The DNA damage from ionizing radiation (IR) erupting from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 is showing up in the children of those originally exposed, researchers have found – the first time such a transgenerational link has been clearly established.
Research: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-07030-5
Archived version: archive.is/…/dna-mutations-discovered-in-the-chil…
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stink@lemmygrad.ml 2 weeks ago
Why is this any different than other mutations?
There are children who could be born yesterday in Vietnam that still face the effects of Agent Orange.
Chaotic_Altruist@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
The identical pairs of changes show that the mutations are being passed on because it’s unlikely to have two identical nearby mutations without inheriting them from the parent.
This has been basically common sense (simply because damaged DNA would be replicated in a damaged state) for a while but it’s nice to have data. Never know of people’s germ cells and therefore children are being affected until you do the tests.
Yup you’re totally right. Talked to a girl recently who’s mom was exposed to agent orange in Hawaii and is wondering if she’s facing effects now. DNA damage isn’t just in an individual, it could cause changes in entire societies or even species.