November 28, 2025
Fungi vs Fallout: Who Ya Gonna Spore?
The mysterious black fungus from Chernobyl that may eat radiation
Internet divides: can ‘radiation-eating’ mold power gadgets and shield astronauts
TLDR: A black fungus at Chernobyl appears to grow toward radiation, sparking ideas for cleaning up toxic sites and protecting astronauts. Comments split between sci‑fi optimism about “powering stuff” with mold, skeptical math on tiny energy gains, and jokes about “eating electricity,” making the discovery exciting but contested
Scientists found black mold in Chernobyl that seems to grow toward radiation—yes, a fungus that “likes” the stuff—raising ideas about cleaning toxic sites and even shielding astronauts from space rays. But the real action is online. One camp is dreaming big: mrweasel asks if we could “power something” with it, imagining melanin-packed mold turning background radiation into juice. Another wants to know if the fungus will mutate to swallow the source. Cue the math crowd: reliablereason drops numbers on energy per gram, basically raining on the free power parade. The vibe? Half sci‑fi hype, half calculator-overlord skepticism.
Then the skeptics light up. jansan questions whether melanin could meaningfully block gamma rays, calling it likely “negligible,” while others toss in the popcorn: firesteelrain cracks, “How do you eat something you can’t see? It’s like eating electricity.” The thread spirals into Radiotrophic fungus wiki dives, radioactive snack memes, and arguments over what “eating radiation” actually means (hint: more like using it, not chomping glowing pellets). Community verdict: nature is freaky and clever, but don’t order “radiation-powered mold batteries” just yet—space suits with fungus shields might be the real plot twist. And yes, wolves and boar thriving nearby got a mention too
Key Points
- •Black mould composed of several fungi was found colonising highly radioactive areas inside Chernobyl’s ruined reactor buildings.
- •Research led by Nelli Zhdanova indicated these fungi grew toward radioactive particles, a phenomenon termed “radiotropism.”
- •The 1986 Chernobyl disaster released radionuclides; radioactive iodine caused early deaths and later cancers, prompting a 30 km exclusion zone.
- •Despite human exclusion, fungi continued to colonise the site, demonstrating persistence in high-radiation environments.
- •Findings suggest potential applications in cleaning radioactive sites and protecting astronauts from ionising radiation.