Dogs living near the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site 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), and found two different populations that were genetically distinct from other dogs in the surrounding 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 dogs developed their genetic superpower could help better understand the health impacts of living in a highly toxic environment with multiple environmental hazards, not only on dogs but also on humans.
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear meltdown that occurred in northern Ukraine.
It began on April 26 with the explosion of one of the plant’s reactors and caused the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history.
After the tragic event, humans were evacuated from Chernobyl and its surroundings to avoid extreme levels of radiation. From then on, the place was called the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ZEC).
Their absence allowed wildlife to flourish and thrive in the ECZ, which contains 11.28 millirem of radiation, six times the amount of exposure allowed for human workers.
Researchers discovered 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 managed to survive there for years, and now scientists know why.
There are an estimated 900 stray dogs living in the ZEC, 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 hostile environment impacted dogs’ genetics, as disasters that pollute or destroy habitat can force life wild to adapt to adverse environmental changes.
He and his colleagues collected blood samples from 116 “semi-feral” 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 conducted 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 populations of dogs managed to survive in that highly toxic environment,” Kleiman said in a statement.
‘In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs. . . We took 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 unique genetic makeup of stray dogs suggests that they have adapted to survive prolonged exposure to radiation, heavy metals and pollution.
There are an estimated 900 stray dogs living in the ZEC, 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 show extremely divergent behavior or patterns of variation from the rest of the genome.
They then identified 52 genes associated with these atypical loci that “could be associated with exposure to environmental pollution at the Nuclear Power Plant,” the study states.
In other words, the dogs’ polluted environment caused them to develop genetic mutations that were passed down from generation to generation, ultimately fueling their adaptation to the harsh conditions.
But these stray animals are not the only CEZ animals that have developed genetic superpowers.
In January, a team of researchers presented findings suggesting that mutant wolves living in this toxic habitat are exceptionally resistant to radiation exposure.
And in May, scientists studying mutant black-skinned eastern tree frogs living near the site found that they live as long as their non-mutant green counterparts.
In January, a team of researchers presented findings suggesting that mutant wolves living in this toxic habitat are exceptionally resistant to exposure to cancer-causing radiation.
And in May, scientists studying mutant black-skinned eastern tree frogs living near the site discovered that they live as long as their non-mutant green counterparts.
This could mean that the exclusion zone becomes suitable for human habitation again.
Kleiman hopes that his research and future studies of ZEC stray canine populations will help scientists understand the genetic effects of long-term exposures to both radiation and nonradioactive toxic exposures.
“Examining the genetic and health impacts of these chronic exposures in dogs will strengthen our broader understanding of how these types of environmental hazards can affect humans and how best to mitigate health risks,” he said.