Scientists Perplexed By The Rare DNA Of Chernobyl’s Mutant Dogs

Contrary to what is portrayed in movies, mutants are not hydra-headed creatures or zombies that terrify humanity. Mutation happens when the genetic code of your cells is permanently altered by one of many factors. And mutation can happen to any living creature, even man’s best friend.

The possibility of generating electricity from a nuclear reaction became a reality in 1951. For the first time, four electric bulbs connected in series lit up in the Argonne National Laboratory, Lermont, Illinois, United States. 

There have been some devastating accidents in nuclear power plants around the world. Subsequently, stiff regulations have been put in place to ensure the operation of these facilities is done under strictly controlled conditions. 

Initially, laboratories worldwide studying nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and nuclear decay were doing so to deploy them in nuclear warfare. However, the United States’ attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki demonstrated the devastating potential of nuclear weapons. 

It all started on April 26, 1986. A loud explosion was heard from the Chernobyl power plant, and the emergency response and containment team found reactor four on fire.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established in 1990 in response to the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The nuclear exposure of that accident resulted in 30 human fatalities, the highest number of direct fatalities related to nuclear plants. 

There have been several cases of nuclear accidents around the world. However, most accidents in nuclear plants are not reported. This common tactic of non-disclosure is either because the accidents are minor, for good PR, or probably to avoid panic. 

It was discovered that beyond the forced migration of people away from the Chernobyl locality, the wildlife population equally dwindled. The nuclear contamination of the air and widespread poisoning of water bodies by metals must have been responsible for the death of the wildlife local to the Chernobyl woods.

After the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, authorities contained the nuclear facility in safe confinement. Also, the host town of Pripyat — in present-day Ukraine — was abandoned to avoid human exposure to nuclear radiation. 

Despite the severe effects of the environment, these canines have overcome the odds and found a way to survive. Surprisingly, the population of dogs has grown over the years. 

The canine population living around the abandoned Chernobyl plant lives with daily exposure to heavy radiation from nuclear waste. This environment causes irreversible damage to the DNA of these poor creatures. 

High doses of radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents are some of the many factors that might cause gene mutation. Of course, this is the case with Chernobyl.

Nuclear wastes causing genetic mutation have been based on suppositions for a while. However, experts firmly believe nuclear radiation can penetrate the human skin, compromising our cells’ genomic makeup. 

In early 2023, a team of scientists decided to draw solid conclusions on the effects of long-term exposure to nuclear radiation. 

One of these dogs was Prancer, a dog who earned her name through her little joyful dance that accompanies her greetings to the research team. Tim Mousseau, who led the research team, is a biology researcher at the University of South Carolina.

The scientists discovered, during their research, that families of feral dogs living within the Chernobyl facility had the highest level of exposure to radiation. When this group was compared to exactly the same species in Pripyat and Slavutych, considerable variations were found in their genomes.

Research and studies also revealed that the dogs living within Chernobyl have a genetic background that predominantly consists of Boxer and Rottweiler ancestry. In contrast, Slavutych’s canine population revealed something different, with the dogs there showing a higher proportion of Labrador Retriever lineage. 

While it is true that Chernobyl dogs were found to be genetically different, the researchers agreed that the data was insufficient to conclude that radiation was the sole cause of the genetic mutation.

There were volunteer campaigns in and around Chernobyl to evacuate stray dogs. However, some evaded rescue and continued living and breeding in that region. 

The nuclear containment area around the Chernobyl nuclear plant is said to be as large as Yosemite National Park in California. Consequently, there are varieties of animals still roaming the woods there. Some examples are beavers, elk, wild boar, deer, wolves, and bison.

The scientists are equally trying to establish whether the contamination-induced mutation in the first set of stray dogs at Chernobyl was transferred across generations to the present dog population. 

Surprisingly, the effects seen in the Chernobyl dogs and other animals look like those seen in Japan’s atomic bombings survivors during World War II, as highlighted by Mousseau. 

These are some of the questions that our mutant dogs will help us answer. After extensive data has been collated, it will be possible to identify if the genetic modifications are merely ways of adapting to hostile environments. 

Whenever astronauts venture into space, they are exposed to different levels of radiation, though not nuclear. This study on dogs will help researchers to establish the long-term effect of radiation exposure on humans, which is inevitable in space.

Living within Chernobyl, the radiation had some effect on the DNA of these canines. The constant exposure to radiation caused fractions to their DNA. Although their cells try to repair these fractions, the process is prone to errors. Due to this, DNA deletions, spontaneous additions, and haphazard rearrangements become the norm. 

The team of scientists is not relenting yet. They are trying to glean as much insight as possible from the Chernobyl disaster. So, they keep gathering data for various studies to give humans an idea of the implications of carelessly harnessing nuclear energy.