Chernobyl is spawning MUTANT frogs: Bizarre black amphibians are spotted near the nuclear plant

Australia
By William

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Mutant black frogs spawn near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 36 years after the catastrophic meltdown unleashed one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.

Oriental tree frogs are meant to have bright green skin, but scientists working near Chernobyl have found many with darker or black pigmentation.

In 1986, the site in northern Ukraine – then under Soviet rule – witnessed the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history.

Now scientists think the darker skin of the mutated frogs helped them survive in the Exclusion Zone, which today limits access to 10,000 square miles around Ground Zero.

Oriental tree frogs are meant to have bright green skin, but scientists working near Chernobyl have found many with darker or black pigmentation

Oriental tree frogs are meant to have bright green skin, but scientists working near Chernobyl have found many with darker or black pigmentation

In 1986, the site in Northern Ukraine – then under Soviet rule – witnessed the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history

In 1986, the site in Northern Ukraine – then under Soviet rule – witnessed the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history

In 1986, the site in Northern Ukraine – then under Soviet rule – witnessed the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history

Crops growing 30 miles outside Chernobyl are still contaminated with dangerous amounts of strontium

Crops grown near Chernobyl are still contaminated, more than three decades after the worst nuclear disaster in history.

Nearly half of the grain analyzed by scientists in Ivankiv, about 50 kilometers from the power plant, showed levels of strontium 90 well above recommended levels.

It was also present at unsafe levels in firewood and wood ash used to fertilize crops.

The Ukrainian government stopped testing goods for strontium 90 in 2013.

A radioactive isotope, it collects in the teeth, bones and marrow like calcium and can cause numerous types of cancer.

GermΓ‘n Orizaola, a researcher at the Spanish University of Oviedo who co-authored the new study, said: “We became aware of these frogs the very first night we worked in Chernobyl.

‘We were looking for this species near the damaged power plant and we found many frogs that were just black.

‘We know that melanin is responsible for dark or black discoloration in many organisms, including frogs.

‘At the same time, we know that melanin protects against damage caused by different types of radiation, from UV to ionizing radiation, such as in Chernobyl.’

For their study, Dr. Orizaola and his co-author, Pablo Burraco, studied more than 200 male frogs from 12 different breeding ponds with varying levels of radiation.

They found that frogs inside the exclusion zone were much darker than those outside.

And while there was no correlation between the darkest frogs and the most irradiated places today, there was a correlation with the worst-affected places from the time of the accident.

In other words, the dark frogs would have had a better chance of survival when disaster struck in 1986, making them more numerous today.

dr. Orizaola said: ‘In this species, it is possible under normal conditions to find a small percentage of frogs of unusual color.

For their study, Dr. Orizaola and his co-author, Pablo Burraco, studied more than 200 male frogs from 12 different breeding ponds with varying levels of radiation.

For their study, Dr. Orizaola and his co-author, Pablo Burraco, studied more than 200 male frogs from 12 different breeding ponds with varying levels of radiation.

For their study, Dr. Orizaola and his co-author, Pablo Burraco, studied more than 200 male frogs from 12 different breeding ponds with varying levels of radiation.

On April 26, 1986, a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, dispersing radioactive material into the surrounding area.

On April 26, 1986, a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, dispersing radioactive material into the surrounding area.

On April 26, 1986, a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, dispersing radioactive material into the surrounding area.

‘This small percentage would have benefited from the protection of melanin, especially at the time of the accident, when radiation levels were much higher and the diversity of radioisotopes was greater.

β€œIn this scenario, they should have survived and reproduced better than the normal green frogs.

β€œOver time – 10 to 12 generations of frogs have passed since the accident – ​​this would have resulted in these black frogs being predominant within the exclusion zone.”

But with radiation levels much lower, the jury is out on whether the black frogs will continue to dominate.

With radiation levels much lower today, the jury is out on whether the black frogs will continue to dominate

With radiation levels much lower today, the jury is out on whether the black frogs will continue to dominate

With radiation levels much lower today, the jury is out on whether the black frogs will continue to dominate

dr. Orizaola said: ‘Because melanin’s protective role isn’t as crucial right now, with much lower levels of radiation, they can fade.

‘However, our research also shows that the maintenance of this black coloration does not appear to be very expensive – for example, there is no increase in oxidative stress levels.

“So it can last.”

On April 26, 1986, a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, scattering radioactive material into the surrounding area.

More than 160,000 residents of the city and surrounding areas had to be evacuated and unable to return, leaving the former Soviet site as a radioactive ghost town.

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE NUCLEAR NUCLEAR DISASTER IN 1986?

On April 26, 1986, a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, scattering radioactive material into the surrounding area.

More than 160,000 residents of the city and surrounding areas had to be evacuated and unable to return, leaving the former Soviet site as a radioactive ghost town.

Last year, NASA scientists sent eight fungal species from the Chernobyl exclusion zone (pictured in red) into space where they were placed aboard the International Space Station.

Last year, NASA scientists sent eight fungal species from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (pictured in red) into space where they were placed aboard the International Space Station.

A map of the Chernobyl exclusion zone is pictured above. The ‘ghost town’ of Pripyat is near the site of the disaster

The exclusion zone, which covers a significant area in Ukraine and part of neighboring Belarus, will remain in effect for generations to come, until radiation levels drop to safe enough levels.

The area is called a “dead zone” because of the extensive radiation that persists.

However, the proliferation of wildlife in the area contradicts this and many argue that the region should be surrendered to the animals that have settled in the area – creating a radioactive protected nature reserve.

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