The Trees of Fukushima

Hi everyone. I'm Lynn Anderson-Carpenter, and I was trained to be a scientist. Several years ago I started a project with Mary Osborn (from the Three Mile Island Disaster) who sparked my interest in Radiation Research and the impacts of radiation exposure on plants. She was a wealth of information regarding what happened at Three Mile Island, and I began to realize how little is known about the genetic impacts of radiation on plants in areas like Fukushima. Through my communication with Mary, I tried to soak up every ounce of information I could, which would eventually lead to the next round of investigation.

Our goal is to learn about the genetic impacts of radiation on plants, specifically long-lived trees. Although some research has started to address this, most results seem to lead to more questions than answers. We propose to incorporate cutting-edge techniques (next-generation sequencing), which can sequence whole genomes and give us a much more detailed look at how the trees are coping with this radiation exposure on a genetic level.

We are currently setting out around the world to first collect samples, analyze them and then ultimately publish our results in high-quality scientific journals as well as our blog.

We are requesting $5,000 to support our first round of sample collections. Once we obtain our samples, we will then write some grant proposals with our colleagues to fund the preliminary genetic analysis. Then, we hope to see some interesting patterns and address our hypotheses (listed on our webpage).

If you would like to make a tax-deductable donation, please let me know nad we will be happy to arrange this! Thank you for reading our story, and for considering our cause. Have a wonderful day!