US EditionFukushima Study Finds Pig Genes Fading Faster Than Expected in Boar Hybrids
Maternal lineage from domestic pigs caused faster generation turnover in Fukushima hybrids, leading to rapid dilution of pig genes through backcrossing, study finds.
- On January 22, 2026, Professor Shingo Kaneko and Dr. Donovan Anderson found maternal domestic swine lineages accelerated generational turnover, rapidly diluting pig nuclear genes in wild boar.
- After the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, evacuated farmland and forests around the Fukushima region allowed escaped domestic swine to interbreed with wild boar, creating a rare one-time natural experiment.
- Using nuclear genetic markers and population‑genetics models, researchers estimated generations since hybridization and found many hybrids more than five generations removed.
- The researchers said the results could guide invasive‑species control, as the mechanism likely operates worldwide where feral pigs and wild boar interbreed, aiding targeted hybrid removal.
- Contrary to expectations, hybrids initially boomed due to pigs' fast breeding but later declined as repeated backcrossing with wild boar diluted pig genes, unlike continual-escape scenarios in North America.
7 Articles
7 Articles
Like mother, like boar: Fukushima pig escape reveals a genetic fast track
Hybridization between domestic animals and wildlife is a growing concern worldwide, particularly as feral pigs and wild boar increasingly overlap. A new genetic study examines an unusually large hybridization event that followed the Fukushima nuclear accident, when escaped domestic pigs bred with wild boar. The research shows that domestic pig maternal lineages sped up generational turnover, rapidly diluting pig genes. The findings reveal a mech…
Escape from Fukushima: Pig-boar hybrids reveal a genetic fast track in the wake of nuclear disaster
A new genetic study examines an unusually large hybridization event that followed the Fukushima nuclear accident, when escaped domestic pigs bred with wild boar. The research shows that domestic pig maternal lineages sped up generational turnover, rapidly diluting pig genes. The findings reveal a mechanism likely operating wherever feral pigs and wild boar interbreed.
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