Various animals and insects continue to exist within the nuclear zone since the 1986 disaster.
Scientists have discovered that a worm living in Chernobyl appears to have an incredible new “superpower.”
A team of scientists from New York University traveled to Ukraine to study nematodes, tiny worms that are invisible to the naked eye.
The researchers collected the worms from soil samples, rotting fruit and other materials, then brought them back to the lab to be frozen and studied.
They tested the worms for different levels of radiation, from low levels found in big cities to high levels typically found only in outer space.
Their findings suggest that this particular worm has developed a new ability as a result of living near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant its entire life.
The results showed that the worms had evolved immunity to radiation.
The results of this study have scientists hoping to understand how these worms respond to radiation exposure, leading to new insights into human cancer research.
Unlike other animals that have been studied, including wild wolves with cancer-fighting genomes, these worms have simple genomes and are short-lived, allowing scientists to study multiple generations of animals in a short period of time.
Sophia Tintori, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told new york post: “Chernobyl was a tragedy of incomprehensible proportions, but we still don’t know much about the impact of the disaster on the local population.”
She added: “Did sudden environmental changes select for species, or even individuals within species, that were more resistant to ionizing radiation?”
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion made the Eastern European city one of the most radioactive places on Earth.
For more than three decades, scientists have been studying the disaster's impact on flora and fauna.
One particular case study investigated the increase in feral dog numbers in the area surrounding the factory.
The results showed that the dogs around Chernobyl and in the nearby city of Pripyat were genetically distinct from other free-breeding and purebred dog populations.
Dr Tintori expanded on her team's findings: “This exciting discovery does not mean that Chernobyl is safe, but rather shows that worms are resilient animals that can withstand extreme conditions.” Twenty genetically distinct nematode species were tested for DNA damage to see if they had an unusual ability to protect and repair genetic material.
“The findings suggest that animals at Chernobyl were not necessarily more tolerant or evolved, but the findings could lead to a better understanding of natural variation,” he said.
To be clear, the findings of this team of scientists do not mean that Chernobyl is safe.
Instead, it suggests that worms in abandoned cities are resilient animals that can withstand extreme conditions and high levels of radiation.
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