3 eyed fish
 

http://images.ninemsn.com.au/resizer....jpg&width=310
via Three-eyed fish caught in Argentina

Both fishes (the fictional and the real one) were caught in waters adjacent to a nuclear power plant. Probably just a coincidence and three eyed fish are caught all the time in these waters for as long as people can think...

I would so eat that fish.
Cool stuff.

Interesting coincidence.

And nothing more. The chances of this being a mutation brought about by radiation are so phenomenally slim; most of the time genetic mutations are fatal or otherwise much less ordered than "Oh, let's pop a third eye right between the first two".

Yeah, most of the time I hear about radiation mutating things, it's mostly far more subtle then that. E.g, stunted cows near Chernobyl.

Coincidence FTW. The chance of a mutation giving an extra eye (as opposed to killing, or doing nothing, like almost every single mutation ever (everyone has some)) is effectively zero.

Edit: It's even a water intake, not even an outlet :P

Well I tend to think it is a coincidence, but the fact that it is an intake - well fish DO move around all over the waterways, so that alone would not be a proof.

Also while mutations are random and most of the time not visible like that, radiation would increase the likelyhood of any mutation, including the visible ones. Any other cancerogenic substances could do the same though (e.g. certain kinds of chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals).

I also doubt highly that the eye is functional. Usually this kind of mutations produces "extra parts" that are however not connected to the brain.

(Everything is a stopgap until fusion. :awesome:)

"Wow" is pretty much the only thing I can say. What a bizarre coincidence.

The greater the likelihood of mutation, the greater the likelihood of dying. If it was induced by a mutagen (which is NOT the same as a carcinogen), then there would be tens of thousands of dead fish for one with a visible mutation (since almost all mutations are non-visible and do not affect any physical traits).

There don't seem to be any earlier reports of dead fish everywhere :P

Would you like to shut the plant down??

Erm - the mutations do occur in the early stages of life. So you would obviously not see a lot of dead fish, because they would die already as very small fish or even in the embryonic stage. Or is my understanding of the development of animals incorrect?

Mutations don't always kill animals immediately :hmm:

They usually do, though.

Obviously no one here has watched X Men

I have. But X Men isn't canonical in this particular reality.