Wolves roaming the ‘forbidden zone’ around the exploded Chernobyl nuclear reactor appear to be immune to the increased radioactive radiation. That could be good news for cancer researchers.
On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear disaster in history occurred at Chernobyl. The reactor exploded after a failed safety test. Since then, the area around the nuclear power plant, as well as the neighboring town of Pripyat, has been completely abandoned. As a result, nature has taken over for some time in the so-called ‘forbidden zone’, where radioactivity is still too high to be habitable for humans. The background radiation is ten to a hundred times higher than in normal areas.
The exclusion zone is clearly not uninhabitable for animals, because many wild boars, deer, moose and wolves live in the area around the exploded nuclear reactor. American biologist Cara Love has made a remarkable discovery about the latter species: the wolves living near Chernobyl have evolved in such a way that they can survive in the radioactive environment.
Good news for cancer research?
In the zone where the wolves are located, there is a radioactive radiation of 11.28 millirems. That’s about six times more than the human safety limit. Because the wolves have lived in the area for several generations, their genes have adapted to the conditions. Love investigated this by putting collars on the animals that “provide real-time measurements of where the wolves are and how much radiation they are exposed to.”
The wolves in Chernobyl have undergone certain gene mutations, according to Love they have developed certain genes that would make them more resistant to cancer. That information could help in research into how gene mutations might increase the chance of surviving cancer.
Unfortunately, Love and her team have not been able to enter the ‘forbidden zone’ of Chernobyl in recent years. First the coronavirus was the spoilsport, then the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out. According to her, the priority is that “people and employees there are as safe as possible”. It is not known whether she will ever return to Chernobyl.
