US EditionChernobyl Fungus Shows Promise as Radiation Shield for Mars Missions
Radiotolerant fungi from Chernobyl show promise as lightweight, self-regenerating radiation shields for space habitats, potentially protecting astronauts on Moon and Mars missions.
- Experiments in orbit showed Chernobyl-derived radiotolerant fungi can reduce harmful cosmic radiation, and researchers say such barriers could protect astronauts on Moon and Mars long-duration missions.
- Decades after the April 1986 explosions at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, reactor number four, created a 1,600 square mile exclusion zone, researchers found dark mold patches and more than 35 fungal types.
- Researchers found that melanin-rich fungi absorb radiation and use `radiosynthesis`, with International Space Station experiments showing faster growth and fungal layers blocking radiation.
- Because the fungi tolerate galactic cosmic radiation, applications extend to Earth where bioremediation of radioactive sites on Earth and protection for astronauts and spacecraft could benefit, researchers say.
- Researchers caution that the exact biochemical mechanism converting radiation to energy remains theoretical, not all melanized fungi show radiotropism, and more experiments are needed to confirm protective effects.
33 Articles
33 Articles
NASA Eyes Ukrainian Chornobyl Fungus as Future Space Radiation Shield
A type of black fungus found at the Chornobyl nuclear disaster site has demonstrated the ability to convert radiation into usable energy, a discovery that may be applied to space exploration. According to Interesting Engineering on December 1, researchers are exploring the fungus’s potential as a radiation shield and energy source for astronauts. Radiation-tolerant fungi observed in Chornobyl In 1997, Ukrainian mycologist Nelli Zhdanova observe…
DN Debate replies: Radiation is one of the world's most studied cancer risk factors, writes the Knowledge Center for Radiation Medicine in Disasters.
Something Strange Is Happening to the Fungus in Chernobyl
Chernobyl is the place you picture when you think “absolutely do not go there,” yet somewhere inside the radiation-soaked location, a black, velvety mold is thriving like it owns the place. Clinging to walls that would send a Geiger counter into a panic, this fungus acts like nuclear fallout is just a silly thing that happened long ago. The organism is Cladosporium sphaerospermum, a melanized fungus whose dark pigment might be doing a strange k…
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