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Fukushima Pale Grass Blue Butterfly MutationButterflies demonstrating genetic mutations as a result of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.1
Fukushima Pale Grass Blue Butterfly MutationIt's been well over a year since a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. During early stages of the fallout, Japanese officials insisted that radioactive contamination did not pose a serious danger to humans or the environment, but in the months that followed, evidence has suggested otherwise. A study published recently in the journal Nature provides evidence that the collapse of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant released a huge amount of radioactive materials into the environment. According to the research, this contamination is already causing physiological and genetic damage to a species of butterfly that used to be common in the region.2
Fukushima Pale Grass Blue Butterfly MutationClose up of wing mutations in Fukushima butterflies.3
