Fungi: mycelia, mushrooms & more

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Eating gamma radiation for breakfast (www.rsb.org.uk)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Some fungal species appear to be able to use strong radiation as an energy source for growth. Tom Ireland explores the exciting potential of these understudied organisms

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Wow

Over the next 15 years thousands of strains of hundreds of different species of microfungi were isolated from in and around the Chernobyl disaster site[1]. In tests many of them grew towards strong sources of ionising radiation and some even appeared able to digest so-called ‘hot particles’ – immensely radioactive graphite from the reactor core itself.