Chernobyl dogs began to change genetically to adapt to the radiation. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Genes.
Researchers have identified signs of natural selection in DNA segments associated with the restoration of damaged cells, immunity and body survival in dogs living near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The animals may have been affected by special environmental conditions, they suggest.
It is impossible to say for sure that the changes are caused by radiation - it could be other pollutants and isolation of the population, reports SciTech Daily.