'Severe abnormalities' found in Fukushima butterflies

[bananas]

Source: BBC

Exposure to radioactive material released into the environment has caused mutations in butterflies found in Japan, a study suggests.

Scientists found an increase in leg, antennae and wing shape mutations among butterflies collected following the 2011 Fukushima accident.

The link between the mutations and the radioactive material was shown by laboratory experiments, they report.

The work has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19245818

[BOG PERSON]

1. found a picture of one such mutant butterfly

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. Why do they always get bigger?

[Wilms]

3. Maybe they get smaller, too.

And you just can't see 'em.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Yeah,...but you can feel em when they bite ya.

[Melissa G]

10. from the article:

Unexpected results

By comparing mutations found on the butterflies collected from the different sites, the team found that areas with greater amounts of radiation in the environment were home to butterflies with much smaller wings and irregularly developed eyes.

"It has been believed that insects are very resistant to radiation," said lead researcher Joji Otaki from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa.

"In that sense, our results were unexpected," he told BBC News.

[OnyxCollie]

6. The butterflies get bigger.

The twins get smaller.
[IMG][/IMG]

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. ...that reminds me of some creepy shit....

<shuddereth>

[sweetloukillbot]

20. It had to go there immediately....

It just writes itself, doesn't it?

[smirkymonkey]

22. Mothra?

[proverbialwisdom]

23. Here's an actual photo.

http://enenews.com/shocking-comparison-image-shows-severe-mutation-of-japan-butterflys-stump-like-wings-photo-scary-that-humans-could-also-be-affected-by-radioactive-mutations

Type into search bar after eliminating space before date or visit link: http://enenews.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2012/08/img_77-Aug.-14-16.14.jpg
[img][/img]

See also:

Japan Times: Study finds 'abnormalities' in 52% of second generation offspring from butterflies collected May 2011 -- Unusually small wings, premature death

Biologist on Mutated Butterflies: Study is overwhelming in its implications for humans -- Japan Researcher: Insects were believed to be very resistant to radiation -- Irregularly developed eyes, malformed antennae, much smaller wings (PHOTO)

The Australian: The devastating physical & genetic effects of Japan's nuclear disaster are revealed -- All mutant butterflies were caught far outside Fukushima evacuation zone

More: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/08/13-4

[bananas]

26. The photo is also on NBC's website

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/14/13274288-study-japan-nuclear-disaster-caused-mutated-butterflies

Study: Japan nuclear disaster caused mutated butterflies



This handout photo, released Tuesday, shows a healthy adult pale grass blue butterfly (top) and a mutated variety (bottom). Severe mutations were found in butterflies collected near Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

By Arata Yamamoto, NBC News

TOKYO -- Researchers in Japan have found signs of mutation in butterflies, signaling one of the first indications of change to the local ecosystem as a result of last year's nuclear accident in Fukushima, according to one of the first studies on the genetic effects of the incident.

<snip>

Initial results indicated that roughly 12 percent of the butterflies showed signs of abnormalities, such as disfigurement in their antennas, smaller-sized wings, change in color patterns and indented eyes, Otaki said.

Even more alarming, when he collected another 238 samples six months later he found that those abnormalities had increased to 28 percent and the mutations had doubled to 52 percent in their offspring.

<snip>

[proverbialwisdom]

29. Thank you. Comments by IPPNW here.

http://enenews.com/radiation-expert-alarming-number-of-children-with-cysts-or-lumps-on-thyroid-access-to-japans-birth-statistics-requested

Title: Scientists fear increased genetic defects in Fukushima
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW). http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16170549,00.html
Author: Judith Hartl
Date: Aug 16, 2012

<...>

Fear of diseases

A study conducted by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) found that the number of cases of thyroid cancer and leukemia in Japan would not rise significantly as a result of the reactor meltdown in Fukushima. Yet (Winfrid Eisenberg, radiation expert and member of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)) said the deformed butterflies spoke for themselves, even if findings in research on animals and insects could not completely speak for humans.

A series of ultrasound examinations conducted on over 40,000 children in Japan found 35 percent of the children to have lumps or cysts.

“That is not normal among children,” Eisenberg, who is also a retired pediatrician, told DW. He added that the figure was alarming. He, along with some of his colleagues, requested access to Japan’s birth statistics for the time since the disaster at the Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima. As of now, he is still waiting for access to be granted.


