Few environmental tragedies have been as deeply ingrained in popular culture as the Chernobyl disaster. In 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffered an explosion of unprecedented proportions, earning the grim distinction of being the worst nuclear accident in history. Today, its effects still elude calculation and are the subject of heated debates: while several people died as a direct result of the explosion, tens (or hundreds, the jury’s still out on that one) of thousands were exposed to radiation, which spread across much of Europe and profoundly affected the area’s ecosystem and the health of its population, flora, and fauna.
Almost forty years later, radioactive contamination still weighs on a territory off-limits to humans… but not to plants, animals, and other living beings that have survived, and continue to thrive despite such a hostile environment.
Every so often, headlines surface about the current state of Chernobyl’s wild flora and fauna beyond human intervention: surprisingly undramatic mutations, radiation-resistant worms, blue dogs (spoiler alert: they were just dirty)… and fungi that feed on radiation.
That’s right: in Chernobyl, there is a fungus with the ability not only to survive in a highly radioactive environment, but to feed on it.
What Do We Know About the Chernobyl Fungus that Eats Radiation and Could Help Astronauts
This fungus, scientifically named Cladosporium sphaerospermum, was found on the walls of the destroyed nuclear plant, where radiation still reaches off-the-charts levels (not to mention lethal for the vast majority of living organisms). This sparked the curiosity of the scientific community, which promptly began studying this phenomenon.
Thus, several studies have postulated that this fungus uses its melanin (yes, that’s the same compound responsible for our skin color) to absorb radiation and convert it into energy; a mechanism named radiosynthesis or radiotrophy, similar …
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Author: Marian Venini / High Times
