To Monitor Radiation, Researchers in Fukushima are Enlisting Local Wild Monkeys
Captured after the March 11 Tohoku Earthquake and Tusnami, This Image Depicts the Damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant Digital Globe via Wikimedia Researchers from Fukushima University in Japan are enlisting the help of some locals to monitor radiation near the damaged nuclear power facility in their prefecture. To get a better read on what kind of radiation levels exist in the forests around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, scientists plan to fit the area's native wild monkeys with collars containing radiation meters and GPS transponders. The nuclear plant was notably damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the ensuing (and ongoing) nuclear disaster that resulted is still largely undefined in terms of its extent and long-term impact. Right now, the forests around Fukushima are being monitored mostly by helicopter, but researchers want to get readings closer to the ground to see how the forest habitats might be impacted by...