Worms living near Chernobyl are immune to radiation.
Worms at Chernobyl are immune to radiation
The 1986 nuclear disaster transformed the area into the most radioactive landscape on the planet and meant humans had to be evacuated but worms that continue to live in the exclusion zone have seemingly developed the "superpower" of radiation immunity and are physically and genetically different from other worms.
As part of the study, experts visited Chernobyl to examine nematodes - tiny worms with rapid reproduction - where the startling discovery was made.
Dr. Sophia Tintor, lead author of the study at New York University, told MailOnline: "Chernobyl was a tragedy of incomprehensible scale, but we still don't have a great grasp on the effects of the disaster on local populations.
"Did the sudden environmental shift select for species, or even individuals within a species, that are naturally more resistant to ionizing radiation?"