyl City dogs were identified as being at least 10% German Shepherd (AP)
According to Dr Matthew Breen from NC State: “The overarching question here is: does an environmental disaster of this magnitude have a genetic impact on life in the region?
“By teasing out whether or not the genetic changes we detected in these dogs are the canine genome’s response to the exposures the populations have faced, we may be able to understand how the dogs survived in such a hostile environment and what that might mean for any population — animal or human — that experiences similar exposures.”
The former Energetika cultural centre stands in the abandoned city of Pripyat near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. (Getty Images)
Swedish authorities were the first to detect radioactive fallout in Europe, forcing Soviet officials, who had attempted to cover up the disaster, to open up about it days later.
In 2017, a state veterinary agency in the Czech Republic said about half of all wild boars in the country’s southwest were radioactive and considered unsafe for consumption. The boars feed on an underground mushroom that absorbs radioactivity from the soil. Similar problems with radioactive wild animals were reported in Austria and Germany.
The full study on the Chernobyl dogs was published in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics.