Reacción a "Reactions: study shows dogs living near Chernobyl are genetically unique"

This is superb study of the changes in the genetics of the populations of dogs in and around the Chernobyl site. The authors have carefully evaluated how the shifts in relatedness have changed under the pressure of a restricted environment, here driven by the zones established to contain animals roaming regions contaminated with radiation that persists after deposition following the accident of 1986.

This study is a first step towards evaluating how and in what way exposure to environmental ionizing radiation (here CS-137) could affect subsequent generations- which was not reported- nor evaluated- in this study of common variants shared amongst dogs. It is an important and rigorous study that sets the stage for studying whether continual exposure to radiation could scar the genome, a pressing question for animals and humans.

This study is well conducted and provides fascinating details about populations of dogs under strong pressures. [However] the study design does not enable the exploration of actual changes in the genome due to extensive radiation exposure. One expects the next study will likely address this- and it is important to pursue this in the very population studied here to further understand how a steady exposure to environmental ionizing radiation affects the genome.