In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, releasing radioactive material into northern Ukraine and Belarus. It was the most serious nuclear accident in history. Over one hundred thousand people were evacuated from the surrounding area. But local gray wolves never left — and their population has grown over the years. It's seven times denser than populations in protected lands elsewhere in Belarus. This fact has led scientists to wonder whether the wolves are genetically either resistant or resilient to cancer — or if the wolves are simply thriving because humans aren't interfering with them.
This episode, researchers Shane Campbell-Staton and Cara Love talk through what might be causing this population boom. Plus, why researchers in the field of human cancer are eager to collaborate with them.
Want to hear about other ways humans are impacting the planet? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Belarus' authoritarian president attended a government-organized meeting with children brought from Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine, openly defying an international outrage over such deportations.
The International Olympic Committee says that qualifying athletes from the two countries will be allowed to compete in the Paris Games as "Individual Neutral Athletes."
The NATO and EU member borders Belarus, the Russian territory of Kaliningrad and Ukraine — plus a strip of land connecting it to Lithuania. It is an unstable and volatile mix of frontiers.
Swedish lawmakers had said they would boycott this year's Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm after the foundation initially invited representatives of the three countries to attend.
While Russia and Belarus will not receive formal invitations, the International Olympic Committee says it will not stop athletes from the two countries from participating as neutral contestants.
That's in contrast to the deal worked out after the failed uprising last month. The Kremlin had said the Wagner group leader would be exiled to neighboring Belarus but would not face charges.
Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were arrested in May 2021 when their Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was ordered to land in the capital of Belarus, Minsk.
Russian forces crossed from Belarus into Ukraine a year ago, headed for Kyiv, before their unexpected retreat. As the war drags on, Ukraine is fortifying even the quietest stretch of this border.
Ales Bialiatski was one of the leaders of Belarus' pro-democracy movement, inspiring protests against what activists maintained were fraudulent presidential elections in 2020.
The two leaders met in Beijing and discussed the war in Ukraine, a week after China released a position paper, calling for a cease-fire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
