Since the 1990s, scientists have been finding certain types of fungi thriving inside the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where radiation levels are still harmful.

🧫 Surprisingly, these fungi seem to use melanin (a pigment also found in human skin) to convert gamma radiation into chemical energy for growth. This process is somewhat similar to photosynthesis, where plants use sunlight as a catalyst for growth.

🧑‍🚀 Unfortunately, this ‘radiosynthesis’ is just a theory, as scientists haven’t yet discovered the exact link between melanin and metabolism. But similar fungi have been found in other high-radiation environments, such as space stations and Antarctic mountains.

A. Casadevall, et al. Melanin, Radiation, and Energy Transduction in Fungi, Microbiology Spectrum 5, 2 (2017).