259
Chernobyl Fungus Appears to Have Evolved an Incredible Ability (www.sciencealert.com)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/science@lemmy.world
53 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

"That fungus is called Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and some scientists think its dark pigment – melanin – may allow it to harness ionizing radiation through a process similar to the way plants harness light for photosynthesis. This proposed mechanism is even referred to as radiosynthesis."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39553283 https://libretechni.ca/post/483480

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 7 points 9 months ago (1 child)

Akin to how plants photosynthesize without doing anything to the sun.

At least there it does provide shade, though I doubt the fungus would provide a whole lot of shielding...

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago* (1 child)

    If it's absorbing the energy, then it's not passing through. That's shielding.

    But like light shining through a plant's leaves, it probably doesn't absorb anywhere near all the energy, so probably not useful as actual shielding material.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •