Microscopic worms that live their lives in the highly radioactive environment of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) appear to do so completely free of radiation damage.
Nematodes collected from the area have shown no sign of damage to their genomes, contrary to what might be expected for organisms living in such a dangerous place.
The finding, published earlier this year, doesn’t suggest the CEZ is safe, the researchers explain, but rather the worms are resilient and able to adroitly adapt to conditions that might be inhospitable to other species.
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