Science✓ Verified

Inside Chernobyl, a Fungus Has Been Quietly Feasting on Radiation

Reported byScienceAlert ↗·Sourced by Goodlede

What backs it

Scientists have confirmed that the black fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum thrives in the highly radioactive interior of Chernobyl's reactor shelter, with evidence suggesting its melanin pigment may harness ionizing radiation through a process termed radiosynthesis—a mechanism that could have applications for biotechnology and remediation.

Worth noting

Radiosynthesis remains a theory that has proven difficult to demonstrate conclusively.

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