The nuclear reactor meltdown at Chernobyl was a devastating blow to the region, forcing mass evacuations and necessitating a cleanup effort that remains ongoing to this day. It was a tragedy, but over the years it’s produced some very interesting scientific opportunities, and one of the most intriguing came with the discovery of a type of fungi that had started to make a home inside the destroyed reactor.
First discovered way back in the early 1990s, the fungi became the focus of study for researchers who wanted to learn more about how it survived in the intense radiation of the failed reactor. As it turns out, the fungi didn’t just tolerate the radiation, they absolutely loved it and had actually found a way to use the radiation as energy for growth.
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Radiation-hungry fungi found in Chernobyl reactor could save astronauts originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 9 Feb 2020 at 09:02:40 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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