Mysterious Chernobyl nuclear website’s ‘black fungus’ might have advanced to eat radiation
The discovery has raised new questions about how life evolves under extreme conditions and whether these organisms could one day help protect astronauts in deep space
Scientists continue to investigate a group of unusual black fungi found inside the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where research suggests they have adapted to grow toward radioactive particles and may even be using ionizing radiation as an energy source.
The discovery has raised new questions about how life evolves under extreme conditions and whether these organisms could one day help protect astronauts in deep space.
Ionizing radiation has enough energy to detach electrons from atoms, causing chemical changes in cells and potentially damaging DNA.
While humans are exposed to small amounts naturally, high levels can be dangerous. At Chernobyl, where reactor number four exploded in April 1986 and released a cloud of radioactive material, such levels remain present within the exclusion zone that spans 1,600 square miles.
In 1997, scientist Nelli Zhdanova found black mold thriving inside the reactor and later identified more than 35 fungal species in soil samples from the area.
Some appeared to be “radiotropic,” reaching for radiation in the way plants grow toward sunlight.
This behavior sparked years of research into whether these fungi had developed a biological system that relies on radiation.
Melanin, the same pigment that protects human skin from ultraviolet light, appears to give these fungi their resilience. Studies showed that melanized fungi grew more rapidly in the presence of ionizing radiation.
Scientist Ekaterina Dadachova described the process as “radiosynthesis,” in which radiation may act as an energy source.
She told Newsweek: “It is important to say, that the fungi still had essential elements like carbon and nitrogen in their growth media, but they did not have a source of energy like sucrose and ionizing radiation was playing a role of an energy source with melanin serving as an energy transducer, so fungi would be able to utilize this energy in their metabolism.”
She added that ancient fungi “survived the time period when Earth lost its magnetic shield and was exposed to really high doses of ionizing radiation.”
Dr. Joshua Nosanchuk of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine explained to Newsweek that “Fungi have been through numerous challenging environmental ‘boot camps’ through which they, by necessity, developed interesting protective and advantageous abilities.”
He noted that space stations have also hosted melanized fungi. “Space radiation is not fungicidal, and may provide a growth source for these microbes,” he said.
Researchers have even tested whether Chernobyl fungi could block radiation, finding that samples in a simple petri dish offered measurable shielding. The same organisms were sent to the International Space Station, where they also showed increased growth.
Scientists say the findings could help develop future radiation shields or cleanup tools, although the precise mechanisms that allow fungi to convert radiation into energy remain theoretical.
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