The genomes of dogs living near the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine are markedly different to dogs living further away from the site of the 1986 disaster
A pack of free-roaming dogs that live within the industrial areas of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power PlantDogs living in and around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine are genetically distinct from dog populations living further away from the site of the nuclear accident. The results will be used to try to understand the long-term genetic effects of radiation exposure.
Some pet dogs, however, managed to evade hunters and were fed and cared for by clean-up workers. More than 800 descendants of these dogs are now thought to be living inside and around the defunct nuclear plant.
The researchers compared these genomes with those of more than 200 free-breeding dogs from other parts of Ukraine and 12 nearby countries.A monthly celebration of the biodiversity of our planet’s animals, plants and other organisms.The genomes of the dogs living close to the nuclear plant and in Chernobyl City were both markedly different to those of dogs in Slavutych, other parts of Ukraine and other countries.
“We had to characterise these different populations as the necessary first step in order to do the experiment we want to do next, which is to find out how [the Chernobyl dogs] have survived in this hostile environment of radiation, cold temperatures and limited food,” says Ostrander.
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