Almost four decades after the Chernobyl nuclear accident scientists in the forbidden zone discovered a life form that not only survives on the remaining radiation, but some of its strains even focus on it and grow faster in its presence. These are professionally called molds Cladosporium sphaerospermum. Only a small proportion of these molds showed a focus on radioactive elements: nine of the 47 tested strains actively sought out radioactive elements.
In these strains, scientists have observed that they can convert gamma radiation—the strongest and most dangerous type of radiation from nuclear reactions—into chemical energy, similar to how plants convert sunlight into glucose during photosynthesis. This phenomenon is called radiosynthesis by scientists; the pigment melanin is believed to be a possible source of this ability.
In a study published in the scientific journal Current Opinion in Microbiology, the authors describe the mechanism. “When gamma radiation hits the melanin of the fungus, it unfurls its electrons and creates chemical energy at the atomic level that the fungus uses for growth and repair. This may explain why some strains move toward the radiation source as if to feed on it, since the reactor ruins lack a normal food source.” the authors state.
NASA is investigating the possibility of making bricks from this mold – lightweight building materials that could protect bases on the Moon or Mars from cosmic radiation better than heavy lead shields. On the International Space Station (ISS), this fungus grew 21 times faster when exposed to space radiation and significantly blocked the penetration of radiation into other materials.
In a study published in the scientific journal PLOS One, scientists also report that C. sphaerospermum captured and neutralized radioactive particles. The area of the Chernobyl zone was closed after the disaster and remains largely abandoned; the prohibited zone has an area of approximately 48 km². Due to radiation, the population was evacuated from this zone.
