If you know one thing about Chernobyl, you probably know that it was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in human history. On April 26, 1986, a power surge led to a massive failure at the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor in then-Soviet occupied Ukraine. The failure occurred during — of all things — a reactor safety test. The roof blew off of the Number 4 reactor, releasing large quantities of nuclear material into the surrounding area, and much of Europe.

The contamination was significant. Surface ground deposition of caesium-137, a radioactive isotope produced in the reactor, exceeded 1480 keys in the area surrounding Chernobyl. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, countries as distant as Ireland registered elevated levels of the toxic element.

After finally admitting the disaster, the Soviet Union implemented a 30-km exclusion zone around the site of the reactor. The exclusion zone remains in effect today, even as generational efforts to contain the broken reactor’s contamination recently culminated in the deployment of a massive “sarcophagus” that Ukrainian officials hope will put an end to the irradiation of the surrounding area once and for all.

Extremophiles thrive in the harshest conditions

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