Chernobyl's Surrounding Keichoos Unveil 'New Superrats'
A new study has revealed the presence of 'new super rats' in the vicinity of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant located in Northern Ukraine (formerly Soviet Union), which are immune to harmful radiation.
After the incident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, the surrounding area became the most radioactive zone in the world.
Lead researcher Dr. Sofia Tinter stated that the devastation at Chornobyl was incomprehensible on an immense scale, yet the effects on local life have not been fully understood.
The area was evacuated following the explosion at the power plant, but despite large amounts of radioactive radiation, numerous plants and animals remained in the region and are still present nearly four decades later.
In recent years, researchers have discovered that the animals residing within the exclusion zone of Chornobyl (an area of 29.93 square kilometers radius around the power plant in Northern Ukraine) are physically and genetically different from other animals worldwide, raising questions about the effects of permanent radiation exposure on their DNA.
In this new study, researchers examined nematodes at Chornobyl. Nematodes are small keichoos with simple genomes that reproduce rapidly, making them useful for understanding basic biological processes.
Researchers were astonished to find that the genomes of keichoos brought from Chornobyl showed no signs of any radiation-induced damage.