Did Chernobyl Create Mutant Animals?

It's been over three decades since the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, and while the area remains unsafe for humans to return for long term inhabitation, the wildlife has remained and undergone its own changes in that time. While many might image that sort of radiation would result in bizarre mutations like two-headed deer or giant insects, could the aftermath of such an event actually be positive for the plants and animals that remained? Kyle ventures into the Exclusion Zone to take a closer look in this week's Because Science!
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Because Science every Thursday.
Learn More:
Radiation-induced Effects On Plants And Animals: www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Long-term Census Data Reveal Abundant Wildlife Populations At Chernobyl: www.cell.com/current-biology/...
Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Wildlife: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
A Look At The Impacts Of Radioactive Contaminants On Chernobyl’s Wildlife: thebulletin.org/2011/03/lands...
Thirty Years After The Chernobyl Accident: What Lessons Have We Learnt? www.sciencedirect.com/science... Chernobyl And Fukushima: Differences And Similarities, A Biological Perspective: www.researchgate.net/publicat... The Animals Of Chernobyl And Fukushima: www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Grasshoppers’ Adaptation To Elevated Radioactivity In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: www.researchgate.net/publicat...

[@becausescience]

Thanks for watching Super Nerds! If you like this kind of video, let me know in the comments, and suggest ideas for future deep dives. See you in Footnotes. -- kH

[@Disco.Wizard]

When does footnotes come out exactly? Always enjoy watching those too, if you see my earlier comment asking why ionising radiation is particularly bad for humans and less so for other organisms that could be worth covering in footnotes perhaps. Thanks again my fellow long haired nerdy brother :)

[@olahisawsome]

Would i want the power to stretch like Mr. Fantastic or like Plastic Man or like Jake the Dog? I can fall from any height, can get out almost any room and i can make my self how ever THick i want.

[@karenl6908]

What about cats?

[@TheAzrael666999]

I want to know more about the black mold growing on the sarcophagus of reactor 4. I could have been reading a fake clickbait article but from what I gathered it was so mutated that it relied on the radiation to fuel its metabolism

[@hufflepunk9562]

Hey Kyle! Awesome video!!! I have a question that I have been dying for you to answer in a super nerdy way! Could Dr. Strange use the time stone to bring people back to life after Thanos snapped his snap, reversing time to a point where they are alive? Could it be done like how he used the stone on the apple in that one scene in the library after he discovers the stone? Or is there some immutable laws of physics that would prevent him from doing so and that is why he let events play out the way they did in Infinity War? After all, we see him do this exact thing after he arrives in Hong Kong and reverses what Kaecilius and his acolytes did to the city when they invited Dormammu.

[@smitpatel2164]

You're telling me I can't go to Chernobyl, get bitten by a spider and develop spider like abilities?? Then what was the point of blowing up the reactor??

[@someoneme7057]

You could've 30years ago.

[@SI0AX]

@@schwarzerritter5724 Is it worse than Chernobyl?

[@schwarzerritter5724]

@@SI0AX No, but it is still fresh.

[@carlosandleon]

you get cancer

[@smitpatel2164]

@@carlosandleon Or cure it!

[@Da1ienx]

Super villain kyle is just covering up his deathclaw breeding grounds..

[@MrAsh-hr9mm]

Deathclaws... What a perfectly terrible creation.

[@ashenwuss1651]

@@MrAsh-hr9mm "Perfect Predators, they are" -Yoda

[@yukimarusword]

Made your like count to nice.

[@KainaX122]

Deathclaws? Damn. Guess I'm not going in THAT cave

[@MrAsh-hr9mm]

@@KainaX122 New Vegas was like.. oh what's down this road?... Turns out it's a surprise Deathclaw ghetto..

[@VoidCrawlerOfficial]

cockroaches when the bombs fall: shades out bois, its gunna be a bright one

[@obiwankenobi1608]

@@Pringle2 next day: Hey wheres vincent

[@obiwankenobi1608]

@@Pringle2 *sees you as a mashed mess* JESUS CHRIST VINCENT WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED

[@obiwankenobi1608]

@@Pringle2 j-jesus we really are resistant

[@grass5697]

Tardigrades: ayt boiz lets have some radioactive bathing

[@Rob-hv5zq]

Cockroaches are not immune to radiation. In fact scientific studies have shown that they die pretty easily.

[@sandvichguy8868]

As a stuttering mathematician once said, "Life, uh, finds a way."

[@migueldichoso7582]

Natural selection works.

[@spinosaurusiii7027]

CHAOS

[@duck3468]

Jeff goldblum

[@latayantheazran]

Life needs things to live

[@m.c.e4088]

Why do I feel like that's something from jurassic park

[@themidnightbanshee5927]

Reactor 4 explodes* Animals leave or die* Humans evacuate* Animals :aaaw yeah no more of those weird hairless apes

[@unfa00]

That was flawless, mate!

[@MetalKing1417]

Fungi: Free real estate!

[@seekertosecrets]

Reminds me of those pigeons from the Aflac commercial!

[@DarthGTB]

How about Kyle? That's a hairful ape

[@zeratul4192]

Thin-haired*

[@infiniteaseem6523]

So Jeremy Wade, the legendary host of River Monsters once journeyed into Chernobyl and was granted special permission to fish inside the exclusion zone. He was in search of a mutated 'Som' catfish that had reportedly ripped someone's arm off or something of the sort (the details elude me). When he finally managed to catch the fish near the canals of Reactor no. 4 itself and handed it off to a scientist studying the effects of radiation on wildlife there, they found that instead of being a super huge aggressive mutant, this fish was under half the size that it should've been with about and I quote Jeremy Wade, '16 times the usual level of radiation' . Goes to show ya that radiation exposure doesn't in fact create Incredible Hulks but rather seriously damages the environment and the creatures living in it. And do I even have to say that I loved the episode anymore? Keep it up!

