“This dog population has expanded in the decades following the accident and is thought to be comprised at least partially of descendants of pets left behind during the chaotic evacuation in 1986.” “Though Chernobyl wildlife has been the subject of previous ecological and genetic studies, little is known about the genetics of a population of over 500 dogs occupying the area surrounding the and Chernobyl City,” said Dillon and her colleagues in the study. The researchers “detected genetic evidence that suggests that these populations may have adapted to exposures faced over many generations,” which can help assess “how the impact of environmental catastrophes such as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster can influence animal populations,” according to a new study published in Canine Medicine and Genetics. Now, scientists have discovered hints that Chernobyl’s stray dogs may have adapted to their unusually toxic habitat on a core genetic level, a finding that could have implications for understanding the risks of chemical and radiation exposure on wildlife and people.Ī team led by Megan Dillon, a PhD student at North Carolina State University, analyzed DNA obtained from two dog populations of Chernobyl: a group that lives in the immediate vicinity of the power plant, and another that lives near the partially abandoned city of Chernobyl, about 10 miles away from the plant.
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