Humans could live on the planet Mars if a fungus that was generated inside the Chernobyl nuclear reactor is used to protect against radiation, scientists say.
The researchers found that a layer of the fungus about 21 centimeters thick could “largely negate the equivalent annual dose of the radiation environment on the surface of Mars.”
“What makes the mushroom great is that you only need a few grams to get started,” Nils Averesch, a Stanford researcher and co-author of the study, told New Scientist.
“It self-replicates and heals itself, so even if there is a solar flare that significantly damages the radiation shield, it will be able to grow back in a few days.”
It has already been able to absorb harmful cosmic rays on the International Space Station, and could be used to protect future colonies on Mars.
In 1991, five years after the disaster that struck Ukraine, black fungi were found sprouting from the walls of the abandoned reactor that had been flooded with gamma rays.
The researchers found that a layer of the fungus about 21 centimeters thick could “largely negate the equivalent annual dose of the radiation environment on the surface of Mars.”
Baffled about how it managed to survive the extreme conditions, the scientists examined the microorganism and were even more excited about their findings.
Not only did it survive, but they discovered that fungi actually grew towards radiation, as if attracted to it.
This is due to its large amounts of melanin, the pigment that darkens the skin, and allows fungi to absorb normally harmful rays that are then converted into chemical energy.
In addition to not perishing, they discovered that fungi, called cryptococcus neoformans, actually grow toward radiation, as if attracted to it.
Inside the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, where in 1991 a black fungus was found sprouting on the walls in extremely harsh conditions.
In the same way that plants convert carbon dioxide and chlorophyll into oxygen and glucose through photosynthesis, fungi absorbed deadly rays that allowed them to produce energy.
This process, called radiosynthesis, has caught the attention of scientists because of its potentially revolutionary implications.
Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a NASA research scientist who leads the experiments with the Cryptococcus neoformans fungi, believes that by extracting its radiation-absorbing power and manufacturing it as a drug, it could be used as a ‘sunscreen’ against toxic rays.
It would allow cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, nuclear power plant engineers, and airline pilots to operate without fear of absorbing a deadly dose of lightning, Venkateswaran thought for Scientific American magazine.
The radiation-converting power of the mushroom could also be used to power household appliances, and is touted as a possible biological response to solar panels.
An anonymous researcher specializing in the field also discussed his prospective role in the development of biotechnology.
They explained in an online forum: ‘The fungi that grow there (Chernobyl reactor) are radioactive fungi, which are rich in melanin.
NASA research scientist Kasthuri Venkateswaran (right) and Professor Clay Wang of the University of Southern California (left) sent samples of the fungi to the International Space Station to see if they would further mutate under increased radiation levels.
The radiation-converting power of the mushroom could also be used to power household appliances, and is touted as a possible biological response to solar panels.
‘Melanin absorbs radiation and converts it to other forms of energy (including electricity).
‘My research is on the use of melanin together with water to convert electromagnetic radiation into electrical energy.
“This technology will likely find its place in biotechnology, as it is non-toxic and biocompatible.”
Advances in the use of mushroom powers for medicinal purposes were gradual, but have been driven in recent years by an ongoing study that saw samples sent into space.
By cultivating it on the International Space Station, where the level of radiation rises compared to that of Earth, Venkateswaran and Professor Clay Wang of the University of Southern California were able to monitor the mutation.
When microorganisms undergo more stressful environments, they release different molecules, which could help better understand fungi and how they can be used to develop radiation-blocking medications for humans.
The results of the experiment have yet to be published, leaving the scientific community waiting with encouragement for the findings that could revolutionize the protection of humans against radiation.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE 1986 CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER?
On April 26, 1986, a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, spreading radioactive material in the vicinity.
More than 160,000 residents of and around the city had to be evacuated and unable to return, leaving the former Soviet site as a radioactive ghost town.
A map of the Chernobyl exclusion zone is shown above. Pripyat’s “ghost town” is located near the site of the disaster.
The exclusion zone, which covers a substantial area in Ukraine and part of the border with Belarus, will remain in force for generations to come, until radiation levels drop to safe enough levels.
The region is called the ‘dead zone’ because of the extensive radiation that persists.
However, the proliferation of wildlife in the area contradicts this and many argue that the region should be handed over to the animals that have settled in the area, creating a reserve of radioactive protected wildlife.
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