[@jasonrichardson1999]

That creature was not radioactive because do you really think they would allow him to be around that creature if it was 16 times the usual level of radiation

[@jasonrichardson1999]

@@infiniteaseem6523 a catfish was brought in to act as the catfish while the real catfish was probably tagged radiation was read and then let out

[@infiniteaseem6523]

@@jasonrichardson1999 look man I'mma have faith in Wade to tell his audience the truth, you're entitled to your own opinion, so let's just settle the debate at that yea? Cheers🍻

[@jasonrichardson1999]

@@TheKarabanera there's evidence for giant fish being there yes but the som wasn't real and it was a catfish that was brought

[@youtubevoice1050]

Jason Richardson. 16 times background radiation isn't that bad and it very much depends on the specific type of radiation. It certainly wasn't gamma radiation. Most likely the radioactive isotopes were accumulated in the bones and are of the long-lasting type and therefore release little radiation over a long period of time.

[@PatchworkRose567]

It’s crazy how resilient nature is. It bounces back from wildfires, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, tornadoes, and even radiation fallout. Sure, it may not come back exactly like it was before but it’s been shown time and time again to fight its way back to life and adapt to be more prepared for future disasters.

[@darkmyro]

I feel like life kinda has to be. Don't get it wrong there are things that could wipe out everything on the planet(in seconds even). It's just that once life as a whole exists, it can be hard to stamp out completely.

[@connorcriss]

The whole reason nature exists is because some chemical arrangements spread themselves better than others under the conditions earth creates. Changing those conditions might change which chemical arrangements spread the most but it won’t necessarily change how much they spread.

[@cody6970]

"There is no gaint bettles storming around the red forest," Reality is often dissapointing

[@peasant8246]

*proceeds to genetically engineer giant beetles* "But now reality can be whatever I want..."

[@laurentiu.panait2536]

S.TA.L.K.E.R. is still a good game if you want to see giant creatures roaming around Red Forest..

[@xvx_cooldude69_xvx43]

_gaint bettles_

[@aurin_komak]

I fucking hate Red Forest god dammit

[@enricofermi3471]

Red Dead Forest

[@DemonArshan]

I Just ordered a cardboard box from Chernobyl, it was the cheapest microwave I could find...

[@skylx0812]

That was really moving! Were you moved?? I was moved. ...please move

[@karlkuhn1997]

Someone os going to srart selling vodka, grown from rye from Chernobyl.

[@DemonArshan]

@@karlkuhn1997 I'd Drink it, Chernobyl delivers best food.

[@robertagu5533]

@Mason Wadd I heard it was a fart

[@TheKanashimishow]

But but that's ionizing not...oh nevermind.......

[@DeadMarine1980]

Getting a dose of Radiation: Pop culture: Super powers Reality: Super Dead

[@erikhendrickson59]

Dead in the worst way imaginable I might add.

[@Smokey-Haze]

Or TWITTER

[@sulphurous2656]

Death by a thousand cuts at the atomic level

[@brettlovell8761]

Pop culture has nothing on apoptosis.

[@pnutboy3528]

Or super cancer

[@felix4005]

As long as huge mosquitoes aren't a thing I'm happy

[@mr.bubbles5829]

Cough cough fallout blood bugs cough cough

[@X3105i]

Cazadors god do I hate them

[@thekingofcardboard]

Never go to alaska. Some get as big as the palm of your hand.

[@newton3784]

18 Benadryl liquid gels, never again

[@hashly8521]

Honestly they would be pretty cute as a pet, yk

[@puffincz3482]

6:35 Trees were having trouble photosynthesizing so... are those asthmatic trees?

[@iridios6127]

- - - puffin cz Photosynthes is not breathing process , is a feeding process. Your notice not relevant.

[@guanweihe7614]

Twisted Firestarter found the funny one

[@Vexin980]

@@iridios6127 So they're anorexic then?

[@joshgroban5291]

@@iridios6127 plants do respire. If a plant is having trouble taking in CO2 amd having trouble taking out oxygen, then yes, technically "breathing" process is being interrupted. So yes, they are technically asthmatic. The guy is still right

[@iridios6127]

- - - -@@joshgroban5291 Do your homework .

[@insertcolorfulmetaphor8520]

The 3 eyed fish escaped the area, and resettled in Springfield!

[@brandonprater4613]

🎶... he's Blinky, & I think he is in pain, pain, pain, pain, pain!🎶

[@EvilRidingHood]

You look like if Thor and Captain America had a baby together and it was subsequently raised by Bruce Banner and Tony Stark.

[@flednanders7556]

Beige If you ask me, he looks like that Fulbio guy who went to Busch Gardens and ate a wild goose from a roller coaster.

[@ronlawrence5021]

lol.....somebody's got the "hots".....no pun intended.

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

@@flednanders7556 You mean Fabio?

[@gateauxq4604]

It’s because he is, duh.

[@daveslow84]

What a beautiful story @Beige 😯🥰😀😀😀

[@TheAutisticWerewolf]

Catfish in the cooling pools were found to have a significant difference in their genes that showed they had rapidly developed a tolerance to radiation, but the sizes didn't change at all. Glad you covered this.

[@daylonbeavers3552]

Nappa: "Vegeta what does the scouter say about his power level?" Vegeta: ITS. .. 6:20

[@Mellion555]

Nice 😂

[@YourPalQWERTY]

Well played

[@kyleclair41]

Haha I was just waiting for SOMEONE to mention that.

[@dootless3819]

Acres? That's a power level?

[@vishnurk3107]

😆😆

[@ruyman90]

You missed one thing. You mention plants and animals but you forgot about fungus. Thanks to the Chernobyl incident we discovered a decade later the existence of Radiotrophic fungi that performs radiosynthesis, which similar to plants using photosyntesis using photons and chlorophyll to convert sunlight into chemical energy, they convert gamma radiation with melanin into chemical energy to grow as well, at least in theory. While the rest of the living beings there survived or adapted to the circumstances these fungi definitely proliferated because a study compared the growing of these fungi with normal non-melanin based ones and discovered that while it takes more resources for the species to create melanin, in places rich with radiation they grow faster. This then lead to the idea to use them to clean radiation waste or even further to be used as a food resource for astronauts because space is filled with radiation. Just a little positive result after a tragedy.

