TheRedBaron8
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Sauce, https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a46799706/mutant-wolves-of-chernobyl/
Hug you kids and loved ones. And for the love of all things vote !
Wow most viral cool! Send up doots or whatever.
For those how are bitching that Chernobyl is in Ukraine is not Russia, the geo political climate of the time of the meltdown was under Russian government policy and Former President Gorbachev said that the Chernobyl accident was a more important factor in the fall of the Soviet Union than Perestroika – his program of liberal reform.
JFC yes Chernobyl is in Ukraine, during the time the Soviet Union was in charge and the directions came from Moscow hense thanks Russia for the fuck up. Anyone else want to discuss geography or geo political issues at the time?
q34tw4
whoa
Filanwizard
Coming soon to a movie palace near you, in 3D AtomoVision. The Mutant Wolves of Chernobyl.
demolitionlover09
Awoooo mutant wolves of Chernobyl
letthereberock
bigmrlloyd
So the mushroom cloud does have a silver lining. Sort of. Kudos to the survivors that love in the hell we made.
paulhollywood9
Anywhere without humans is a heaven for nature.
HeywouldJablowme
So they're immune to MAGA?
duktayp
So.... Are WE the baddies?
OMGamIImguringCorrectly
bnuihj
yeah, you're the worst.
Puvaradivi
Kinda makes me sad we haven't destroyed ourselves with nukes before we potentially destroy all life with climate change. Quite a messed up thought to be having.
JustAnInternetPerson
Always have been. Thankfully, we already guaranteed our extinction/near extinction so the rest of the world will heal in time.
SirButcher
Then everything dies in a billion years when the sun sterilizes the surface, and then deep-fry the planet to make sure to kill the last living bacteria deep underground.
Snooj
If wolves thrive better vs. radiation than vs. humans we can't exactly be the good guys.
iSellTeenyTinyFrogGreenBabyCoffins
I don’t have mutant wolves on my 2024 bingo card :(
calamityjanine
listen. listen. listen. y'all. if the mutant wolves have become cancer-resistant y'all know what that means? with just some careful planned crossbreeding programs..... CANCER-RESISTANT DOGS. thank you chernobyyyyyylllllllllll
calamityjanine
"are you just saying this because your last dog died of a brain tumor that rendered her unable to eat and at the end drink without pain" yes but i believe i have a point actually
AmurTiger
You absolutely have a point, though I suspect the treatment here may specifically be exposure to low doses of radiation. Hormesis response to radiation has been theorized before after all.
Hexidimentional
you are right tho, we need to study these dogs and see if the resistance can be passed on
Munchman347
Also, cancers can take years to affect an organism, while canids can breed at between 4 and 24 months of age. Lack of human predation and competition would allow for faster breeding and larger packs in spite of cancers...
greggor
The wolf data is interesting. But I’m getting real tired of the weird fetishization of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. People live there now, you know. The power plant kept operating until 2000. It’s not some irradiated hellscape.
Anudderuser
Yes. Atomic Wolves; Please overthrow the humans.
supervillainsevilmoustache
Mmmm, imagine wolves that are immune to the predations of humans. Biological pressure selectively breeding successful wolves that could survive in a human dominated world. Maybe that how you get… were wolves!
JakeAhz269
And wasnt there a study about giant earthworms? A doctor Pappadapalas IIRC?
HisRoyalMajestySirPussyVonSlappington
duktayp
Bystandr
A case of observing survivor bias. I expect a lot of wolves died of said cancer.
barnwolf
Radiation isn't all that deadly. People exposed to ww2 nukes still lived for a long time, and wolves start reproducing when as young as 22 months.
Paireon
Evolution literally IS survivor bias my dude.
flarflarf
maybe, but theres a lot more wolves (and many other forms of wildlife) in the exclusion zone than outside of it. Turns out humans are way worse for wildlife than the even significant amounts of radiation in the area around chernobyl.
rbudrick
You just described evolution: survivor bias.
Sauroctonus
That's the thing, if enough survive long enough to breed successfully, that's evolution functioning.
Raecracy123abc
Im sure a few of them were smokers.
Volpe42
From when this was posted before the consensus was that the article says this.
MouseDenton
Not so: the study notes the similar rates of cancer with lower deleterious effect—they're watching cases of cancer being less damaging to the wolves in question, not just counting animals.
masteryoplait
Thx!
ICantThinkOfAUsernameWhilePooping
This study notes that among wolves in the CEZ some have genetic differences that reduce cancer mortality vs other CEZ wolves that don't have those genes and are killed off by cancer. Both groups have cancer from lethal doses of ionizing radiation.
