Monkeys measure radiation in Japan

Wild monkeys in Japan will wear devices to measure radiation in forests.

>>>Disk detection radiation

The Telegraph said the project of using radioactive monkeys was conducted by researchers at Fukushima University in Japan. Monkeys will wear a necklace with a radioactivity meter and a GPS locator to check the level of radiation in the deep forest in the Fukushima area, where the nuclear power plant is badly damaged after the earthquake. tsunami March 11.

Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant complex, Japan.

Professor Takayuki Takahashi, who is in charge of the project, said this was the first time the team conducted experiments to measure radiation levels with monkeys. The experiment will last for about two months and the radioactivity measuring devices will be removed from the monkeys' necks when the experiment ends.

Currently, radioactivity measurements in forests in Fukushima Prefecture are carried out mainly by helicopter tests. However, scientists want to gather more detailed data on the level of radiation in the forest and the level of exposure of wild animals. The range of activities of monkeys also helps scientists check the level of radiation from the forest floor to the tops of trees.

The project will be carried out in Minamisoma City, the area heavily affected by the earthquake and tsunami in March, and is located just outside the forbidden zone around the Fukushima plant No.1. About 14 monkeys are living in the forests west of Minamisoma city.