Columbia environmental-health scientist Norman J. Kleiman has found that stray dogs thriving at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine are genetically distinct from ones in the surrounding area, a discovery that he says could lead to the identification of genes that enable animals, and possibly even humans, to survive long-term exposure to radiation, heavy metals, and other pollutants that still permeate the site.
“Somehow, two small populations of dogs managed to survive in that highly toxic environment,” says Kleiman. “In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs . . . we took the first steps towards understanding how chronic exposure to multiple environmental hazards may have impacted these populations.”
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“Somehow, two small populations of dogs managed to survive in that highly toxic environment,” says Kleiman. “In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs . . . we took the first steps towards understanding how chronic exposure to multiple environmental hazards may have impacted these populations.”
The Super Canines of Chernobyl, and Other Science News
The latest research from Columbia.
