Bird Brains from Nuclear Radiation

Talk about aflockalypse! Here’s the reason we’re scared about radiation from Japanese power plants blowing our way: Even though it’s been 25 years since the Chernobyl power plant meltdown, birds living near the site STILL have 5% smaller brains (there’s no report on the brains of the HUMANS living in the area). The low-dose radiation released at Chernobyl has proved to have significant effects on normal brain development, shown by the birds’ brain size. Biologist

Timothy Mousseau says, "These findings point to broad-scale neurological effects of chronic exposure to low-dose radiation. The fact that we see this pattern for a large portion of the bird community suggests a general phenomenon that may have significant long-term repercussions." These types of defects have been previously reported in humans and other organisms, but those were at higher contamination levels. Researchers find that the small brains were particularly evident in the youngest birds. Mousseau says, "This suggests that many of the birds with smaller brains are not surviving to the next year, perhaps related to decreased cognitive abilities."

Will there soon be no more birdsong in parts of Russia and Japan? We don’t know what the future will bring, and sometimes just thinking about it can get pretty scary. At unknowncountry.com, we pride ourselves on bringing you the FACTS you need to deal rationally and calmly with the future. If you want to make sure that WE have a future, be sure to subscribe today–it’s the only way to make sure we’ll still be here tomorrow (NOTE: Starfire predicted a "nuclear incident" and Subscribers can still listen to this show)– which is especially important, since we’re having a party in June!