A black fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, has been located within the wreckage of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s destroyed energy unit. Research indicates that this organism can not only endure environments with high radiation levels but actually exhibits enhanced proliferation when exposed to it. ScienceAlert is the source reporting this discovery and the subsequent experiments.
Initial sightings of these dark fungal colonies within the reactor core date back to the late 1990s. Subsequent analyses verified their resilience against significant doses of ionizing radiation. A particularly striking finding was the observation that Cladosporium sphaerospermum accelerated its growth rate when subjected to irradiation, a response that contradicts the usual biological reaction of most living things to radiation.
Researchers hypothesize that this phenomenon stems from a substantial concentration of melanin—the dark pigment found within the fungus’s cells. The theory suggests that melanin possesses the capability to absorb radiation energy and partially redirect this captured energy to fuel metabolic processes. While the concept of “radiosynthesis,” mirroring photosynthesis in plants, remains unproven, empirical evidence consistently validates the abnormally boosted growth observed under irradiated conditions.
It is worth noting that for several other life forms, radiation exposure typically results only in an accumulation of melanin without any corresponding substantial growth. Given that the Chernobyl fungus combines radiation resistance with accelerated development when exposed to radiation, it has become a prime subject for ongoing investigation within the field of extremobiology.
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