Chernobyl's dogs are genetically different – but not for the reason scientists thought

A new study from North Carolina State University reveals that dogs living near the Chernobyl power plant are genetically distinct from those in the nearby city, due to natural selection rather than radiation mutations. Researchers identified genes related to DNA repair and the immune system, but found no evidence of special radiation resistance.

Nearly 40 years after the Chernobyl disaster, dogs living near the power plant are genetically different from those in the nearby city, just 16 kilometers away. A new study from North Carolina State University, published in the journal Genes, offers an explanation: not radiation-induced mutations, but natural selection. Researchers analyzed DNA from 63 dogs and identified over a hundred genomic regions showing signs of an evolutionary process. The genes in these regions are associated with DNA repair, cell division, the immune system, and cancer development – systems that could be affected by exposure to radiation and toxic substances. However, the study does not prove that the dogs developed special radiation resistance, as the environment is also contaminated with heavy metals and industrial materials. It is possible that the surviving dogs already carried suitable genetic traits. The study points to natural selection of existing traits, not new mutations.