[@dannygjk]

Good for the fungi but that process does not reduce the amount of radioactive material.

[@ruyman90]

@@dannygjk It doesn't but can give a purpose to the radioactive waste

[@Alondro77]

It likely couples the melanin to the quinones and cytochromes in the electron transport chain, thereby shuttling the electrons excited by gamma radiation directly into the energy-production system of the cells, as well as reducing the levels of radiation the nucleus is directly hit by, since the gamma ray will lose a significant amount of energy after the melanin interaction. I don't know if anyone has studied how much energy the radiation loses per photon equivalent, but it could be enough to convert it to X-rays or even lower wavelengths, which would be far less damaging. Regardless, these fungi must also have an incredibly efficient and accurate DNA repair system. Studying how they survive at all in such high levels of radiation will almost certainly lead to enormous advanced in many areas of cellular research.

[@countchompula1896]

A new mutant monster *The Crushroom*

[@FluorescentGreen5]

oh yeah i detect a super nerd

[@killerbun]

Is it at all possible that the animals surrounding the area may have grown less sensitive to the radiation over time? Like their immune systems have gotten better at selecting and destroying mutated cells

[@coyote16able]

Actually animals that have been autopsyed from the exclusion zone have been shown to be producing a larger amount of natural antioxidants than animals of the same species in other parts of the world. They also have a shorter lifespan on average than other animals of the same species.

[@cloudsnaut]

The thing is that radiation not only affects the cells of a living being but also damages their atoms

[@Lexi-vj1lm]

coyote16able hey, do you have a source for this?

[@killerbun]

@@cloudsnaut there are at least some extreme examples of animals with specific resistance to radiation such as water bears. They have a much more efficient system for removing corrupted cells then other animals

[@domino8505]

If we can believe all Chernobyl documentaries all domestic and most of wild animals in exclusion zone were hunt down to stop them from spreading contamination (point which this video omitts). So I would think that current animal population came some time after catastrophe and might not have time or maybe even need to develop any changes.

[@llt8101]

Since several of the animals probably died, at the beginning then the remaining animals must have less genetic diversity. There are a lot of problems that would come from that.

[@strakhovandrri]

The exclusion zone is just 30 kms. Even if somebody dis die - the numbers would be replenished soon.

[@gutsontrees]

When you go to Chernobyl to get an extra arm like in the movies but you just get a parasitic twin

[@chaosjacky]

I just visited Pryp'yat' ghost town this weekend, great timing for this video! There are many stray dogs and we were told not to touch them. We were also told not to touch the vegetation or sit on the ground or have exposed skin. But everything looks normal. We didn't see any red pine trees or weird looking vegetation. One guy in the group didn't care about the rules and stroke the dogs (they are very tame, looking for affection) and touched everything. But after the mandatory scans upon leaving the exclusion zone, he wasn't contaminated, so the dogs were also not contaminated? The geiger counters also didn't show much activity, a part from the occasional objects but nothing life threatening for the small amount of time staying there. Anyway when you go there, you can't deny that nature has completely taken over the town, and many locals will confirm that wildlife is growing. It's really fascinating, although since the HBO series, many "stupid" tourists are going there, who have no interest in the science, and most of the tour guides don't seem to care either.

[@asdfg2560]

Can you blame him for wanting to pet the good boys?

[@thistlestuck]

@@asdfg2560 Nope.

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

That's mostly because there ARE major hotspots in certain places, and an animal that just tracked into one wouldn't look any different

[@petercampbell4220]

At this point, it is all external dose, the contamination is deeply mixed with the ground. Eating foods grown there ( animals or plants ), will result in an "uptake" Cs137 is similar to porassium, and Sr90 is similar to calcium. So they get incorporated into you- you become"hot" not in a good way. And don't drink the water. Probably could live there but would need to import all yor water and food.

[@Django0324]

Why did you put yat in single quotes?

[@JohnA...]

So what you are saying is that the "Red Dead" forest was redeemed and started over, a kind of red dead redemption so to say... Majestic TASTY Beast

[@J-Rod91]

John A. FUCKING GENIUS!!!!! 👏🏻 👏🏻👍🏻

[@voivodadracula1936]

In before Godzilla pops up from Chernobyl and travels to the rest of Europe

[@Otokichi786]

As in the Korean film, "The Host"?

[@sothisis1962]

I don’t know if this is factual but how big something is can coralate to how much oxygen is in the air if there’s tons of oxygen available and everything in that area has the ability to soak it up then they get bigger um a fish that radioactively gains the ability to slowly absorb more oxygen in an environment like water where the only thing they can soak up is oxygen among other things they need to live then yeah they just might grow bigger

[@sothisis1962]

wrong comment lol

[@dootless3819]

Godzilla needs radiation to survive, eh? Wouldn't he just stay at Chernobyl, the most irradiated place on Earth?

[@voivodadracula1936]

@@dootless3819 fair point, but the movies (they are somewhat like the Godzilla bible or something) explain that he can succ the radiation off of stuff, so depending on the writer and director he could leave Chernobyl habitable to humans

[@thatsnodildo1974]

"Ah yes a safety test. What could go wrong 00.00.....0.60 OH NO IT ALL WENT WRONG"

[@SI0AX]

It's like the university bridge collapse. "Lets stress test the bridge to see if it will fail. Oh... it failed the test while people were underneath it..."

