Animal life thriving around Fukushima

Science Daily  January 6, 2020 Using a network of remote cameras placed along a gradient of radiological contamination and human presence, an international team of researchers (USA – University of Georgia, Japan) collected data on population‐level impacts to wildlife (that is, abundance and occupancy patterns). They found no evidence of population‐level impacts in mid‐ to large‐sized mammals or gallinaceous birds, and show several species were most abundant in human‐evacuated areas, despite the presence of radiological contamination. These data provide unique evidence of the natural rewilding of the Fukushima landscape following human abandonment, and suggest that effects of radiological exposure in […]

New way to protect against high-dose radiation damage discovered

Science Daily  May 30, 2019 Exposure to high-dose irradiation (>10 gray) from the uncontrolled release of radioactive materials or intensive radiotherapy for cancer treatment can cause gastrointestinal syndrome (GIS), a lethal disorder affecting the intestinal structure. To assess medical countermeasures, it is essential to develop specific and robust animal models in which the relationship between radiation doses, GIS incidence, and severity can be correlated with the histopathology of the intestine. Researchers in Spain aim to understand cell biology and molecular events of GIS after radiation exposure by using a genetic GIS mouse model generated in their laboratory. This information will […]