What happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is the most terrible tragedy of the times of the USSR. Many people died and suffered from the explosion and further radioactive contamination of water, land and the atmosphere. Despite this, what happened managed to acquire a lot of myths and legends. Some people believe that real monsters live in the contaminated area, in which the forest inhabitants of those places and people who did not manage to leave the danger zone turned into. Are they right? Are there mutants in Chernobyl or is it just fiction? You can find the answers to these questions in the article.
Chernobyl tragedy
April 26, 1986 will forever remain a mourning day in the memory of people, because it was on that April morning that one of the most terrifying nuclear disasters in human history occurred. Thirty-two years ago, the explosion that thundered at the fourth power unit of the nuclear power plant led to dire consequences: the death of people from radioactive contamination and radiation and an environmental disaster.
The mass evacuation of people from the city of Pripyat helped to avoid more serious victims, but this tragedy touched the inhabitants of other cities and even countries. The reactor was completely destroyed. Scientists estimate that more than 190 tons of radioactive substances got into the air and atmosphere. Traces of these particles were found in Russia, Belarus, France, Finland and other parts of the globe.
City's legends
What stories do not tell about Pripyat those who could get there. Stalkers - those who study abandoned places - share great stories about two-headed dogs, giant rats and frightening sounds coming from empty cellars. They do this not without mercenary intent. The more terrible the story, the more people who want to go there and see these creatures with their own eyes. Many stalkers built their business on similar bikes - a trip to Pripyat is not cheap. If you ask them: “Is it true that there are mutants in Chernobyl?”, Most likely, their answer will be yes.
Social networks and a new round of interest in Pripyat
With the advent and spread of the Internet, interest in the events of Chernobyl has returned. Many sites and groups on social networks are filled with frightening and mystical photos of those places. On some of them you can see abnormally large mushrooms, trees with bizarre trunks and even some strange blurry objects against the background of lonely houses.
Among all the photos, fakes make up a large proportion. Often, under the guise of a "photo with mutants," people upload screenshots of games in the spirit of STALKER. Dishonest? Sure! But intriguing and sometimes even interesting. It’s quite simple to distinguish a fake from a real unusual photo, but the belief in the supernatural is so strong that sometimes people are happy to cheat, thinking that all these toothy fish, decapod cows and giant kittens grown together are a terrible reality of Chernobyl.
Causes and processes of mutations
It is no secret that multicellular organisms that lived in the immediate vicinity of the reactor underwent changes in DNA. The greatest danger to living creatures is the accelerated development of cancer, which are the result of radiation. If the reproductive system receives a more severe lesion, then the birth of offspring with deviations, including mutations, is possible. It concerns both people and animals.
Modern scientists are still not ready to draw definitive conclusions about the health status of subsequent generations. Although so far no mutational changes have been found in their genome. Of course, animals that were in the zone of the most powerful radioactive release received too high doses of radiation, and their genome underwent a number of changes, but the presence of mutant people in Chernobyl does not prove this.
Mushrooms with eyes and a cow with five heads
So are there any mutants in Chernobyl? In that frightening and gloomy understanding that the film industry and computer games depict to us. Mutated animals and plants in the territory of Pripyat were discovered. But are there mutants in Chernobyl? Photos that can provide people who are interested in the exclusion zone from a scientific point of view, can terrify anyone. Radiation sickness, its consequences and complications have left indelible scars on the lives of many people, but the fact of mutations in the genome of at least one person has not been proven.
Do mutants exist in Chernobyl? Yes! Are there human mutants in Chernobyl? No! No matter how many stories the stalkers tell, there is not a single documentary evidence. Indeed, photographs of those places often look horrific: giant trees sprouting through the roofs of houses, rusting to the base of the construction of garages, household rubbish and packs of abandoned dogs. It’s creepy to be there at night, and in the afternoon these landscapes resemble frames from a post-apocalyptic film, but that's probably all - many-headed people and gigantic giants with a dozen eyes are not found here.
Every fairy tale has some truth
For more than 60 years, scientists have been trying to understand how radiation affects a person and what dose of radiation is needed to start the process of mutation in the human body. Despite the abundance of frightening photographs of people who survived the disaster and their children, the result of these conditions was the fact of exposure, which does not always lead to real changes at the genetic level.
Giant mushrooms can be found in Chernobyl, but they will not have an eye, and they certainly will not try to eat you. The same applies to other living beings. The terrible seal of what happened will be for years, and maybe for centuries, to lie in these places as a reminder that you will have to pay for every mistake.
Do not go children ... and not only children
Of course, people do not live in the exclusion zone itself, but there are quite a lot of them in the surrounding areas. Their health often leaves much to be desired. The reason for this is not only the accident at the nuclear power plant, but also the general environmental condition: very poor water, polluted air and soil, so a trip to Pripyat can hardly be called a “fun trip”.
It is still unsafe to be in this zone. Although "legal tourism" is developing more and more actively. The desire to go to Pripyat unaccompanied can be a very bad idea. Many buildings there are held on parole, and on the roads there are dips in asphalt. At night, this territory turns into an obstacle course. Therefore, it is best to study Chernobyl, accompanied by a knowledgeable and experienced stalker guide, and always legal!
So, when answering the question of whether there are mutants in Chernobyl, one can answer with almost 100% certainty that yes. But these are far from the creatures everyone thinks of, thanks to computer games, books and films. These are animals and plants affected by radiation, as well as people suffering from radiation sickness. At the same time, their DNA did not mutate to the point where they begin to turn into something else. Therefore, all urban legends, myths and tales will remain urban legends, myths and tales, which have a little more in common with reality than nothing.