Foreign publication: nuclear tests "helped" establish the age of sharks

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The atomic bomb test explosions that the Soviet Union, the United States, France, China, and the United Kingdom produced during the Cold War helped determine the age of whale sharks. This rare species is now threatened with extinction.

This was reported by Frontiers in Marine Science.



The fact is that after nuclear tests in air, on the Earth’s surface and under water in the atmosphere, a temporary increase in the concentration of the radioactive carbon-14 isotope occurred. This substance through food chains fell into living organisms, including sharks.

Its ridge has a multilayer structure resembling rings of tree trunks. If each new tree ring appears once a year, then the frequency of the appearance of such rings in the shark ridge was unknown. Due to the presence of carbon isotope in the spine of the fish that got there after nuclear tests, it was possible to determine the age of sharks. In addition, it turned out that the rings are formed, like in trees, once a year.

Scientists have learned that the whale shark is growing slowly, so its population may disappear with mass catch. In addition, this species lives for a long time. The age of individual individuals can reach one hundred years.

The research results help to better understand the ecology of the whale shark and develop measures to save this species from extinction.

Environmentalists accuse the media of trying to justify nuclear tests in this way.
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    29 comments
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    1. -2
      April 9 2020 14: 01
      Now they’ll agree that they will begin to justify the tests and will start again ...
      1. +3
        April 9 2020 14: 12
        No, I think they won’t start. Greta will be afraid laughing
        1. +1
          April 9 2020 16: 20
          As you will see, you’ll start to be afraid of your shadow, but you have found a scarecrow.
          1. 0
            April 9 2020 16: 57
            Quote: Aviator_
            As you will see, you’ll start to be afraid of your shadow, but you have found a scarecrow.

            This is not so about children. In addition, do not forget, she is an instrument in someone’s unclean hands. And we, humanly, feel sorry for her.
      2. -1
        April 9 2020 14: 21
        Quote: nPuBaTuP
        Now they’ll agree that they will begin to justify the tests and will start again ...

        By and large, no one needs these tests
        1. 0
          April 9 2020 15: 17
          On the contrary, they are needed. Zero power testing is not a substitute for full testing. The CTBT is a thing of the past.
          1. -1
            April 9 2020 15: 20
            Quote: asv363
            On the contrary, we need

            Would be needed, striped would have spat on everyone for a long time and continued their trials
            1. +1
              April 9 2020 15: 29
              Koreans spat on everyone and act.
              1. +1
                April 9 2020 15: 31
                Quote: Simargl
                Koreans spat on everyone and act.

                They can laughing
                They are all new to them. laughing
                1. +3
                  April 9 2020 15: 45
                  Quote: Lipchanin
                  They can laughing
                  They are all new to them. laughing
                  I have never experienced either. Give me a boNbu and a training ground - bang. I'll call the scientists - let them see: they are interested ...
                  1. 0
                    April 9 2020 15: 50
                    Quote: Simargl
                    Quote: Lipchanin
                    They can laughing
                    They are all new to them. laughing
                    I have never experienced either. Give me a boNbu and a training ground - bang. I'll call the scientists - let them see: they are interested ...

                    My friend, yourself ...
                    Do it yourself like Koreans laughing
                    1. +1
                      April 9 2020 15: 56
                      Quote: Lipchanin
                      My friend, yourself ..
                      A centrifuge in private hands? ... interesting ...
                      Circuitry of nuclear weapons is not a secret. Technologies and designs are known ...
                      Not for me licensed a product, if possible ... and a testing ground.
                      1. +2
                        April 9 2020 15: 58
                        Quote: Simargl
                        A centrifuge in private hands? ... interesting ...
                        Circuitry of nuclear weapons is not a secret. Technologies and designs are known ...
                        No, I have a licensed product, if possible ... and a testing ground.

