Back in 1986 the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant melted down, resulting in the largest nuclear disaster in human history. The surrounding area was evacuated, as lingering radiation will leave Pripyat uninhabitable for humans the next 20,000 years. However, this creature doesn’t seem to find radiation a problem.
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00:00 [Music]
00:03 Back in 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant melted down, resulting in the largest nuclear
00:09 disaster in human history. The surrounding area was evacuated, and lingering radiation will leave
00:15 Pripyat uninhabitable for the next 20,000 years. However, recently, scientists studying the effects
00:20 of radiation on the myriad animal species there noticed something interesting. Some microscopic
00:26 worms that reside there show no signs of radiation. Other tests on creatures in the area has revealed
00:31 clear signs of radiation damage, and the number of invertebrates in general has decreased as well.
00:36 So researchers collected hundreds of nematodes from all over the Chernobyl exclusion zone,
00:40 and tested them, their offspring, and looked at the genetic sequencing of both, finding that despite
00:46 living in a high radiation environment, there was not only no greater rate of mutation amongst those
00:51 worms, but they also didn't show signs of DNA damage. What's more, the specific strain of worms,
00:56 Otypulae, didn't seem to pass on any markers of radiation exposure to their offspring,
01:00 with the study concluding that they must be more tolerant to radiation for some reason,
01:04 though they still don't know why. The researchers say this find could be monumental,
01:09 and could lead to new medicines to help combat the horrific effects of radiation exposure.