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CD-Eating Fungus Among Us

Posted by Hemos on from the mmmm-aluminum dept.

dublin writes: "The Electronic telegraph reports that two years ago, the first confirmed case of a CD-eating fungus was confirmed in Belize. (Ah, the price of living in paradise...) The fungus eats the aluminum right out from between the polycarbonate layers (and apparently muches a little on those, too) leaving clear spots on the CD. Have fungi always been this mean and we're just figuring it out, or have we been invaded by super-fungi? " The article, to say the least, is a little short on details. But something like this surprises me not in the least.

10 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. A fungus that eats aluminum? by Have+Blue · · Score: 5

    Could this fungus, once isolated and brought under control, have applications in recycling?

  2. we knew this would happen when they said: by SirSlud · · Score: 5

    "cds last forever"

    People never forget:

    "people will never need more than 64k memory"
    "cell phones dont cause tumors"
    "the speed of e-business will make everyone inside the borders of the western world stinking rich"
    "napster is the future of music"

    I say we mandate that computer cases always be made with a block of wood to knock on, cause these prophecies are almost always wrong.

    garret

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
  3. the geotrichum genus... by sagei · · Score: 5

    the geotrichum genus is a filamentous fungi. It is typically characterized by chains of slimy spores, often times with strong odors (they can stink).

    It is not odd for this genus to corrode metal; gerotrichum is probably the most common type of fungi found in metal.

    Geotrichum candidum was once considered to be a contaminant on the surface of cheeses (it would naturally grow there). Now, however, because it grows so quick it is now used for the inoculation of surface mould to encourage ripening.

    While this is scarely news for anyone with a CD collection, it certainly is not surprising. Best of all, however, is that I don't think we have to worry about it too much -- if at all, especially in the US.

    -- Robert
    --

    Robert Love

  4. At last... by andyh1978 · · Score: 5

    ... something that actually likes AOL CDs.

    munch munch

  5. Sponsor by pizen · · Score: 5

    This article was brought to you by Tough-actin' Tenactin.
    ---

  6. So... by B00yah · · Score: 5

    Is there really a safe archive method anymore? CDs now get eaten by fungii, disks and tape are subject to magnetic erasure, paper/hardcopies can burn, nad stone tablets/true hardcopy are breakable...

    --

    How Jaded Are You?
  7. Vinyl is the way to go! by pitabutter · · Score: 5

    Back to lp's for all your data storage needs

  8. the cuplrits revealed by tim_maroney · · Score: 5
    It's the RIAA! The RIAA, I tell you! They're trying to recoup their Napster losses by forcing everyone to buy multiple copies of the same CD! Let's all boycott Metallica!

    Tim

    PS. All right, I admit that it might have been Steve Ballmer.

  9. Fungus.. by triple_c · · Score: 5

    The best part about this is if you eat it you see music....Its waaaay trippy man...

    +++

    --
    //----(triple c)-------//
  10. We already knew about the fungus.. by Gazelem · · Score: 5

    Except that the media has taken to calling them "boy bands".