[@seushimarejikaze1337]

if you omit safety procedures on already not-so-tested machinery just to see if it can withstand it.... well tough luck

[@leonardoboccaletti1790]

Hey Kyle, love the show! But it's been 2 videos now, with this one specifically talking about the wildlife (in the previous you had only mentioned it) and no mention of the fungi? While we are talking about wildlife in Chernobyl, what about the Radiotrophic Fungi that was discovered around the powerplant? Species of Fungus found around Chernobyl (Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Wangiella dermatitidis, and Cryptococcus neoformans) were discovered to use an Melanin pigment on their cells to convert Gamma radiation into chemical energy much like plants use Chlorophyll, converting what would be lethal radiation for most forms of life into an energy source for celular growth. An extreme example of nature finding a way to adapt to adversity. Why no love for the fungi Kyle?

[@pizzas4breakfast]

Could these fungi eventually be used to mop up nuclear radiation and waste?

[@leonardoboccaletti1790]

@@pizzas4breakfast I don't think so, since they use the radiation emmited by the radioactive material in the reactor, but don't actually interact with the radioactive material directly. Basicaly they don't stop the source of radiation just like Plants don't stop the source of light they use for Photosynthesis. They just use the energy emmited.

[@dannygjk]

gamma radiation doesn't just get converted. Nuclear 'chemical' reactions are a completely different thing than regular chemical reactions.

[@metanumia]

I agree with Leonardo Boccaletti, while I love all of these episodes, I would really like to see more discussion about fungi in any video for which they are relevant. Come to think of it, fungi could be relevant in a surprisingly large number of Because Science episodes!

[@Alondro77]

Actually, the pathway is extraordinarily similar to photosynthesis. You forget, visible light is merely another set of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, THE SAME CLASS AS GAMMA. Alpha and beta are PARTICLE radiation which directly transfer electrons to ionize neutral matter (for alpha and beta-minus, which is just a helium nucleus and an electron, this is true. For positrons, beta-plus... are antimatter and mutually annihilate when combined with an electron, which then releases gamma rays and neutrinos). Anyway, the melanin molecule is able to interact with a gamma ray similarly to the manner in which light excites electrons in chlorophyll. These fungi have somehow managed to couple this electron excitation to a metabolic pathway and use the energy to synthesize sugars. Since we're talking about excited electrons, it's almost certainly a modification to the mitochondrial electron transport chain, perhaps in the quinone and cytochrome molecules, which can absorb and transport free electrons from other coupled molecules.

[@jonmurph589]

Kyle Hill - master of writing backwards

[@tdf_worldkey8568]

Oh my that's true isn't it

[@MrAsh-hr9mm]

All he would have to do is write normal. Then flip the image for your viewing pleasure. Seems more practical.

[@chendzeeali6545]

That's what they do.

[@Denashi]

He didn't entirely master writing the 'ø' though... however, since it is rarely used outside the Scandinavian countries (Denmark and Norway in particular), I won't blame him!

[@Thefreakyfreek]

@@Denashi its used in engineering a lot for diameter jes its a bit difrent but not much for writing

[@ultraversestudios5059]

3:23 what about reptiles, just so I know if Godzilla is possible.

[@red1246]

Between insects and birds...

[@noobguy9973]

if a lizard got that much radiation it would just get cancer and die ... and even if it got that big square cube law would kill it automatically by its own weight

[@HarmonicaMustang]

In summary: When humans wipe themselves out, Mother Nature will just roll her eyes, shake her head and carry on.

[@friendlycreeper1045]

yea true

[@arnoldafapelkarna9505]

So you are telling me there no Ghouls, Yao Guais or Deathclaws around Chernobyl?...Bummer

[@dasdazor4913]

Thought i could finally use my power armor :(

[@vanguard616]

@@dasdazor4913 dammit, now what do I do with my Fusion Cores?

[@shadowheart8279]

Pay me 10 diamonds or 3 wither skeleton heads and i'll tell you the real truth about chernobyl.

[@albertjackinson]

@@vanguard616 Fusion produces no radioactive waste.

[@ashenwuss1651]

Can I still put my quantum harmonizer in someone's photonic resonation chamber?

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

This bird egg has been hit with radiation it will evolve into A slightly different bird once it hatch most disappointing Pokémon ever

[@davidmoore1253]

It will probably also be infertile.

[@jaimekaput3149]

It will evolve into an omelet

[@KainaX122]

Your Pigeon egg hatched into. . . A slightly off-colored Pidgeon!

[@henryrivera2546]

USS Anime DD24 Chicken and then the chicken lays the egg with more radiation it is now a chicken nugget egg

[@tusharanand6301]

Slightly different coloured bird that can't reproduce and will probably die soon I CHOOSE YOU

[@moguldamongrel3054]

4:00 this was actually a very nice analogy

[@stavroliginos5502]

Brother I just discovered you and I’m so happy. Your style is Fresh and I love your passion I can feel it. You just earned a life long sub.

[@Jedi_Spartan_38]

Top Gear: Let's drive through Chernobyl with two cars on low petrol...

[@juliuspavilovskis4862]

Lemme just cover all holes of my car with ducktape

[@ZalorgLeGoose]

@@juliuspavilovskis4862 lead infused duct tape

[@ZalorgLeGoose]

The old top gear was the best

[@becausescience]

Fascinating bit about this I'll talk about in Footnotes... -- kH

[@PaleCaretaker]

@@becausescience Finally host who reads comments

[@SeantheBawse]

What about the beetles that were physically symmetric, but had different and asymmetric color patterns? Das pretty cool...

[@lordspider3958]

Yeah, they actually look pretty neat. The spiders in the area have also been somewhat effected. They have a lot of trouble building symmetrical webs.

[@biggusballuz5405]

@Mike'e Stark Heterochromia. 'Nuff said.

[@overactiveimagination9647]

Kyle, kudos on everything you post, my friend. I love to watch your videos when I have free time, both to be entertained and to learn about things I never asked to learn, yet enjoy. You just have this way that sucks people into your videos. I absolutely love to watch these and just veg out to the nerdly goodness. Also, ya look like a very wise thor :)

[@sifuculreif6448]

I've heard that the Chernobyl catfish are larger than average ones, but only like 2 or 3 times larger, and only because they have no predators eating them. They keep growing as long as they live, or until they're as big as their waters (or fish tanks) will fit.

