Chernobyl: Nuclear disaster boosted numbers of black, radiation-resistant ‘mutant’ frogs

It remains unclear, however, whether the black frogs will remain dominant.

Dr Orizaola explained: “Since the protective role of melanin is not that crucial right now, with much lower levels of radiation, they may fade away.

“However, our study also shows that the maintenance of this black colouration seems not to incur a high cost — there’s no increase in oxidative stress levels, for example.

Dr Orizaola concluded: “So, it may persist.”

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Evolutionary Applications.

Additional reporting by Michael Havis.

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1680249/chernobyl-black-frogs-mutant-radiation-resistant-melanin-exclusion-zone