Chernobyl mushroom could protect astronauts from radiation on missions in deep space


A type of mushroom found at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site was sent into space in a research project that aims to keep astronauts safe from radiation on missions in deep space.

“The greatest danger to humans on deep space exploration missions is radiation,” the scientists explain in a summary of a document uploaded to the bioRxiv preprint server for biology. The fungus, which is thriving at the Chernobyl site, appears to perform a “radiosynthesis” using melanin to convert gamma radiation into chemical energy.

The impact of radiation is a particular concern for long-term space flights to places like Mars.

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Scientists from the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Stanford University, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics established the research project, which used the fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum. A Petri dish containing the mushroom was monitored by astronauts on the International Space Station, according to Phys.org.

Reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is seen in this file photo from December 2, 1986, after completing work to bury it in concrete after the explosion at the plant.

Reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is seen in this file photo from December 2, 1986, after completing work to bury it in concrete after the explosion at the plant.
(Reuters)

“The growth of Cladosporium sphaerospermum and its ability to attenuate ionizing radiation was studied on board the International Space Station (ISS) over a period of 30 days, as an analog to the room on the surface of Mars,” the researchers explained. in the abstract published in bioRxiv.

The study found that the mushroom can be grown in space.

“By designing a subtle but simple experimental setup, implemented as a small payload, it could be shown that the melanized C. sphaerospermum fungus can be grown in LEO [Low Earth Orbit], while subject to the unique microgravity and radiation environment of the ISS, “the researchers wrote.” The growth characteristics further suggested that the fungus not only adapts but thrives and protects against space radiation, according to similar studies. based on Earth. “

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Other innovative investigations related to the Chernobyl disaster are underway.

Earlier this year, for example, researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK announced the development of materials that they say could be used to help dismantle nuclear reactor sites at Chernobyl and the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The materials, developed with scientists in Ukraine, can simulate Materials Containing Lava-Like Fuel (LFCM) that are obstructing decommissioning efforts at nuclear disaster sites, the researchers say.

“LFCMs are a mixture of highly radioactive molten nuclear fuel and building materials that fuse together during a nuclear meltdown,” the researchers explained in a statement. However, very few samples of the hazardous material are available to study, so the simulated material could help scientists plan future decommissioning efforts at nuclear sites.

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The research is published in the journal Nature Materials Degradation.

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