WHEN a reactor vessel ruptured at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 30 years ago this month - ultimately causing the air to ignite and a radioactive fallout that still beleaguers three countries even today - it was one of the greatest catastrophes history had ever seen. Over 350,000 people had to be evacuated from severely contaminated areas in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus whilst the resultant long term cancer toll is expected to reach 40,000 by 2065.
This is a story about the astonishing resilience of nature
The people disappeared - but what about the wildlife?
Alienated Life, a virtual reality experience to be held at the Museum of Science and Industry on April 23 and 24, tells the story of the animals - elk, moose, wolves, bears, birds and horses - that not only survived the nuclear fallout but amazingly thrived in its aftermath.
With film, photography and scientific data, visitors will be transported to the poignant site using state-of-the-art Oculus Rift technology.
Oculus Rift technology and an intense manDr Mike Wood, a Reader in Applied Ecology at the University of Salford, who returned from the Ukraine/Byelorussia border this week, said: “This is a story about the astonishing resilience of nature. What (vistors) see is not a barren, post-apocalyptic landscape but one of the few places on the planet that is getting wilder and more diverse.”
Wood’s collaborator, Jim Smith, recently published data that show roe deer numbers had increased tenfold by 1996, with wolf populations around seven times higher in the zone than in other comparable areas; partly due to the fact that nobody is hunting them.
Dr Wood added: “Scientists have long suspected that that the impact of radiation on wildlife within the exclusion zone is much less than the impact of humans, through forestry, agriculture and construction. This exhibition begins to explain why in a very visual and engaging way.”
The museum’s purpose-built Pi: Platform for Investigation offers visitors both young and old alike the opportunity to discover, marvel and explore the joys and the magic of the science all around us. Launched in 2014 and continuing monthly, the platform offers free drop-in themed workshops led by leading scientists, artists, technologists and researchers - offering visitors a hands-on and creative learning experience.
Alienated Life will be at the Museum of Science and Industry on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April, 10.30am to 3.30pm: entry is free
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