00:00The Chernobyl meltdown in 1986 still stands as the greatest nuclear disaster the world has ever
00:05seen. Now, nearly 40 years later, researchers studying the radiation's effects on wildlife
00:10in the areas of Ukraine directly surrounding Chernobyl say the disaster has left a noticeable
00:14mark, even today. Scientists entered the zone and collected genetic material from some 302
00:20free-roaming dog populations, or wild dogs still living near the reactor, finding that those that
00:25were discovered living within the 18-mile exclusion zone have genetically distinct DNA from others
00:30living at a greater distance. According to the researchers, this is no doubt a direct result of
00:35living so close to the sarcophagus, or the giant cement structure that now encompasses the disaster
00:39site. According to Nature, the DNA of dogs is important to understand, as their species' lives
00:44are so intertwined with our own, sharing the same habitats and often diets as humans, which the
00:49Associated Press reports. The authors of the study posit these dogs could reveal the answer to, quote,
00:54how do you survive in a hostile environment like this for 15 generations? As one of the primary
00:58places humankind has its sights on is space, known for exposing those who travel there to far more
01:04radiation than anywhere else on Earth.
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