Rare breed

Prancer is a friendly dog who lives in a remarkable place: the ChernobylThe disaster, in 1986, involved a meltdown at a nuclear plant in Ukraine. nuclear power plant in Ukraine, one of the most contaminatedMade impure by adding something poisonous or polluting. places on Earth.

A new study shows that hundreds of strays at Chernobyl are genetically distinct from all other dogs. Scientists hope this isolated group will help us understand how to survive nuclear radiationEnergy given off when radioactive material decays. It can be extremely harmful and sometimes fatal, causing vomiting, skin damage, hair loss and cancer..

The 1986 explosion at Chernobyl was the worst nuclear accident in history and it poisoned all life for miles around.

Residents had to leave and they left their pet dogs. Those that survived roamed the ruins and formed packs.

Researcher Tim Mousseau says their unusual DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information. is a "unique opportunity" to learn how life adapts in extreme environments. So could these dogs save humanity from a nuclear apocalypseA Christian name for the end of the world. Descended from a Greek word meaning uncover, it was used to describe the Biblical book of Revelation.?

High levels of radiation mutateChange in form. DNA and deform cells. Animals at Chernobyl have short lives, develop cancers and are infertile. Experts warn that a nuclear winter caused by a modern nuke would be far worse than anything at Chernobyl.

Others say that life in the Exclusion Zone shows how nature thrives when humans disappear. Wildlife is flourishingGrowing quickly and successfully. . After 15,000 years of domestication, dogs are becoming more like wolves.

But because the canine and human genomesThe complete set of genes or genetic material in an organism. are quite similar, the domestic dog is a model for how radiation may affect human DNA.

This knowledge may be important for our survival. In outer space, humans are exposed to high levels of radiation. Closer to home, bombing risks the meltdown of Ukraine's largest nuclear plant.

There are many myths about nuclear radiation. For example, the Chernobyl dogs do not glow in the dark.

But their fate may be closely linked to our own. No other species has spent so long in our company. And they may still be able to teach us a few things about how to survive the future.

Yes: We have developed technology capable of wiping out all life on Earth. The only silver lining to the tragedy at Chernobyl may be that it makes us better prepared for nuclear fallout in the future.

No: A small group of stray dogs cannot save us from ourselves. Nuclear radiation is the least of our worries. Global warming and conventionalStandard or regular. warfare are far greater threats to humanity.

Or... It's early days for this exciting research and many unknowns. But mutation is a fundamental part of evolution and all life on Earth. Therefore we must understand it better.