Wolves Exposed to Chernobyl Disaster Have Genetically Modified Immune Systems; Mutant Canines Show Resilience to Cancer

The Chernobyl disaster caused a mutation among the wolves and dogs exposed to it. The Nuclear Power Plant explosion in 1986 sparked a surprising evolution that could help find a cure for cancer.

Mutant Wolves From Chernobyl Disaster

Due to the extremely high radiation levels, people have been evacuated from Chernobyl and the surrounding areas ever since the power plant disaster in 1986.

Since there are no humans in the Chernobyl Evacuation Zone (CEZ), which has radiation levels of 11.28 millirem, six times more than what is permitted for worker exposure, wildlife has started to thrive in the area.

Bison and grizzly bears amble among the trees while foxes and lynxes creep through the long grass. The region is home to more than 200 species of birds, including boar, elk, deer, and raccoons.

Mutant wolves exploring the Chernobyl wastes developed new superpowers that could help save human lives. Researchers discovered that the immune systems of the animals living in the Chernobyl Evacuation Zone (CEZ) had been genetically modified to exhibit resistance to cancer.

Evolutionary scientist Cara Love of Princeton University and her study team set out in 2014 to find out how animals withstand radiation that causes cancer. Love and her team collected blood samples to track the wolves' movements and radiation exposure levels in real-time. They fitted them with GPS collars equipped with radiation dosimeters.

"We get real-time measurements of where they are and how much [radiation] they are exposed to," Love said.

The researchers analyzed the genetic distinctions between the DNA of mutant wolves living within and outside of the 1,000-square-mile CEZ. The findings demonstrated that despite regular exposure to potentially fatal radiation dosages, the wolves seemed extraordinarily resistant to its effects.

Numerous cancer-linked genes were found to have new mutations during analysis, indicating that they had developed as a defense against radiation.

Experts hope this discovery may make finding human variations that lower cancer risk easier.

ALSO READ: Chernobyl Vs. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plants: Why the Latter is Safer and Doesn't Spread Too Much Radiation?

Chernobyl Dogs Are Genetically Distinct

Between 2017 and 2019, scientists made a follow-up visit to see how the remaining dog occupants were doing. Approximately 200 free-breeding dogs from various regions of Ukraine and other countries were surveyed for DNA.

Most of them were residents of the facility, the neighboring train station, or about a nine-kilometer distance, mostly deserted Chernobyl City. There were more of them in Slavutych, and their radiation exposure was lower.

Dogs differ genetically from other puppies, according to experts from the National Human Genome Research Institute and the University of South Carolina. They could be divided into three groups based on genetic similarity.

Each of us is unique due to genetic variance, claims Your Genome. One's skin tone, hair color, and even facial structure are determined by variations in the DNA sequences found in each genome. This also holds for animals.

The study's goal is to look at how radiation affected the DNA of the Chernobyl dog. A geneticist and study author, Dr. Elaine Ostrander, stated that the discovery would provide the foundation for addressing multigenerational survival in harsh conditions.

At first, they believed the dogs might have mixed over time and become very similar. The outcomes took Ostrander and her colleagues by surprise.

RELATED ARTICLE: What Happens if Russia Bombs Ukraine's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant? Experts Explain Radioactive Risks

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