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Plants Near Chernobyl Adapt To Contaminated Soil

Posted by samzenpus on from the it's-what-plants-crave dept.

lbalbalba writes "In April 1986, a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded and sent radioactive particles flying through the air, infiltrating the surrounding soil. Despite the colossal disaster, some plants in the area seem to have adapted well, flourishing in the contaminated soil."

9 of 293 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory... by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    Feed me, Seymour!

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  2. It's because by ascari · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...they are nuclear plants? [ducks]

  3. Hmmm that'll do... by pookemon · · Score: 5, Funny

    From TFA - "Scientists had to wear masks, goggles and gloves to work in the area"

    Meanwhile the remainder of their body was burnt to a crisp by the radioactivity. Masks, goggles and gloves? This experiment was presumably organised by someone from the Simpsons... (My eyes - the goggles do nothing!)

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    1. Re:Hmmm that'll do... by Alwin+Henseler · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Probably the point is not so much to shield radiation, but to reduce / prevent direct contact, or (worse) ingestion of radioactive material. Depending on conditions & duration of the job, masks, goggles & gloves may just be adequate.

    2. Re:Hmmm that'll do... by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, they would do something.

      Primarily they would prevent the accidental ingestion of alpha particle emitters. Shit like polonium like the Russians used on that reporter a few years ago. They're normally harmless, your dead skin cells will stop the alpha particles, but [deity] help you if you ingest them.

      The background radiation levels are easily measurable and it's pretty easy to calculate how long someone should reasonable stay in an area unprotected. I would wager that these scientists actually know something about science, and were mainly concerned with ingesting alpha emitters, not absorbing gamma rays.

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    3. Re:Hmmm that'll do... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

      Probably the point is not so much to shield radiation, but to reduce / prevent direct contact, or (worse) ingestion of radioactive material. Depending on conditions & duration of the job, masks, goggles & gloves may just be adequate.

      Right. The key is to limit exposure to the precise amount where you don't die, but do gain superpowers.

      These scientists know what they're doing.

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      The enemies of Democracy are
  4. You are mistaken by pikine · · Score: 5, Informative

    Read their method.

    They first observe that plants start to spontaneously grow again in contamination sites despite the high radioactivity. Then they brought in seeds from uncontaminated origin. One batch goes to the contamination site, and another batch (the controlled group) goes to a decontaminated area near the site. Seeds grow fine in both batches, showing that seeds from uncontaminated origin is able to survive the radioactivity in the very first generation. The study is about the mechanism how plants naturally resist radioactivity. No evolution is taking place here.

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  5. Re:Cool, but old news. by MrNemesis · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not to mention a nifty "myth busted" moment for that old Hollywood trope of a post-nuclear wasteland.

    The explosion at Chernobyl wasn't a nuclear one, it was steam (due to a massive reactor power spike thanks to the skillful removal of pretty much all possible safety procedures in an already sub-optimal reactor design) that blew open the core and scattered radioactive material over the landscape and into the atmosphere thanks to the lack of a containment vessel. The Hollywood trope of the post-nuclear landscape typically involves the detonation of several hundred megatons of nuclear bombs and, as near as we can tell, is pretty accurate; Chernobyl isn't really comparable to a nuke in either the degree of the explosion or in the amount of radioactive fallout. /nitpick

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  6. Re:The kids aren't all right. by Caption+Wierd · · Score: 5, Informative

    Oh please. I am a radiation expert in real life. I have been to Chernobyl. It is no more "eerily silent" there than it is in the non-contaminated areas. The surrounding area is mostly farmland and was cleared many years ago. Perhaps the simplest explanation is that the plants and animals are just not as sensitive to radiation as the movies and sci fi shows suggest. That plus the fact that most of the isotopes released (iodine-131 for example) have long decayed away. Humans are more sensitive to the effects of radiation than most other creatures. When we protect humans we end up protecting the environment. That said, even though I full expect the plants to grow healthy in the downwind zone, I would not eat them for fear of further concentrating any remaining contamination they contain and raising my risk of cancer. But I don't smoke, either, for similar reasons.