# Mutant Butterflies from Radiation from Fukushima in Japan **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 15, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552 "2012-08-15T12:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/1 "2012-08-15T12:31:32Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/scientists-mutant-butterflies-exposed-fukushima-fallout-034436176.html](http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/scientists-mutant-butterflies-exposed-fukushima-fallout-034436176.html) Didn’t they already make this monster movie? Tokyo Tower got toppled and a coccoon built in it, IIRC, and there was a plague of duet-singing miniature twin women. Seriously, though: > [@](#): > > Butterflies affected by the radiation have suffered genetic damage resulting in malformed wings, legs, antennae, and eyes. In addition, their trademark spotted markings have completely disappeared as the mutation rate has increased. > > Scientists involved in the research say that their findings show the need for detailed studies of other insects and animals living near Fukushima. They believe the impact on humans is likely far less severe due to our higher resilience to radiation, but their discoveries nevertheless shed new light on the real fallout from this horrible disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/2 "2012-08-15T21:03:14Z")
> [@](#): > > They believe the impact on humans is likely far less severe due to our higher resilience to radiation, but their discoveries nevertheless shed new light on the real fallout from this horrible disaster. I thought bugs had _higher_ tolerance for radiation. Maybe that’s only the dry crunchy bugs, and not the squishy wet ones like butterflies. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/3 "2012-08-15T21:20:09Z")
I predict that the SyFy Channel will produce and show a “Cannibal Butterfly” movie within the next six months. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/4 "2012-08-15T23:46:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I predict that the SyFy Channel will produce and show a “Cannibal Butterfly” movie within the next six months. And he shall be called… _ **Butterbal** _ hmm… That sounded a lot scarier in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/5 "2012-08-15T23:50:28Z")
This doesn’t worry me. When it begins affecting the moths, _then_ I’ll worry. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/6 "2012-08-16T00:07:23Z")
How much is this going to affect the whole breed and stock of butterflies in the region? One of the recent generations had a 50-something% mutation rate among offspring. Will that number peak or just keep growing until eventually every butterfly is mutated in some form? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/7 "2012-08-16T00:16:01Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > This doesn’t worry me. > > When it begins affecting the moths, _then_ I’ll worry. You’ll know that they’ve mutated into evil beings when some of them have satanic markings on their bodies. Oh, maybe a death’s head. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/8 "2012-08-16T16:16:10Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > How much is this going to affect the whole breed and stock of butterflies in the region? One of the recent generations had a 50-something% mutation rate among offspring. Will that number peak or just keep growing until eventually every butterfly is mutated in some form? Lucky for us, natural selection will select out the beneficial or neutral mutations, as anything unviable will kill them off. So, naturally they’ll keep mutating toward producing man-eating caterpillars the size of dobermans. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/9 "2012-08-16T16:17:15Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > You’ll know that they’ve mutated into evil beings when some of them have satanic markings on their bodies. Oh, maybe a death’s head. They gone mutated straight to bein’ a snake! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/10 "2012-08-16T16:18:16Z")
The important thing to take away from this story is, radiation is _our friend_. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/11 "2012-08-17T12:02:30Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > You’ll know that they’ve mutated into evil beings when some of them have satanic markings on their bodies. Oh, maybe a death’s head. If you read their wings backwards they spell out the name of the devil in Ukrainian. ---
**Author:** ![President\_T\_Toilet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@President\_T\_Toilet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_T_Toilet)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/12 "2012-08-17T12:05:45Z")
I read somewhere that they have been dumping excess radioactive water into the ocean to the tune of some 7 million gallons. I think we are going to be experiencing the effects of this disaster for some time to come. Same as the BP oil spill. They have brushed it under the rug, but I think the full effects have yet to hit us. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutant-butterflies-from-radiation-from-fukushima-in-japan/631552/13 "2012-08-17T14:00:39Z")
[Here is some amateur news footage of the mutant buffterfly.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bhoWfC1L9k)