No, it’s not due to genetic mutations that resulted from exposure to radiation.

Any other guesses? No?

Ok, let’s get down to business.

On April 26, 1986, nuclear disaster changed the world around Chernobyl forever. Radioactive nuclides, along with elevated levels of other toxic contaminants like lead, arsenic, and asbestos were released into the world, and forced over a hundred thousand people to abandon their homes forever.

The animals in the area, obviously, remained – and studying the changes in their appearance, behavior, and genetic makeup has fascinated scientists ever since.

Currently there is a thriving population of around 800 semi-feral dogs living in and around Chernobyl. They have undergone rapid evolution and are genetically distinct from dogs everywhere else in the world, and you can spot the differences just by looking at them.

Oddly, recent research seems to indicate that genetic mutation is not the culprit, however. Free-breeding dogs living at the nuclear plant are genetically distinct from those living 10 miles away in Chernobyl city, and both are distinct from populations living outside the exclusion zone.

“With this study, we do not find evidence of an increased mutation rate for the Nuclear Power Plant population of dogs through chromosomal aberrations, increased microsatellite diversity, or an increase of more recently derived alleles. Therefore, mutation does not appear to be the cause of the previously identified genetic differentiation between these two geographically close populations of free-breeding dogs.”

They do not know what is causing the genetic diversity, though, which I suppose is the next answer they will be diligently searching for in the area.  There’s no doubt that researchers all over the world are keen to learn what they can from the dogs and other creatures living there, in case we ever need to apply those lessons to humans.

“They may serve as effective sentinels for human health effects arising from toxic environmental exposures. Thus, Chernobyl dogs present a unique and valuable resource as models for human mutation studies.”

It’s nice to know the dogs are thriving.

Because you never know what’s coming down the pike.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?