The biologists theorize that the frogs experienced a beneficial mutation in melanin-pigments responsible for skin color-that helped ionize the surrounding radiation. 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. Scientists have been analyzing certain animals living within the CEZ for years, including bacteria, rodents, and even birds. The practice of purposefully irradiating seeds in outer space to induce advantageous mutations, for example, is now a well-worn method for developing crops well-suited for a warming world.
The idea of radiation speeding up natural evolution isn’t a new one.
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.
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. Nearly four decades later, the Chernobyl Power Plant and many parts of the surrounding area remain uninhabited-by humans, at least.Īnimals of all kinds have thrived in humanity’s absence. 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. 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. Are Chernobyl Dogs Experiencing Rapid Evolution? Sean Gallup - Getty Imagesįor 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.Ī new 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.
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