[@TheFN19]

*Fukushima happens* Mother Nature: "Ah shit, here we go again"

[@MrAsh-hr9mm]

Saturn turns to Jupiter.. "Is it true that Earth is infested with humans?"

[@demogorgonzola]

News from today: "Two people were killed and a short-term spike in radiation levels was recorded in a northern Russian city after a rocket engine exploded at a military testing site on Thursday (Aug 8). 'A short-term rise in background radiation was recorded at 12 o'clock in Severodvinsk,' Ksenia Yudina, a spokeswoman for the city authorities, was quoted as saying by TASS news agency."

[@andrewmartin1829]

@@demogorgonzola oh?

[@Alondro77]

Russian radioactive animals, "HA HA HA!! VEEK JAPANESE VILDLIFE NOT VITHSTAND RADIATION LIKE STRONG RUSSIAN VILDLIFE!!"In Russia, the animals are so badass they evolve to eat radiation. :O

[@ribbitgoesthedoglastnamehe4681]

@@demogorgonzola According to military sources, no radiation was ever released, and have now returned to normal. Ships have been prevented from sailing in the area that is not affected in any way. The rocket which exploded was not a nuclear missile, and it can be proven by the lack of increase in radiation in the area. Especially no nuclear warheads were involved, and the non existing nuclear warhead was not pulverized in the rocket explosion, and thus no radioactive plutonium could have been released into atmosphere. The exclusion zone is for your protection from over eager military policemen who are not patrolling the area. Please, if you see anything out of the ordinary, report it to authorities at ONCE, bend over and grab your ankles.

[@toddkorson6390]

Been waiting for a video on this.

[@ThePOSM]

The insects look really insane up there lol, mainly discoloration, none the less, looks interesting! Great work

[@Nathreim1]

Some of the catfish living in the cooling ponds have had significant mutations. Jeremy Wade is shown a picture of one in one of his episodes of Rivermonsters.

[@iridios6127]

- - - Scourgelord Nathreim Nope --- they just grow big.

[@joshgroban5291]

@@iridios6127 growing too big when they're not supposed too, IS a mutation

[@iridios6127]

- - - - @@joshgroban5291 Return to school,re-read biology . Many of species on our planet *never* stop the growing, till death --- and it common thing for fish. But humans not allow them do this by catching and eating.

[@joshgroban5291]

@@iridios6127 catfish don't stop growing, but they're rates slow down. If a catfish grows "too" big at an abnormal rate, it's a mutation, not a normal thing. Notice how I said "when they're not supposed to." Don't assume I don't understand biology when you just misread my words

[@ethanbartiromo2888]

@@joshgroban5291 They still grow forever until they die of natural causes, it may slow down, but it's not an exponential deceleration, it's more linear for different species, whereas in Humans it is Exponential

[@NoBody-tx2li]

When can we have a defined scale of radion? Curries, rads, greys , sieverts, chanskies. will someone just pick a lane, I am tired of re-re-re- calculating my perceived scale of death.

[@lylebrownrigg7403]

Also, stop mixing Standard and Metric. Pick one or the other, dagnabbitt!

[@iridios6127]

+No Body 1Grey = 1 sievert = 100 rads. Curie -- not relevant. Chanskies IDK what is it.

[@leeman27534]

the problem is, they're usually measuring different ways to affect things, therefore it's not just how much radiation there is in a given area.

[@xiro6]

one scientist,tired of making conversions between the 6 different scales of radiation worked hard to make a standarized scale and succeed. so now we have 7 different scales.

[@craftygamer2391]

Honestly, this is the one thing I hated when I was learning chemistry. Having different measurements for similar things seems counterintuitive to me

[@coryzilligen790]

Loved the video. One related topic I'm familiar with that didn't get mentioned here or (as far as I could see) in the comments was the reports of multi-legged frogs (particularly in the mid to late 1990s), which were being popularly attributed to radioactive mutations (among other suggested causes). It turns out that they were _actually_ being caused by a parasitic infection (namely, by flatworms of the _Ribeiroia_ genus), which were causing those mutations in the tadpoles to make them easier targets for predators.

[@Cloak_N_Dagger]

I was thinking about life and humanity and all that deep shit recently and I touched on something interesting that you reminded me of. I think something that firmly and decisively sets humanity apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, what clearly shows our sentience, is our ability to realize that we're an invasive species and feel remorse for that fact. Sure, that might not be the only thing that sets us apart, but it's certainly one of the most striking, I think.

[@erbgorre]

as a rule of thumb, accelerated mutagenesis isnt bad for life as a whole, but of course potentially catastrophic for any individual life form. which means that, at the very least, you could resonably expect the chernobyl incident to bring forth a much larger variety in phenotypes of species than in other comparable environments. but the total number of higher organisms may well be down for many generations as not all of these phenotypes will be fit to survive and thrive. the thing about the beneficial effects of removing the stress of humans from an ecosystem is definitely unquestionable.

[@Icarus_OW_]

Could you do an episode on Mt. St. Helens wildlife? After the explosion.

[@zombiegroan3985]

Ethan Way and the forces behind the most famous explosion that I believe killed a few scientists.

[@mal35m]

YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!

[@Icarus_OW_]

@@samarnadra Yea, I did research on one of the volcanologists, David Johnston. He died on the mountain but it was really interesting looking at what he had found.

[@chellesama8256]

@@samarnadra The official zone was based on the idea of a vertical eruption; it just didn't occur to anyone that a volcano would erupt from the side. The logging industry in the area did play a part, but failure of imagination was probably the bigger part of the poorly plotted danger zones.