                        Ehhhhh, youth what you were taught laughing
                        1. +1
                          April 9 2020 16: 07
                          Quote: Lipchanin
                          Ehhhhh, youth what you were taught laughing
                          Well, as young people ... I studied almost the entire school in the USSR ...
                          If it's a hydrogen bomb, then a nuclear weapon is ... what shoots with nuclei?
            2. +1
              April 9 2020 15: 53
              There was a time when nuclear weapons were declassified, in the United States they sold tickets for Shirnarmass for its tests.
              1. +2
                April 9 2020 15: 56
                They can make any show
                Even from my own funeral
            3. 0
              April 11 2020 08: 17
              They won’t continue :: The old nuclear warheads are lying with Pu239, which has long been rotten, and the damage can be inflicted hardly more than a volley of Msta’s battery, and Russia has nowhere to take fresh, and its technology has been FOREVER lost in the process of degradation of national industry. crying
    2. 0
      April 9 2020 14: 14
      Found the pros, damn it ...
    3. +4
      April 9 2020 14: 25
      No one justifies anything, but what happened, it happened, humanity has done a lot of stupid nonsense during its existence, for which it now pays and for which our children and grandchildren will have to pay for a long time.
    4. +2
      April 9 2020 14: 25
      Stupid presentation. Magazine wrote, it is immediately visible. I understood the note so. Layers were always found in the bones of a whale shark, but no one could connect them with the years. (Strange - in layers such layers are also observed, and are clearly related to the years. However, a whale shark may not have scales). The presence of the C-14 radioactive isotope is clearly tied to the time of air and ground tests of nuclear weapons. Caught a shark. We counted the number of layers since the S-14 surge (period 1945-1962), it turned out that the layer corresponds to a year. This is not taking into account the Chinese and Pakistani tests, however, the United States and the USSR undoubtedly made the largest contribution to the background. And was it worth making a note because of this? It was easier to check for layers on the scales and in the bones of the fish, which are scaly, probably there are layers in the bones too.
      1. +1
        April 9 2020 15: 04
        Sergey, in addition to the graph of the growth of carbon-14 isotope concentration, there is a graph of decline. Without nuclear weapons tests, the concentration would be constant.
      2. +2
        April 9 2020 15: 38
        Quote: Aviator_
        Stupid presentation.
        Normal presentation.

        Quote: Aviator_
        Layers were always found in the bones of a whale shark, but no one could connect them with the years.
        Yes, right: it was not clear for what period of time the layer was growing.

        Quote: Aviator_
        Strange - in scales such layers are also observed
        So what? Scales tend to "flake off", so not an indicator for long-lived.

        Quote: Aviator_
        We counted the number of layers since the S-14 surge (period 1945-1962), it turned out that the layer corresponds to a year.
        Not obvious. By correlating the C-14 peaks and layers, we found how to read the age by the distribution of tissues in these layers.

        Quote: Aviator_
        It was easier to check for layers on the scales and in the bones of the fish, which are scaly, probably there are layers in the bones too.
        The problem was with determination of age namely whale sharks.
        1. 0
          April 9 2020 15: 55
          Yes, they could not determine whether a new layer appears every year, or every six months. And knowing the test dates and finding an increased concentration of the isotope in a particular layer, this was possible. I understand that.
          1. 0
            April 9 2020 16: 17
            Well, so I understood what I wrote about.
    5. +5
      April 9 2020 14: 30
      sorry, of course .... but ....
      The fact is that after nuclear tests in air, on the Earth’s surface and under water in the atmosphere, a temporary increase in the concentration of the radioactive carbon-14 isotope occurred. This substance through food chains fell into living organisms, including sharks.

      I am also a living organism .... what a pity that it is not a whale shark .... and no one will take care ... crying
      1. +2
        April 9 2020 15: 53
        Quote: Mouse
        what a pity it's not a whale shark

        What the oooh? belay
        This rare species is now threatened with extinction.

        Do not change your mind? laughing
        1. +4
          April 9 2020 16: 14
          we will be alive, we will not die !!!!! wink
    6. +3
      April 9 2020 20: 00
      Quote: Lipchanin
      They can make any show
      Even from my own funeral

      Well, they never made this secret. Although I did not hear about the sale of tickets for a nuclear test. But on the launches they were selling. And the Chinese are now selling tickets for their launches from the Wenchang Cosmodrome on Hainan Island
      1. 0
        April 11 2020 00: 28
        Quote: Old26
        Well, they never made this secret. Although I did not hear about the sale of tickets for a nuclear test. But on the launches they were selling.

        Las Vegas with its bunch of casinos, hotels, etc. developed the so-called. "nuclear tourism". A little (in English) about that time period:
        https://www.citylab.com/equity/2014/08/atomic-tests-were-a-tourist-draw-in-1950s-las-vegas/375802/

        PS From Las Vegas to the Nevada training ground, there were about 65 miles to the northwest.

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