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Related: About this forumA 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 survivingits 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 Radiationcould 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 Chernobyls ruined reactor, they suspected something unusual was at play. These fungi werent just tolerating radiationthey seemed to be actively absorbing it.
More:
https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/02/black-fungus-thriving-chernobyl-feeding-radiation/

GreenWave
(10,585 posts)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)Russians are reported to be found of mushrooms and some other types of fungus.