[@MrAsh-hr9mm]

He could cover not just that one. But the many different types of eruptions and lava flows. Different volcanoes and their behaviors. Cover down on Mt. St. Helen's.. but also the energy and damage radius of the Yellowstone caldera that's ready to pop like a supermassive Jack in the box.

[@mrs.dr.spencerreid3992]

To hell with the content (just kidd’in) I watch for Kyle ‼️. Wholly molecular that guy’s *GORGEOUS*. SUBSCRIBED 😆

[@SuperSaiyaman3]

6:19 *casually drops an "OVER 9000" lol*

[@Alondro77]

There are several mutant fungi living in the reactor core that appear to 'photosynthesize' with gamma radiation, via a melanin-based electron-excitation mechanism. Their nuclei also somehow have become resistant to radiation levels 10,000 times the lethal level for humans. Studying the DNA protection mechanisms they've developed could help us drastically slow cellular damage from carcinogen and radiation exposure, as well as perhaps boosting cellular repair.

[@anomaly0039]

we'd have to get to the fungi and extract it without dying is the thing though

[@Mgl1206]

The Chosen Pessimist robot

[@juanlucas8907]

@@Mgl1206 robots can't withstand these radiation levels

[@Mgl1206]

Juan Lucas I know since there was that German robot or something that they sent for the clean up to pick up carbon tiles or whatever I think but due to the radiation actually failed to turn on at all.

[@cybirdo6063]

Why couldn't we just throw on some heavy duty rad-hazard suits and extract the shrooms? Radiation is just ionized atoms that ionize other atoms by knocking off their electrons, throw on enough airtight, non reactive/resistant clothing or gear and you should be 99% fine.

[@jackhamilton1168]

Kyle: “That would be pretty rad” Me: hahaha yeah man, oh wait that science joke 😯

[@photelegy]

10:59 What? This marker text is really in front of him, so that it produces a shadow on the paper? I always thought it's only CGI/VFX.

[@reedr7142]

I wish other KZbinrs had your integrity. So many click-bait losers out there, and/or people who don't do enough diligent research before posting a video. You explain things to a great extent, and then you follow that up with caveats and contrasting statements. Fantastic job.

[@graylinshowell7051]

"After these radioactive particles settled as a kind of deadly dust they irradiated including infrastructure, the land, the water, people's clothes and hair, plants, animals..." And my sweet baby thyroid, Kyle.

[@The47hitmen]

Hi Kyle, great episode as always! I remember I saw a documentary (sorry I couldn't find it again, I'm a bit lazy, but I think it was on Arte) explaining that: 1) Some of the plants like birches for example, didn't suffer much of the radiation because their DNA is much simpler than ours and thus, can't be damaged as easily by the energetic particles released. 2) The mammals living here are separated in "two groups", the large ones, who learned the places to avoid and the little ones (like mouses and rats) because they have a smaller life cycle, reproduce quickly and are naturally adaptable are developing a resistance to radiation by augmenting their immune system, especially the process that allows to repair its DNA 3) Each year their are tons of migratory birds who die because they find the place attractive but don't know where it's safe and where it's not and as each year the population who come dies they can't give the information to the rest of the specie so it creates a circle and it happens over and over again. I hope that this will prove to be true and help to understand why in conjunction with human absence things go well for wild life despite the radiation. Keep up the good work, it's good to have people who share science in this kind of way on the internet!

[@bradstewart7498]

I thoroughly enjoy watching these. Answers alot of what ifs

[@komemiute]

Great exposition. ^_^

[@flowersstorms8863]

No question - just wanted to get in early while you're reading comments to thank you for your fantastic channel, Kyle. You're a great science communicator and I recommend your videos to my students (I'm a UK-based educator) 👍

[@becausescience]

Best praise I can get! It really validates the hard work for me. Thank you so much for sharing -- and tell your students I said hello! -- kH

[@flowersstorms8863]

@@becausescience Will do! 😃

[@jonathanmatthews4774]

Class, your homework for tonight is too watch an episode of "Because Science". There will be a quiz tomorrow on whether a light saber can cut through Captain America's shield.

[@zsquid1947]

Jonathan Matthews yo not gonna lie, if that was the topic, I’d go to that class 🤣👌

[@aidanrogers4438]

12:39 When Kyle goes from God of Thunder to Princess of Thunder.

[@Roboshi2007]

I think there will be some mutations in higher lifeforms, however it's gonna be limited by how many young will just not get born or not be viable. Insects produce hundreds upon thousands of young, compared to a mammal or birds less than 10 a year. so you will find more in insects. Plus higher life will fail much easier when grown in a womb if it is mutated.

[@sparkysheep]

One thing to remember about the recovery rate for the ecosystem is that EXTENSIVE efforts were made for cleanup especially ones to preserve water systems. This story would probably be incredibly different if the landscape had been left untouched, the red forest in place and the groundwater and rivers to be contaminated. Another interesting thing is he talked about the decimated insect populations but not about the fact that mycelium was and continues to be almost entirely absent in the exclusion zone. The decay cycle is severely slowed and hampered by the lack of fungi and molds, leaf litter that fell years ago is still mostly intact today. This will have a knock-effect as nutrients are drawn out of the soil but not replaced by decay.

[@_Korinzu]

Like the fact that "let's get technical" is catching on.

[@jomiar309]

Thank you for covering topics like this in the same way you do other topics--non-biased and just reporting what the research shows. As a nuclear engineer with a massive interest in radiobiology, everything I've seen points to nature being pretty resilient, and radiation generally being far less bad for life than we often think. To get it to be dangerous, you need extraordinary situations (like 12 gray/day--that's pretty extraordinary).

[@emarsk77]

: Let's make a test to see what happens if something goes wrong. !!!!BOOM!!!!! : Oh, THAT's what happens.

[@d.nyoutube]

First I left a subscription! I can also say something about the topic, I'm from Germany and that's still affecting us there! After the fallout, which mainly took place in Bavaria and Baden-Würtenberg, there is a station where shot game and mushrooms are examined. There every game is examined, there are still very strongly radioactive wild boars in the regions!

