Science

Judi Lynn

(163,098 posts) Wed Feb 26, 2025, 05:23 AM Feb 26

A Black Fungus Is Thriving In Chernobyl By Feeding On Radiation--could It Help Humanity?

Radiation should be lethal, but this mysterious black fungus is not just surviving—it’s thriving. Could this unexpected discovery help clean up nuclear waste or even protect astronauts?

Melissa Ait Lounis
Published on February 25, 2025
Read : 2 min

A Black Fungus Is Thriving In Chernobyl By Feeding On Radiation—could It Help Humanity? | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

In the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a place where radiation levels remain dangerously high decades after the 1986 nuclear disaster, scientists have discovered an organism defying the odds.

A black fungus, known as Cladosporium sphaerospermum, has been found not just surviving but seemingly thriving in extreme radiation. Even more astonishing, this microorganism appears to “feed” on radiation, much like plants use sunlight in photosynthesis.

The Science Behind A Fungus That “eats” Radiation

When researchers first observed blackened patches of fungi growing on the walls of Chernobyl’s ruined reactor, they suspected something unusual was at play. These fungi weren’t just tolerating radiation—they seemed to be actively absorbing it.

More:
https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/02/black-fungus-thriving-chernobyl-feeding-radiation/

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A Black Fungus Is Thriving In Chernobyl By Feeding On Radiation--could It Help Humanity? (Original Post) Judi Lynn Feb 26 OP

Makes me wonder if they have a pernicious side effect. GreenWave Feb 26 #1

Only if somebody harvests a lot of it and feeds it to Putin and his buddies. Igel Feb 26 #2

GreenWave

(10,585 posts)

1. Makes me wonder if they have a pernicious side effect.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed Feb 26, 2025, 06:19 AM

Feb 26

It seems there are oil eating bacteria that create a dead zone or oxygen deprived, but getting this info is now tough. Oil companies seem to crowd the discussion.
https://www.science.org/content/article/bacteria-are-gobbling-gulf-oil

Another concern has been that the oil-eating microbes could deplete oxygen within the plume. That's because the bacteria must extract oxygen from the water around them, which could spell disaster for local fisheries trying to get back on their feet. But neither study detected a dangerous drop in oxygen within the plume. "It would be very hard to establish a dead zone in this plume just because of microbial degradation," Camilli says.

Igel

(36,616 posts)

2. Only if somebody harvests a lot of it and feeds it to Putin and his buddies.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed Feb 26, 2025, 08:44 PM

Feb 26

Russians are reported to be found of mushrooms and some other types of fungus.

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