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A major scientific breakthrough -

Chinese scientists believe they have found a way to survive a nuclear war.

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Of mice and men -

The announcement was made in late February 2025 after researchers developed a treatment that significantly boosts survival rates in mice exposed to lethal levels of radiation.

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Safer cancer treatment -

The discovery could one day lead to safer cancer treatment and save lives in the event of a nuclear strike.

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Effects of a nuclear blast -

Nuclear detonations are the most dangerous radiation emergency. A nuclear explosion releases vast amounts of energy in the form of blast, heat, and radiation.

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Radiation threat -

Assuming one survives the initial blast and shockwave, acute ionizing radiation breaks down DNA by arresting cell division. It also hinders activation of the body's immune system.

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Nuclear fallout -

In nuclear disasters, fallout can be deadlier than the initial blast. This is because high radiation exposure can lead to GIS, or gastrointestinal syndrome.

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What is gastrointestinal syndrome? -

GIS is a complex condition in which the inner-lining cells of the intestines break down.

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Radiotherapy -

And it's not just the fallout from a nuclear blast that can trigger gastrointestinal syndrome.  Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, for example for pelvic and abdominal tumors, may also face risks of fatal GIS due to radiation damage.

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How radiotherapy works -

Radiotherapy involves a machine that directs photo beams of radiation at the cancer. These beams can reach tumors deep in the body. As they travel through the body, they scatter minute particles of radiation along their path. High doses of radiation can kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

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No treatment options -

Presently, there is no treatment available to protect people against such consequences of radiation exposure. So how significant is the breakthrough announced by China?

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Key findings -

Scientists at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health pinpointed exactly how a key set of genes crucial for promoting cell death respond to radiation exposure.

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Stimulator of interferon genes -

They did this by blocking out a protein known as STING—or stimulator of interferon genes—in mice.

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Cell death -

STING promotes cell death in response to DNA damage caused by acute radiation.

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Increased survival rate -

By knocking out the function of STING in mice, they increased the survival rate from 11% to 67% when the rodents were exposed to radiation.

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A major step forward -

The study, published in the journal Cell Death and Differentiation, provides a major step forward in the understanding of exactly how a key set of genes crucial for promoting cell death respond to radiation exposure.

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Great potential -

Therapies subsequently developed based on the new discovery of STING proteins have demonstrated great potential in protecting against radiation injury, enhancing cancer radiotherapy, and improving cancer treatment, researchers told China Science Daily.

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Nuclear accidents -

Beyond its use in the fight against cancer, this groundbreaking discovery has wider applications, for example mitigating potentially deadly fallout following a nuclear accident such as that experienced at Fukushima in Japan. Fortunately on that occasion, radioactive contaminants released into the surrounding environment in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the region in 2011 was minimal. But this was not the case for Chernobyl.

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Chernobyl -

Chernobyl remains the worst nuclear disaster in history. The initial explosion on April 26, 1986, killed two engineers. Furthermore, of the 237 workers hospitalized, 134 showed symptoms of acute radiation syndrome; 28 of them died within three months.

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Radiation sickness -

Numerous individuals (estimates suggest at least 4,000 according to the International Atomic Energy Agency) suffered from radiation sickness in the wake of the explosion, with many succumbing to various cancers. Meanwhile, Pripyat, the nearest town to the damaged reactor, lies permanently abandoned.

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Unknown death toll -

The fact is that, nearly 40 years later, the true death toll from the disaster is still unclear. Pictured is Chernobyl's safe confinement shield covering the damaged reactor.

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Hiroshima and Nagasaki -

The atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the end of the Second World War killed anywhere between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civilians.

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Deadly aftermath -

Many deaths were a result of the fallout from the blasts. In the years that followed, survivors would face leukemia, cancer, or other terrible side effects from the radiation.

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Thousands of deaths -

By 1950, over 340,000 people had died as a result of acute radiation sickness, and generations more were poisoned by fallout.

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No preventative measures -

As previously outlined, there are no specific preventive measures against such radiation.

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Hope for the future -

But Chinese researchers are hopeful their findings could lead to therapies for controlling GIS upon exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation or radiation therapy for tumors.

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Increased likelihood of nuclear conflict -

The study has been published at a time when the Council on Foreign Relations is predicting a greater risk of nuclear war.

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The fallout from such a conflict -

In fact, the findings could have major implications, as it's still the case that in a nuclear conflict more people would likely die from radioactive fallout than from the initial blasts.

Sources: (South China Morning Post) (Firstpost) (The Independent) (China Science Daily) (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) (International Atomic Energy Agency) (Council on Foreign Relations)

See also: Safest countries in case of World War III

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