Look to nature surviving so well in Chernobyl?

smackay · on March 17, 2011

Nature is doing so well around Chernobyl because of the lack of humans. I don't have a reference to hand but I beleive that the birds in the area have a high rate of genetic defects and low reproductive success. That fact that the environment seems to be doing well is a statement of how much impact humans have on their surroundings.

copper · on March 17, 2011

Yes, I remember that one: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-chernobyl-birds-smaller-...

Rereading it, it seems that the effects seen on the birds are seen in humans too, but at higher contamination levels.

Tichy · on March 17, 2011

Nature adapts - it might counter with more births and shorter life spans, or whatever. Just because cockroaches prosper doesn't mean humans would.

possibilistic · on March 17, 2011

I doubt "nature" and humans utilize the same repair processes. There are also a wide variety of reproduction strategies that minimize the requirement for long lasting information integrity in any single individual.

It'd be incredibly interesting to look for changes in the repair mechanisms of these organisms--especially the promoters. I bet they're being expressed at ridiculously high levels.