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Chernobyl Fungus Appears to Have Evolved an Incredible Ability (www.sciencealert.com)

submitted 1 day ago by A_A@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world

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"That fungus is called Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and some scientists think its dark pigment – melanin – may allow it to harness ionizing radiation through a process similar to the way plants harness light for photosynthesis. This proposed mechanism is even referred to as radiosynthesis."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39553283 https://libretechni.ca/post/483480

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 35 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Sadly, no. Radioactive processes happen without any external control (at least not on this level, they don't run a reactor or accelerator), and this fungus only harvests the energy.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 22 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Akin to how plants photosynthesize without doing anything to the sun.

At least there it does provide shade, though I doubt the fungus would provide a whole lot of shielding...

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 6 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

If it's absorbing the energy, then it's not passing through. That's shielding.

But like light shining through a plant's leaves, it probably doesn't absorb anywhere near all the energy, so probably not useful as actual shielding material.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 2 points 11 hours ago

But, like any shielding, the thickness matters. And if this stuff could also convert CO2 to oxygen, having a bunch would be a good thing.