"Severe Abnormalities" Found In Fukushima Butterflies

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"Severe Abnormalities" Found In Fukushima Butterflies

Posted by samzenpus on Monday August 13, 2012 @05:37AM from the birth-of-mothra dept.

Dupple writes "The collapse of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant caused a massive release of radioactive materials to the environment. A prompt and reliable system for evaluating the biological impacts of this accident on animals has not been available. This study suggests the accident caused physiological and genetic damage to the pale grass blue Zizeeria maha, a common lycaenid butterfly in Japan. We collected the first-voltine adults in the Fukushima area in May 2011, some of which showed relatively mild abnormalities. The F1 offspring from the first-voltine females showed more severe abnormalities, which were inherited by the F2 generation. Adult butterflies collected in September 2011 showed more severe abnormalities than those collected in May. Similar abnormalities were experimentally reproduced in individuals from a non-contaminated area by external and internal low-dose exposures. We conclude that artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant caused physiological and genetic damage to this species."

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butterfly effect? by yagu · 2012-08-13 05:37 · Score: 5, Funny

How does this affect the butterfly effect? This could be chaos!
1. Re:butterfly effect? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-13 05:41 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  The butterfly effect is chaos.
2. Re:butterfly effect? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-13 05:43 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  Whoosh.
3. Re:butterfly effect? by nitehawk214 · 2012-08-13 06:05 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Whoosh.
  The sound made by those butterfly wings.
  
  --
  I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
4. Re:butterfly effect? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-13 06:08 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Not funny. The full extent of the damage can be seen in these photos here.
  Every time something nuclear comes up, someone has to come along and undermine it with these petty jokes.
5. Re:butterfly effect? by Hardness · 2012-08-13 06:45 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  A mutated butterfly in Japan flutters it's wings, and it creates a three-eyed tornado in Kansas... So yes, chaos. Lots of chaos.
6. Re:butterfly effect? by oh_my_080980980 · 2012-08-13 07:35 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That's Mothra you moron....
OH SHIT! by circletimessquare · 2012-08-13 05:39 · Score: 3, Funny

MOTHRA!!!!!!

--
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Re:Damage? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-13 06:19 · Score: 4, Funny

you can't call it damage until your dick falls off.
Forgive him. He works for a tobacco company.
That's not a bug on that butterfly by davidwr · 2012-08-13 06:54 · Score: 5, Funny

It's a feature!
Yes, folks, we now have real bugs with features.

--
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I'm sick of the scaremongering by he-sk · 2012-08-13 07:30 · Score: 4, Funny

It's the butterflies' fault. If they had not stopped with the development of nuclear power 30 years ago, they would not suffer from these "abnormalities". After all, modern reactor designs are intrinsically safe!
Wait. What?!

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Free Manning, jail Obama.