"Scientists have uncovered mechanisms that allow plants to thrive in highly radioactive environments like Chernobyl.
They analyzed seeds from soybean and flax grown near the site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor which exploded in 1986.
The team says that plants may have an innate ability to cope with radioactivity
One thing, the scientists in that article were shown wearing gloves, masks and goggles. Would those be goggles to cover the eyes entirely, to prevent anything radioactive sticking to the moist surface of the eye?
And mammals find it a little bit harder to cope (BBC linky 2 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10819027))
The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl has revealed that mammals are declining in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant."
“It should also be kept in mind that the radiation-eating fungi did not originate at Chernobyl. These fungi have been around a long time, and normally live underground surrounded by uranium-rich rock. So how did they get to the power plant to start with?”
