Dogs living near the Chernobyl nuclear disaster have mutated to develop a new superpower: they are immune to radiation, heavy metals and pollution.
Scientists collected blood samples from 116 stray dogs living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), finding two distinct populations that were both genetically distinct from other dogs in the area.
This suggests that they have adapted to withstand prolonged exposure to this toxic environment, and would explain why they have continued to thrive in the wasteland.
Understanding how the dogs developed their genetic superpower can help us better understand the health effects of living in a highly toxic environment with multiple environmental hazards, not only in dogs but also in humans.
The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 was a nuclear meltdown in northern Ukraine.
It started on April 26 with the explosion of one of the power plant’s reactors and led to the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history.
After the tragic event, people were evacuated from Chernobyl and surrounding areas to avoid the extreme radiation levels. From then on, the location was known as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ).
Their absence allowed wildlife to flourish and thrive in the CEZ, which contains 11.28 millirems of radiation – six times the allowable exposure amount for human workers.
Researchers found that two small populations of dogs living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are genetically distinct from those in the surrounding area
The site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is a radioactive wasteland. But somehow stray dogs have been able to survive there for years, and now scientists know why.
There are an estimated 900 stray dogs living in the CEZ, and many of them are likely descendants of pets left behind after the mass evacuation of Chernobyl residents.
Norman J. Kleiman, an environmental health scientist at Columbia University, led a team of researchers to investigate how living in this harsh environment affected the dogs’ genetics, since disasters that pollute or destroy habitat can force wildlife to adapt adapt to adverse environmental changes.
He and his colleagues collected blood samples from 116 “semi-wild” dogs, which were humanely captured around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and 10 miles away in the city of Chernobyl.
These samples were taken during sterilization and vaccination procedures carried out by the Clean Futures Fund Dogs of Chernobyl program in 2018 and 2019.
The blood samples were then transported to the US for DNA extraction and analysis, which revealed the dogs’ unique genetic makeup.
“Somehow, two small dog populations managed to survive in that highly toxic environment,” Kleiman said in a statement.
‘In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs. . . we have taken the first steps to understand how chronic exposure to multiple environmental hazards may have affected these populations.”
He and his colleagues published their findings in the journal Canine medicine and genetics in March 2023.
The strays’ unique genetic makeup suggests they have adapted to survive long-term exposure to radiation, heavy metals and pollution
There are an estimated 900 stray dogs living in the CEZ, and many of them are likely descendants of pets left behind after the mass evacuation of Chernobyl residents
Specifically, the researchers found nearly 400 “outlier loci,” or genomic locations that exhibit behavior or patterns of variation that are extremely different from the rest of the genome.
They then identified 52 genes associated with these outliers that “could be associated with exposure to nuclear power plant environmental contamination,” the study said.
In other words, the dogs’ polluted environment caused them to develop genetic mutations that were passed down from generation to generation, ultimately driving their adaptation to the harsh conditions.
But these strays aren’t the only CEZ animals found to have developed genetic superpowers.
In January, a team of researchers presented findings indicating that mutated wolves living in this toxic habitat are uniquely resistant to radiation exposure
And in May, scientists studying Eastern tree frogs with mutated black skin living near the site found that they live as long as their green, non-mutant counterparts.
In January, a team of researchers presented findings indicating that mutated wolves living in this toxic habitat are uniquely resistant to exposure to cancer-causing radiation.
And in May, scientists studying Eastern tree frogs with mutated black skin living near the site found that they live as long as their green, non-mutant counterparts.
This could mean that the exclusion zone is suitable for human habitation again.
Kleiman hopes that his research, and future studies of stray dog populations in the CEZ, will help scientists understand the genetic effects of long-term exposure to both radiation and non-radiation toxic exposure.
“Examining the genetic and health effects of this chronic exposure in dogs will strengthen our broader understanding of how these types of environmental hazards can affect people and how best to limit health risks,” he said.