this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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Today I Learned

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Post direct links to interesting facts that you just learned about today

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I, for one, welcome our new radioactive fungal overlords.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

They’re not so bad. I know one, real fungi.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That took me by surprise. I had no idea melanin protected from radiation like it does from the sun.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The sun is a giant ball of radiation

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

And isn’t sunburn a form of or similar reaction to radiation burn?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@Spacebar Would that mean that potentially people with high amounts of melanin in their skin would likely be safer during the aftermath of a nuclear accident/attack????

@inkican

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

My first thought, too. That scene is pure horror in both the show and book!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Come to think of it, the fediverse does kind of remind me of the ring gates.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Or Prax's invention.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

We just need to let it grow until it fills the New Safe Confinement. Then, in a century, when the NSC is due to be replaced we'll be off the hook thanks to the nuclear shroom.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I read this, with great excitement, to my husband. He listened in terror.

I think those are the only two responses.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Seems right. My first question was "Is that just interesting? Or deeply problematic?"

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

haha exactly what happened here

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Excellent. It has been years since I heard about these things. Sounds like they are thriving.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eukaryotic life: Cancer is a bug in the programming left over from our primitive single celled days.

Slime molds: Cancer is a social construct, actually.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

This made me snort out my soup from my nose. Thank you.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This is a writing prompt if ever I've heard one.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Honestly, if any life was going to beat radiation, I’m not surprised it’s mushrooms. They are amazing.

Also, I wonder if they have Mulberry trees in Chernobyl because I can’t kill those things it axes, poison, or digging them up. I bet they’d fare well too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

and this is how horror movies start.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I was going to say, I think I've seen this sci Fi.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It wouldn’t be so horrifying if they mushrooms were just growing around it - we’d be like “yeah, mushrooms are resilient.” It’s the “growing towards” part that makes it so unnerving, like it has a plan.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Plants regularly "grow towards" their energy source. I don't know why fungi would be different, as it's apparently a good evolution strategy. Get closer to what gives you energy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I'm sure that's fine.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The protomolecule. Let me know when the whole plant lifts off and crashes into Venus.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Shroom SMASH!