Mutant wolves roaming the wasteland of Chernobyl have developed a new superpower that could have life-saving implications for humans.
A team of researchers found the animals in the Chernobyl Evacuation Zone (CEZ) have genetically altered immune systems that show a resilience to cancer.
These findings gave researchers hope that the results can be used to find cures for human cancer patients.
Since the powerplant explosion in 1986, humans were evacuated from Chernobyl and the surrounding areas to avoid the extreme levels of radiation.
The absence of humans allowed wildlife to flourish and thrive in the CEZ, which contains 11.28 millirem of radiation – six times the allowed exposure amount for human workers.
Grizzly bears and bison stroll among the trees, lynx and fox slink through the long grass.
Beavers, boar, elk, deer, raccoons and more than 200 species of bird call the area home.
In 2014, Cara Love, an evolutionary biologist at Princeton University, set out with a team of researchers to understand how animals have been able to survive the cancer-causing radiation.
Love and her team took blood samples from the wolves and placed GPS collars with radiation dosimeters on them to get real-time measurements of where they were and their radiation exposure levels.
‘We get real-time measurements of where they are and how much [radiation] they are exposed to,’ said Love.
The researchers examined the genetic differences between the DNA of mutated wolves in the 1,000-square-mile radius of the CEZ and those outside it.
The results showed that, despite receiving potentially deadly daily radiation doses, the wolves appeared remarkably resilient against its effects.
Analysis showed that a number of their genes which are linked to cancer had new mutations to them, suggesting they had evolved to protect against the radiation.
It is hoped that the discovery could pave the way for experts to identify mutations in humans that reduce the risk of cancer.
The new research was presented last month at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology’s Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.
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