Microworms inside Chernobyl’s exclusion zone go away scientists baffled for one cause
Minuscule worms living in the toxic and highly radioactive Chernobyl exclusion zone could help scientists advance DNA repair treatment for one astonishing reason
Microscopic worms that live in Chernobyl’s radioactive exclusion zone have left boffins scratching their heads for one reason in particular.
The tiny nematodes live in one of the world’s most dangerous areas, which has been off-limits to anyone without government approval after the reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant catastrophically exploded in 1986. Since then, the area around the plant and the nearby town of Pripyat in Ukraine has been a strict no-go zone.
Yet surprisingly, worms collected from the area as part of a study, show no signs of radiation damage.
The finding, which was published earlier this year doesn’t imply the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) is now safe, but suggests the worms are resilient and able to adapt to conditions other species might find inhospitable, reports Science Alert.
Radioactive materials expose organisms to high and unsafe levels of ionising radiation, which enhances the risk of mutation, cancer and death.
A team of biologists from New York University say the discovery could provide insight into DNA repair mechanisms that could be adapted for use in human medicine.
Sophia Tintori, who lead the team, said: “Chernobyl was a tragedy of incomprehensible scale, but we still don’t have a great grasp on the effects of the disaster on local populations.
“Did the sudden environmental shift select for species, or even individuals within a species, that are naturally more resistant to ionizing radiation?”
While it will take thousands of years before Chernobyl will be fit for human living again, animals have moved into the radioactive 2,600sq/km area, turning it into a peculiar animal sanctuary.
Tests on animals living in the area show definite genetic differences from animals not living in the radioactive territory. However, many unanswered questions remain over the effects of the explosion on the local ecosystems.
In the quest to answer some of these questions, the biologists collected hundreds of worms from rotten fruit, leaf litter and CEZ soil.
When analysing the worms’ genomes, the team found no evidence of ’large-scale chromosomal rearrangements’ expected from such an area.
Tintori said: “Now that we know which strains of O. tipulae are more sensitive or more tolerant to DNA damage, we can use these strains to study why different individuals are more likely than others to suffer the effects of carcinogens.”
