Unlocking the Genetic Secrets of Stray Dogs near Chernobyl

The journal Science Advances indicated that the scientific team found that the genome of stray dogs living near the Chernobyl plant acquired a unique structure that differs from that of other dog breeds.

The journal Science Advances indicated that a group of scientists found that the genome of stray dogs located in the exclusion zone near the Chernobyl plant acquired a unique structure that differs from the DNA structure of other dog breeds.

The journal reported that an international scientific group of geneticists studied DNA samples from more than three hundred stray dogs living in the exclusion zone near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and concluded that their genome had acquired a unique structure, in contrast to the DNA structure of all other dog breeds.

According to the researchers: “A comparison of the DNA of stray dogs with the genetic structure of different breeds of domestic and wild dogs from other regions showed that dogs near Chernobyl had a significantly different genetic structure than dogs away from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.”

According to an international group of geneticists led by Timothy Musso, professor at the University of South Carolina in Columbia (USA): the study and its observations will help ecologists and biologists understand the impact of constant high levels of radiation on the evolution of animal populations and their adaptation to life in such an environment.

Source: TASS.