The Fukushima nuclear disaster is one of those news stories
that we – including the MSM – all tend to forget once the furor has died down.
Perhaps we shouldn’t.
"Radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster
caused mutations to butterflies, researchers show in a new study. The study,
published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, documented physiological and
genetic damage to the pale grass blue Zizeeria maha, which
was overwintering as larvae when the nuclear disaster began.
The researchers write that "the Zizeeria maha population in the Fukushima area is
deteriorating physiologically and genetically. Most likely, this deterioration
is due to artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, as
suggested by our field work and laboratory experiments." "It has been
believed that insects are very resistant to radiation," lead researcher
Joji Otaki from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, told BBC news. "In that sense, our results were
unexpected," said Otaki.
As ABC News explains the experiment, scientists first began
tracking common butterflies around the nuclear plant two months after the
disaster. They collected 121 insects, and found 12 percent of them had
unusually small wings. That number jumped more than 5 percent when butterflies
collected from the plant site had offspring of their own.
In another group of butterflies collected six months after
the disaster, scientists found 28 percent had “abnormal” traits. That number
nearly doubled among the second generation born. Researchers noted other
abnormalities including malformed antennae and appendages. The researchers say
the information found in their study "has invaluable implications for the
possible future effects of radiation on animals."
The secret word is Caterpillar