Is This The Start Of The Mutant Superheroes? Mutant Fish Found Living In America’s Rivers

In science fiction, the most common trope to get the protagonist his or her superpowers is to have them either get bitten by a radioactive spider (Spiderman), exposed to a radioactive chemical when they were young (Daredevil) or surviving radioactive exposure (Fantastic Four). Now, scientists have discovered a mutant fish living in America's rivers. Could this be the start of the mutant superheroes?

The mutant fish discovered by scientists in America's river is the killifish also known as the mud minnow. It is a small silver-striped fish the size of a fat finger. It is a favorite pet fish for aquarium owners due to its small size and beautiful colors.

The killifish is also a good environment indicator, a gauge on how healthy the ecosystem is, as it is sensitive to pollution. However, the scientists have found out that instead of the killifish dying or having a small population on heavily polluted rivers, the opposite is actually happening. Scientists discovered there is actually a thriving killifish population in America's polluted rivers.

The scientists discovered that the killifish living in the polluted rivers can withstand 8,000 times the lethal dose of toxic pollutants. These killifish also looked like and acted like the killifish found in non-polluted areas. The scientists suspect that a genetic mutation has happened on the killifish living in a polluted area that made them resistant to toxic pollutants without altering its appearance.

Scientists Discover Mutated Fish That Have Become 8,000 Times More Resistant to Toxic Waste https://t.co/zTZh18DZ5m

— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) December 11, 2016

So to check if the assumption regarding the genetic mutation of killifish on polluted rivers, the team of Andrew Whitehead, fish toxicologist, collected 400 killifish to study each of the killifish's genetic makeup. These mud minnows were collected from New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts, Newark Bay in New Jersey, the Bridgeport area of Connecticut and the Elizabeth River in Virginia. These rivers have been highly polluted since the 1950s and the 1960s with toxic pollutants such as PCBs, dioxins, mercury and other industrial chemicals.

Comparing the entire genome sequence of the killifish from the polluted rivers to the genome sequence of the killifish from non-polluted rivers, the scientists found out the that all of the killifish thriving in the polluted rivers have a common set of mutations. These set of mutations turn off the molecular pathway responsible for cellular damage caused by the toxic chemicals. However, the scientists point out that these mutations do not help in the survival of the killifish in clean waters.

In a study published in Science, the team's analysis of the genome sequence of the mutant killifish suggests that the genetic diversity of the killifish helps them adapt to fast-changing environments. It also means that the killifish already has this genetic variation that can be triggered to survive in harsh environments like a heavily polluted river.

On the other hand, this would mean that there could be another species that has mutated to adapt to the ever-increasing polluted environment of the planet. However, the scientists stress out that this type of mutation could only be possible if the species in question already has these genetic variations in their genomes.

The further research on the mutated killifish could mean that genes of other species like humans could be altered to be resistant to toxic chemicals. But the scientists do emphasize that although the killifish was able to evolve to adapt to the heavily polluted rivers, it does not mean that people should take for granted in taking care of the environment.