[@ArthurEKing8472]

I remember having seen something about flatworms being found near chernobyl that were significantly larger than normal, but that was the only wildlife mutation that I had heard of. But yeah, pop-culture thinks that radiation = mutation. And to a certain extent it kinda does, yes, BUT in general those mutations are random, rarely in the gonadatropic cells, (sex cells, like sperm and ova) and ergo rarely passed on to children. And those that ARE passed to children rarely allow those children to be viable! and so those children just don't grow up. Nature is incredibly resilient in this. So the idea of glowing birds, or two-headed deer is highly unlikely. Note: highly unlikely does NOT equal impossible. Those kinds of mutations CAN happen, it's just so unlikely that it boggles the mind. I mean we've actually MADE glowing cats in a lab in Japan, by splicing specific genes into them. But the chance that the same kind of genes would magically appear in something that was affected by radiation from a nuclear disaster? About the same chance of a monkey, sitting at a typewriter, writing out War & Peace by randomly hitting the keyboard. That's the "beauty" of the way life has managed to survive over these billions of years. That something happens that causes a selective pressure on a population. MOST of that population won't necessarily do so well, as they aren't perfectly adapted to the current paradigm. Those that survive, whether by luck or skill, manage to pass on those genes to their offspring, and without as much competition, they have every resource at their disposal to propagate profusely. That's the "selection" part of natural selection at work. The second half of that is the natural mutation chance, whether through bacterial or viral injection, background radiation, solar effects, cosmic rays from nearby super-novae, or just random quantuum fluctuations, is the random genetic damage that happens naturally over time. This damage IS the one thing that has allowed life to evolve. This damage on a per-individual basis is often HORRIBLE and debilitating, and most often fatal. In those rare circumstances when it's NOT fatal, it's rarely useful, and even more rarely capable of being passed on to their offspring. But that's the crux of the matter when it comes to mutation. Time. Rarity. These things mean almost NOTHING in the face of the numbers we are dealing with. Because if there are a million deer in a herd (in Northern Canada Caribou heard number in the several millions, so not unrealistic) and 1% of those deer are mutated. And 1% of those that are mutated survive. and 1% of those that survive can pass that mutation on... That means every single generation, there is one new mutation passed on. Maybe it could change the colour of their coats to a slightly different shade of brown. Maybe it seems to do nothing, but accidentally provides a resistance to some virus or bacteria that prey upon their population, or maybe it does nothing at all. But if there's a new mutant born every generation, the SECOND that one of those random mutations DOES make a difference through some kind of external selective pressure... BOOM that gene becomes the norm, instead of the mutant. So why does life seem not to have been effected the way pop culture thinks it does? Well over time, all these mutations have made the various species we deal with very well adapted for the role they play, and so it takes an extraordinary event to cause any large change to a species that overcomes the natural pressures of their environment. In short, why no two-headed deer? Because Science!

[@bable6314]

Pretty sure the whole flatworm thing was just a fictional plotpoint in the 1998 American Godzilla film.

[@commandantd44]

Kyle, I must say, as much as I enjoy your analyses of sci-fi universes, hearing you talk about stuff in real life like this is also fantastic. Please do more videos like this in the future

[@AlbertoGonzalez4GT]

Love your videos man! Amazing quality and impact.

[@Sienn]

Nice 👌 Hey, is it possible to explain how air jump in movie or fiction work? Seems interesting

[@albertjackinson]

Please bring back the "Surprise Lightsaber!" moments!

[@juliuspavilovskis4862]

We. Need. Those!

[@albertjackinson]

@@juliuspavilovskis4862 Yes we do!

[@Miko-vi8vq]

Surprise Radiationsaber!

[@albertjackinson]

@@Miko-vi8vq Oooh. Themed for each episode! I like it!

[@becausescience]

I'm not exaggerating -- I literally don't know what else about lightsabers I could talk about -- kH

[@aidanlevy2841]

Loved the episode! But especially loved the breakdown on why you were inconclusive. Not enough communicators will detail why they are unsure, they just say more sciencing needs to happen for a conclusion to be definite.

[@blackseir6390]

If you watch shiey's trip into pripyat, the micro sieverts levels are at roughly 0.30 to 0.60 which doesn't pose any health issues unless you're exposed to it for months on end, there are some people who live in the outskirts of the zone as well

[@The.watcher]

Wait, I can’t support with a url because it has been years, but I recall a group of scientists that were monitoring wildlife that birds were found with changes in their beaks - mostly shorter beaks. And that deer encountered discoloration which made them easier to spot in the woods. There was also a full segment about changes to the wolves and wild dogs in that area, but again was many years ago so I do not recall exactly what happened. But I do remember their study saying wildlife was flocking to the exclusion zone because of the decreased human activity.

[@MinkDaddy]

And thus Pokemon were born! Man, if that was true, I'd sabotage all nuclear powerplants and become the very best!

[@shadowheart8279]

Gotta make them all.

[@eatyoudown7268]

The Strategist Minks Aaaaaand now the CIA has you on a watch list

[@vigilantstranger6130]

That no one ever was

[@gryphon8tr330]

To train them is my cause

[@tatsusama3192]

I will travel across the land. Polluting far and wide

[@cristarose503]

"That would be rad!" 😂 I hope that was on purpose.

[@dootless3819]

r4D. Yes, that would be RADiation.

[@adamgitmed3779]

Really glad he covered that River Monsters episode myth.

[@RedKobalt]

What I want to be talked about in relation to nature vs radiation is the fungi. Apparently there's some pretty funky mushrooms growing around the elephants foot. You know, the hunk of molten core that we humans can't spend more than 2 minutes around. And they're growing. Evolving and turning into something that can survive, and maybe even thrive, in highly radioactive conditions. The extreme example aside, what about the fungi in the exclusion zone? It it mutating too? Mushrooms are highly diverse and incredibly resilient and adaptable, and have been used in several things from drugs to fertilizer. What could be made out of radiation mushrooms?