Lots of other studies have found that animal populations in the CEZ don't live as long, are less healthy, have stunted growth and mutations. Others have suggested animals migrate to the CEZ and then quickly die off. The CEZ isn't healthy for anyone.
Bystandr
Right, so there is something to it genetically, but the grain of salt is other studies are also noting this doesnt mean they are healtheir or living longer. Then also consider a wolf doesnt live as long as a human and that some cancer doesnt have time to kill them as they live , reproduce and die before it really becomes a problem for them, while for humans it might be lethal in 10-15 years. Still, interesting to have identified genetic markers resistant to types of cancer. Thanks for the post!
thetonestarr
Chornobyl (Ukrainian spelling) is very much a Ukrainian town. While it's near the border, it's still 13km into Ukraine. No need to mention Belarus.
Magpiebones
Chernobyl was build and destroyed during soviet times when borders were different, right?
thetonestarr
No, Ukrainian borders were the same when it was the Ukrainian SSR.
Feralkyn
It was in the Soviet Union--because Ukraine was. It's changed hands but it was never in Russia.
ThoughtsAndBeers
First Cocaine Bear, now Nuclear Wolves!
wheredidwegonow
Super-villain origin story: wife dies of cancer, decides that to cure mankind of cancer they must be subjected to similar circumstances as those wolves, tries to nuke the world (or NY, as this will be a Hollywood movie)
flarflarf
the chernobyl exclusion zone was one of the most successful wildlife preserves ever. They saw bears and wild horses that hadnt been seen in the area for 100 years.
whybother
It's one of two accidental wildlife preserves im aware of ,the other being the DMZ which both sides have agreed to keep it a preserve even if one day peace can be found
flarflarf
Fukushima is i think going to be similar
TheUnstoppableWampas
I have an idea.
ThaneofGlamis
Yousunnofabitch, I’m in.
JerryCan7331
Sometimes the intrusive thoughts only *seem* like a good idea.
TheUnstoppableWampas
Woah there buddy, I don't remember mentioning anything about "good".
MisterLemons
JerryCan7331
It's a fair cop.
circlebreaker
*Yao Guai and Rad Stags.
MisterLemons
Ah yes, the rad stag. "What should we do to make this animal look irradiated and mutated?"
"The tried and true method, obviously; make it naked, red, and have two heads"
flarflarf
animals generally dont live long enough to care about cancer and while higher infant mortality is a problem, its a much smaller problem than living near humans.
DoseOfScience
Well, unless it's one of those contagious cancers like what happened with Tasmanian Devils.
Kbantar
And one that infects dogs. There's also an infectious cancer of a species of clam, IIRC, that jumped to a related species. The original species developed resistance to it.
reineseele
#DevilsAllTheWayDown
datester35
Wow I had no idea that was a thong before this comment. Very scary.
Atomic2
I thought this was a weird joke until I saw your comment and then googled it
tentacularfleshscape
Much of cervical cancer is caused by HPV
datester35
That I knew, but HPV has a vaccine.
battlebetter5772
Children of the dust
Volpe42
I wonder if they give off a blue glow if you dunk them in water...
TMccl
Oh no, the dogs were the most annoying enemy in Stalker, we ain't doin' this.
anarchoFeline
good for them
DoomSquirter
have they found any cazador's yet? I'm checking out if they do. NIGHTMARE fuel
GxWxK
So you say. the wildlife is adapting to a changing environment...fascinating. Really mind blown.
Nowunithink
Ukraine ain't Russia just yet m8
Hexidimentional
It was russia when the reactor melted down
kInADress
Yeah, but it was their shitty garbage reactor
TheRedBaron8
Ah, but it used to be.
Feralkyn
It was part of the Soviet Union, not Russia. It was part of a Russian Empire WAY before that but even before that was Ukrainian. It's definitely not "Russia" in any way, shape or form, nor was it Russian during that incident--just Soviet.
SaturnineCult
Some people remember Russia was very much a synonym for Soviet Union back in the day, even though it was more so just one of the republics.
TheRedBaron8
I don't believe the directions ever came from Kiev for the direction of nuclear power of the union.
Feralkyn
Russia =/= Soviet Union. You can argue that all you want but realistically your title is just wrong
Feralkyn
(Also: Kyiv)
getyourfruitoffmeyoudamndirtygrapes
Watch the HBO show Chernobyl, seriously.