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Radiation-eating Fungi

Posted by samzenpus on from the writing-the-script-now dept.

SEWilco writes "Fungus growths have been found in many extreme environments, including the Chernobyl reactor walls. Some fungi have been found whose growth is enhanced by radiation. I wonder if someone saved samples of the MIR-eating fungi."

5 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Radiation Hormesis by James+McP · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Huh, I wonder if that's where the idea for the "giant mutant animal" movies of the 50s came from.

    --
    I've been on slashdot so long I'm starting to get out of touch with the cool stuff if it ain't on slashdot.
  2. Not really exciting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Sorry this is different than the radiation eating fungi/plants absorbing UV re photosynthesis effect? I realize this is changing the structure of the melanin, but isn't that pretty much the same thing that happens in photosynthesis? Light interacts with a chemical changes its properties, energy is stored and made useful to the cell. Looks like in this case it is changing the electrical properties of the system for the organism which aids its growth not direct energy.

    Lets say something goes from opaque to transparent under prolonged radiation exposure, now fungi can get more light than before, and grow better, or at least thrive had a different depth in the water table, not really surprising. Really all they did was show that melanin's properties change with radiation in the favor of the organism.

  3. Re:Original headline was correct... by weapon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Er, Ukraine. Chernobyl is in Ukraine. Ukraine most definitely is not Russia. Yes these days Chernobyl is in Ukraine, which is not in Russia, but in 1986 when the melt down occurred, it was in Russia and back then it was Soviet Russia, the the GP was correct:

    Remember, Chernobyl was in Soviet Russia. and that's my two cents
  4. Re:Original headline was correct... by Zantetsuken · · Score: 1, Insightful

    WHAT?!? A /. post involving the words "Soviet Russia" that isn't a backards Russia joke? Heresy!

  5. Still the wrong subject by Askmum · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is not "radiation eating", this is "radiation enabling".
    Eating radiation implies that the radiation is removed or converted. There is no mention of that.
    That's the same like saying "solar rays eating fungi discovered".