It's been over three decades since the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, and while the area remains unsafe for humans to return for long term inhabitation, the wildlife has remained and undergone its own changes in that time. While many might image that sort of radiation would result in bizarre mutations like two-headed deer or giant insects, could the aftermath of such an event actually be positive for the plants and animals that remained? Kyle ventures into the Exclusion Zone to take a closer look in this week's Because Science!
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Learn More:
Radiation-induced Effects On Plants And Animals: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5799205_Radiation-induced_effects_on_plants_and_animals_findings_of_the_United_Nations_Chernobyl_Forum
Long-term Census Data Reveal Abundant Wildlife Populations At Chernobyl: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00988-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982215009884%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Wildlife: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21608117
A Look At The Impacts Of Radioactive Contaminants On Chernobyl’s Wildlife: https://thebulletin.org/2011/03/landscape-portrait-a-look-at-the-impacts-of-radioactive-contaminants-on-chernobyls-wildlife/
Thirty Years After The Chernobyl Accident: What Lessons Have We Learnt? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X16300261 Chernobyl And Fukushima: Differences And Similarities, A Biological Perspective: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283086889_Chernobyl_and_Fukushima_Differences_and_Similarities_A_Biological_Perspective The Animals Of Chernobyl And Fukushima: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315848003_The_Animals_of_Chernobyl_and_Fukushima
Grasshoppers’ Adaptation To Elevated Radioactivity In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315551167_Grasshoppers'_adaptation_to_elevated_radioactivity_in_the_Chernobyl_exclusion_zone