[@STRAKAZulu]

"That would be pretty rad..."

[@akumaking1]

No animal X-Men or Godzilla? Lame.

[@anthonymacgregor9790]

x-men dont get their powers from radiation

[@JW-wp3yh]

Watch out Josh it’s the x men police

[@anthonymacgregor9790]

@@JW-wp3yh oh look its the 1990s back with a old joke

[@BrianD146]

Thank you so much Kyle for this optimistic piece about nuclear power. I just wanted to add more about the positive effects. In the worst case scenarios of a massive earthquake and tidal wave with Fukushima no one died of radiation poisoning. But rather from the overreaction of the government not allowing people to return to their homes. A lot of people could have returned to their homes with very few mitigating factors. With Chernobyl, the RBMK reactors primary design was to create plutonium for nuclear weapons. Electricity was just a byproduct. The accident occurred because of the reckless ambitions of the lead engineer on duty. The deaths were created by the Soviet government not being upfront about the disaster. Just hundreds of feet away was reactor number three and then reactor number two and one. They kept running for about another 15 years. In both these scenarios today there is tourism including people that are walking right up to the reactor for a limited amount of time. Everyone knows that the news sells fear and anger. The news is part of the problem with keeping this truly green energy source from being deployed. There are forces that want to make nuclear power so expensive it can never be bilt. Principle among them are oil companies. The deaths and expense of global warming with its extreme weather is obvious and plays out everyday. I'm excited about generation 4 reactors. They're about six different designs and they have about six different characteristics. Some of the best characteristics are -They're considered walk away safe. -They burn more nuclear waste than they create. -The waste is considered hazardous for far less time. -They're non-proliferation so they can't be used for nuclear weapons. - The designs are small and can be as common as a hospital. They take up the footprint of about a Walmart. A truly local power grid to accompany wind and solar. This is truly the future that's going to power our electric cars and trucks. Some of the byproducts of nuclear power is creating hydrogen. This could power our airplanes, trains and ships. I look forward to clean skies without smog or inversion layers. I would much rather live next door to a nuclear power plant then a power plant admitting CO2 gas in other poisons and toxins.

[@beargreen1]

Wow gotta love how he puts this

[@blacksheep5183]

The reason we haven't found mutated animals is because they've been shipped to Area 51 immediately, thus, the storming of it must happen.

[@staz_korragg7746]

Black Sheep Why would mutated animals from Chernobyl be sent to a American military base?

[@YavorM-Yash]

Let alone in a Cold war era.

[@skylx0812]

Haven't you ever seen an ALIEN movie? ...because Weyland-Yutani-Disney wants to turn them into movies then remake them as cji films.

[@johnnyearl2612]

@@staz_korragg7746.. didn't you know the Americans and Russians were secretly working together we just traded a couple of aliens for a few mutated monsters😂

[@DanSto11]

Hey Kyle, Great episode! It's nice to see a video talking about how we don't always agree on something, and we should not just jump to conclusions when there is little concensus! Keep it up👍👍

[@seranonable]

12:34 I was hoping the deer was going to go full Dead Space when you touched it

[@awesometon]

There was actually a pretty cool looking two headed deer in one of the first few episodes of season one of The 100

[@godless1014]

Animals are flourishing in an area where humans have been removed. In other news: the sky is blue.

[@aolcom-nl9qb]

I dislike humans, hope they never return to Chernobyl area, it should be a restricted nature preserve.

[@joseppik8514]

Well theres still workers there to make sure nothing else happens

[@jarskil8862]

great to see someone literally saying "we dont know enough" too many influencers and media are pushing their own agendas and doing assumptions about things they dont know.

[@johnshepard7630]

Loved this episode

[@Knewman7777]

12:30 "Shhahh! Majestic Beast!" 🤣🤣

[@KyngShadow]

this was probably your best opening. Great intro, awesome episode.

[@sammjust2233]

I've heard it's similar the the DMZ where animals can get away from people

[@birdiemcchicken1471]

"Were you killed?" Nature: Sadly, yes... But I lived!

[@TWLML420]

your videos are legit AF great content!

[@curtisking8393]

Could you do a video on how strong Saitama would need to be to hold his breath in space. Also his season 2 feats? Including his speed when he fought speed o sound sonic

[@flapafloupas4262]

Bro you ask so much things 1.why saitama 2.to hold your breath in space you dont need strength! Wtf?!?!

[@ArkBlanc]

You can't hold your breath in space. All the oxygen in your lungs will be pulled out from your nose, your mouth, even your eyeholes, because of the vacuum. Strength has nothing to do with it, Saitama only survived it easily because he's a comedy character.

[@flapafloupas4262]

@@ArkBlanc thats right!!

[@karlo134652]

@@ArkBlanc so basically he's a descendant of Friza? LoL

[@cuttersidwell]

This is one of my favorite subjects! Thanks for the awesome video 👍😊

[@onkeldieter5175]

River Monsters had an episode on the cooling pond and the wells catfish where they discovered that the fish that was brought up was around half the size it should have been for its age if I'm remembering the episode correctly

[@worstestminipainter2391]

I died on the "Majestic Beast" line! 😆 🤣 😂

[@braingasim]

Hey Kyle, Would a sonic shower like in Star Trek be possible?

[@Drkwll]

That's an interesting one. It seems plausible.

[@what3269]

Wow, was that a parallax effect for the drawn surrounding area? Gorgeous.

[@sturggaming6759]

Pretty cool videos subscribed

[@aghrist]

This is probably my favorite video you have done....that said, I watch the channel so much for the other content (sci-fi videos, comic facts), so don’t you dare quit the other stuff. Question, if humans had a nuclear war, are you saying that the world would simply adapt and there would probably just be a world where we die off and the rest of the animal and plant kingdom exists/returns?