The fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum can use dangerous radiation to grow.
Read about it here.
Crazy stuff! Like something from a science fiction novel. But then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. When I went to Chernobyl, everything reminded me of something from a science fiction novel.
I'm surprised the article didn't mention whether or not the radiation-munching fungi could potentially be used to clean up contaminated areas. That was the first thing that popped into my head when I read it.
1 comments:
This article makes a quick note on why the Chernobyl fungus couldn't be used to clean contaminated areas:
The researchers stressed these findings do not mean fungi can eat radioactive matter and somehow cleanse it. Rather, the fungi can simply harness the energy that radioactive materials give off.
Sad, but however wonderful a finding that fungus is, it's not the solution to isotope contamination just yet. Engineered isotope-eating bacteria, anyone?
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