Radiation-contaminated areas in the United States

Field studies in radiation-contaminated areas in the U.S.

 

After having found deformed insects in the fallout areas of Chernobyl and nuclear facilities in Switzerland and other parts of Europe, I grew interested in the question, Are there long-lasting consequences for the morphological health of Heteroptera leaf bugs after a nuclear accident?

It was once thought that the nuclear power plants in Eastern Europe were not as safe as in the West. Therefore, I wanted to concentrate my efforts on Western nuclear power plants. The first plant that came into consideration: Three Mile Island, in Pennsylvania, where in 1979 a nuclear accident took place.

Image:

Harlequin bug near Three Mile Island, USA
Watercolor, New Cumberland 1991
The Scutellum is curved and its yellow ornament is asymmetrical.

Seh-Forschung
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Harlequin Bug from Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania