News > Chernobyl nuclear disaster altered genetics of dogs left behind, study finds

Chernobyl nuclear disaster altered genetics of dogs left behind, study finds

A study published in Science Advances suggested that the radiation exposure still present at Chernobyl after the 1986 nuclear disaster may have profoundly changed the genetics within canine populations that have been exposed. Tim Mousseau, a professor of biological sciences at the University of South Carolina, said that while the region's wildlife populations were greatly reduced due to the radioactive contamination, some survived and continued to breed.