Butterflies show mutations due to Fukushima radiation

BBC : A comparison of Japanese butterfly populations two months and eight months after the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster has revealed a doubling in the rate of mutations. The researchers, from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, also discovered that the generation of butterflies bred from the first collected population displayed a wide range of mutations, even though they were kept 1750 km from the stricken reactor. Regarding the population gathered eight months after the accident, the researchers concluded that the mutations arose from the combination of inheritance and contaminated food. Joji Otaki, the lead researcher, says that this finding is significant because it shows that radionuclides released by the Fukushima disaster are still affecting plant and animal life even after the environmental radiation has decayed.