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https://theconversation.com/chernobyls-wildlife-the-real-story-isnt-the-presence-of-radiation-its-the-absence-of-humans-281084>
"“Dogs at Chernobyl are now genetically distinct … thanks to years of exposure
to ionizing radiation, study finds.”
That’s just one of many similar headlines that appeared in response to a
scientific study published a few years back. They present a compelling story of
radiation, mutation and survival against the odds.
But the underlying science didn’t actually show any genetic differences were
caused by radiation. The idea of “radioactive dogs of Chernobyl” is better
understood as a modern scientific myth. Indeed, our appetite for scare stories
about mutant animals is obscuring the reality: the most significant and
fascinating thing about the animals there is the absence of humans, not the
presence of radiation.
Forty years after the Chernobyl explosion, the controversy over how the
accident affected people and ecosystems goes on. I’ve been studying the
environmental impacts of the disaster since I began my PhD research in 1990 on
radioactive fallout in the English Lake District. Scientists have learned a lot
since then, with thousands of studies published.
But the mainstream and social media remain rife with misinformation and
exaggeration about the accident’s effects. Scientists often blame the media for
this, but maybe we should put some of the blame on ourselves."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
