# Has life shown signs of adapting to nuclear radiation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747 "2014-10-19T00:12:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IMfez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/1 "2014-10-19T00:12:23Z")
During the Chernobyl incident and other nuclear tests, has it ever been discovered that life is capable of adapting to nuclear radiation? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/2 "2014-10-19T00:30:03Z")
The [Chernobyl Zone of Alienation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_the_Chernobyl_disaster#Effect_on_the_natural_world) has become an [impromptu nature reserve](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060701315.html), with many species thriving. Life finds a way. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/3 "2014-10-19T00:54:26Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > The [Chernobyl Zone of Alienation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_the_Chernobyl_disaster#Effect_on_the_natural_world) has become an [impromptu nature reserve](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060701315.html), with many species thriving. Life finds a way. Well, your own article notes that there are also numerous instances of mutations and many animals around Chernobyl have shorter life spans, health problems or genetic damage. I don’t think it’s so much nature “adapting” so much as existing despite the debilitating effects of the radiation. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/4 "2014-10-19T01:13:25Z")
Back in 2007 there were [reports](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070522210932.htm) of [radiotrophic fungi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus) growing inside the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant (prompting various [news articles](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070522-fungi.html) and [Internet message board threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=437471), natch.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/5 "2014-10-19T01:16:56Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Well, your own article notes that there are also numerous instances of mutations and many animals around Chernobyl have shorter life spans, health problems or genetic damage. I don’t think it’s so much nature “adapting” so much as existing despite the debilitating effects of the radiation. Depends on the animal as to how far they needed to adapt to survive, although existing is impressive enough. > [@](#): > > But there are signs that these unfortunate creatures can adapt to their circumstances. > > Sergey Gaschak has experimented on mice in the Red Forest, parts of which are slowly growing back, albeit with stunted and misshapen trees. > > “We marked animals then recaptured them again much later,” he says. > > “And we found they lived as long as animals in relatively clean areas.” > **[BBC NEWS | Europe | Wildlife defies Chernobyl radiation](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4923342.stm)** > > Animals have flourished in the zone evacuated after the Chernobyl explosion, 20 years ago. Rather depressingly having humans leave well alone has compensated for the radiation; > [@](#): > > In reality, radioactivity at the level associated with the Chornobyl meltdown does have discernible, negative impacts on plant and animal life [4,5]. However, the benefit of excluding humans from this highly contaminated ecosystem appears to outweigh significantly any negative cost associated with Chornobyl radiation [8]. [http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chornobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm](http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chornobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm) Even at Bikini Atoll coral [is recovering.](http://www.livescience.com/2438-bikini-atoll-corals-recovering-atomic-blast.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/6 "2014-10-19T01:22:44Z")
You can watch the movie[here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK99dvJO5PY)! ---
**Author:** ![Fishtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@Fishtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fishtar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/7 "2014-10-19T02:36:05Z")
I would guess that organisms with better DNA repair systems would thrive better than ones with poorer ones. And, therefore the flora and fauna of radioactive zones are quite different than would be otherwise. Evolution in action. Probably some good Russian papers on the subject… ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/8 "2014-10-19T02:50:00Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Back in 2007 there were [reports](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070522210932.htm) of [radiotrophic fungi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus) growing inside the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant (prompting various [news articles](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070522-fungi.html) and [Internet message board threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=437471), natch.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Fungi, to be specific! ETA: Ooh! Ninja’ed (snicker) by **KGS** in the above-linked thread, Post #5. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-life-shown-signs-of-adapting-to-nuclear-radiation/701747/9 "2014-10-19T13:10:55Z")
Bolding mine below : Quote from [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioresistance): Radioresistance is **surprisingly high in many organisms** , in contrast to previously held views. For example, the study of environment, animals and plants around the Chernobyl disaster area has revealed an unexpected survival of many species, despite the high radiation levels. A Brazilian study in a hill in the state of Minas Gerais which has high natural radiation levels from uranium deposits, has also shown many radioresistant insects, worms and plants. Certain extremophiles, such as the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans and the tardigrades can withstand acute doses of ionizing radiation on the order of 5,000 Gy.