Ukraine –
Wolves roaming the ‘forbidden zone’ around the exploded Chernobyl nuclear reactor appear to be immune to the increased radioactive radiation. A discovery that could also be important in the fight against cancer.
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.
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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 heavily radioactive environment.
Similar to cancer patients
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. According to Love, the animals have an immune system comparable to that of cancer patients undergoing radiation. The wolves may even have developed certain genes that appear resilient to an increased risk of cancer. 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 research could be a groundbreaking contribution to the study of how gene mutations in humans can increase the chance of surviving cancer. The script of known gene mutations could be changed.
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.
