If you've got a National Geographic magazine subscription, you can read about the impact the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan could have on animals.
Experts have said the effects on marine and ocean life could be very extreme if radioactive material continues to enter the seas.
"All life on Earth and in the oceans lives with exposure to natural levels of ionizing radiation - high-frequency radiation with enough energy to change DNA," reports National Geographic magazine.
The publication states most genetic damage heals easily, however, man-made radiation could make it more difficult for animals to fully recover.
Concentrations of radiation in Japanese seawater have "fluctuated" recently, National Geographic magazine reports.
Living organisms could be killed by this, Joseph Rachlin, director of Lehman College's Laboratory for Marine and Estuarine Research, told the publication.
He added: "But that's less of a concern than the possible effects on the genetics of the animals that become exposed."
Last month, the severe earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan resulted in the meltdown of the reactors at Fukushima, leading to leaked radiation throughout the area.
Subscribe and save on a National Geographic magazine subscription today.
Posted by Ben Broadhurst