Related Posts

Local Paper: Now 1,143 Fukushima children with lumps on thyroid gland, not 26 — Nearly 1 in every 3 kids tested — “Gov’t has decided they are benign” January 26, 2012

Gov’t: 26 Fukushima children found with lumps over 5mm on thyroid gland January 26, 2012

Radio: “Something new in the history of medicine is happening at Fukushima” says physician — 30% of children tested had thyroid lumps — “Now that’s really early, that’s within the first year, that’s unheard of” (AUDIO) March 15, 2012

Just 0.8% of children in 2001 Japanese control group had thyroid cysts or nodules — 36% in Fukushima study July 15, 2012

NHK: Japan announces free medical care for Fukushima children under 18 — Requested by local gov’t January 8, 2012

UK newspaper reports on Fukushima children with abnormal thyroid growths July 19, 2012

Gundersen: 1/3 of Fukushima kids tested positive for lumps on thyroid — Forebodes some real issues in future — We’re only 10 months into the accident here (AUDIO) February 14, 2012

Soaring number of Fukushima children with headaches/nausea — 6-fold increase blamed on ‘stress’ June 7, 2012

More children who evacuated Fukushima found with thyroid abnormalities -Report May 18, 2012

Now 35.8% of Fukushima children have thyroid cysts or nodules — 13,646 do and 24,468 don’t July 15, 2012

August 22nd, 2012 | Category: Children, Japan (Fukushima)

[proverbialwisdom]

31. See http://ex-skf.blogspot.com for great information aggregation and vetting.

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2012/08/butterfly-mutations-caused-by-fukushima.html

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012
"Butterfly Mutations Caused by #Fukushima #Radiation" a Redux of the Sokal Affair?

See controversy re:Chernobyl consequences for people and the environment...

http://www.google.com/search?q=chernobyl+ralph+nader&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl:_Consequences_of_the_Catastrophe_for_People_and_the_Environment

http://atomicinsights.com/2011/10/devastating-review-of-yablokovs-chernobyl-consequences-of-the-catastrophe-for-people-and-the-environment.html

And yet...

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster [Paperback]
Svetlana Alexievich (Author), Keith Gessen (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2006

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award

On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown---from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster---and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Comprised of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty.

http://www.google.com/search?q=chernobyl+heart&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari
Chernobyl Heart

[Zoeisright]

4. This is bad.

When less complex organisms start showing obvious mutations, there are probably problems in higher level organisms. Like people.

[hunter]

15. There are no "levels" of organisms.

Most plants, for example, are a lot more complicated than humans for the simple reason they can't run away from problems; plants have to deal with environmental challenges with their feet firmly planted in the ground, so to speak.

With that in mind, one might speculate that the contaminated plants these insects are eating are creating stress toxins within the plants that damage the butterflies indirectly, which is perhaps more alarming than direct radiation damage to the butterflies themselves. We don't really know if any similar toxins are created in the non-radioactive but highly artificial environments of modern agricultural practice.

[JohnyCanuck]

7. Mr. Burns has a reassuring message for all Japanese citizens.

He says to tell them that even if they find 3 eyed fish in the waters off of Fukushima, it's not a problem either. It's actually beneficial for the fish species as, thanks to the leak of radioactive material into the water, the nearby fish are undergoing a sped up Darwinian evolution and becoming better fish with a competitive edge over the up-to-now normal 2 eyed fish.

[freshwest]

8. Sad stuff indeed. What did they do to deserve this? Nothing, like so many others.

[wordpix]

9. It will become like Chernobyl, which is one of Europe's great wild places now

Albeit, with mutant butterflies.

[dsteve01]

12. Well

Just another thing my generation will have to worry about

Thanks, old people.
Thanks.

[1monster]

16. Always the blame game. One thing I've learned in life is that it is rare that any one

generation has real power. And for every little bit of power the people (of any or all generations) take, there will be a backlash by the powers that be and those who support them, that will have us fighting to keep even the dregs of what we managed to achieve.

What do you think the last thirty years have been about if not to take back, not only the achievments of the '60s and '70s, but also those of the thirties and forties?

For whatever it's worth, I've always been against the use of nuclear power.

[Scuba]

21. This old guy has been fighting against nuke energy for 40 years....

... it's ALWAYS wrong to generalize.

[LeftishBrit]

27. How is this caused by 'old people'?

Do you mean those who developed the use of nuclear power? This hardly means all 'old people'.

[LanternWaste]

30. And of course, your own generation will be blameless, righteous and free

And of course, your own generation will be blameless, righteous and free from any and all indictments from future generations.

Thanks, dogmatic young people...

[Javaman]

13. Mothra is going to be pissed! nt

[Loudestlib]

14. Those Reactors...

are right on the ocean. This is going to hurt everyone.

[OnyxCollie]

17. Nah, that radiation disappeared

with all the oil from the bp oil spill.

Tah daah! It's magic!

[grahamhgreen]

18. Don't worry, butterflies are not people

[UnrepentantLiberal]

19. I hate it when that happens.

[wordpix]

24. excellent photoshop - did you do it?

[UnrepentantLiberal]

25. No.

I wish I could do that.

[LeftishBrit]

28. Tragic and frightening