There was a frenzy on Thursday after a Twitter post surfaced claiming to show pictures of "mutant daisies" near the site of Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster.
マーガレットの帯化(那須塩原市5/26)② 右は４つの花茎が帯状に繋がったまま成長し，途中で２つに別れて２つの花がつながって咲いた。左は４つの花茎がそのまま成長して繋がって花が咲き輪の様になった。空間線量0.5μSv地点(地上高1m)
The photos were posted by user @San_kaido in May and June, but just began to get attention this week.
@rayon_violet 他の写真もお送りします。アブ(？)との比較で大体検討がつくかと思います。花は直径７～８cmぐらいになります。
The Twitter account belongs to a person who frequently posts pictures showing what they believe to be effects from the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011.
In another post, the user said they believe the cause of the flowers' deformation is "likely to be radioactive." The user also shares other plants that seem to be deformed.
近所(那須塩原市)のお宅のマーガレットの帯化と言う現象 ４つの花茎が横に繋がったまま成長し，左の茎は途中で２つに別れ，右は４つがそのまま帯状に繋がった花になります。 一種の奇形ですが空間線量0.5μSv地点と言うのが気になっています。
As soon as the photos began to go viral, many people began to proclaim that the daisies are clear evidence of radiation mutation in the area.
4 years after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, weird things are happening nearby , like this mutant daisy
And they are "terrified."
#yikes #whenwillwelearn #fukushimadaisy I'm #terrified to see what else will be deformed. .http://t.co/hq8X9gTXc8
Of course, someone had to make a "mutant daisy" Twitter account.
My petals yearn for human blood. #fukushima #daisy
But is radiation really to blame for this phenomenon?
Well, that's not so clear.
The daisies' weird shape is likely due to a condition called "fasciation."
The condition can affect many different types of flowers and plants, according to the University of California.
There are several different reasons why a plant could develop the mutation.
