School No. 3 in Pripyat, the abandoned atomic city after the Chernobyl explosion. This photo was taken 30 years after the disaster, in 2016.
Sean Gallup / Getty
NASA plans to return to the moon in 2024 and potentially establish a permanent human presence there by the end of the decade. There are still many logistical obstacles to overcome, but there is an even bigger and more human problem: space wants to kill you.
Damaging space radiation poses a real threat to the health of astronauts. If humans are going to spend a long time in space, and are heading to planets like Mars or beyond, we will have to protect ourselves from it. Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere shield us from radiation while we’re down here, but as we go deeper into the cosmos, our security blanket disappears. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) receive more than 20 times the normal amount of radiation that Earthlings receive in a year.
To protect astronauts, scientists have been studying an unusually resistant organism, discovered in one of the most radioactive places on the planet: Chernobyl.
The explosion that made a hole in reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 It was devastating. In some parts of the plant, the radiation level increased so much that the exposure would kill a human in approximately 60 seconds. But several species of fungi have been discovered in the reactor. And they are prospering, “feeding” at extreme levels of radiation.
A new study, yet to undergo peer review, was published in the bioRxiv preprinted repository on July 17 and examines one of these species, Cladosporium sphaerospermum. It suggests that the mushrooms could be used as a self-healing, self-replicating shield to protect astronauts in deep space. The scientific journal New Scientist reported on the findings on July 24.
The researchers placed the mushrooms on board the ISS for 30 days and analyzed their ability to block radiation. Fungi, like C. sphaerospermum, contain a pigment known as melanin, which can absorb radiation and convert it into energy.
The researchers established a two-sided Petri dish. On the one hand, a control that does not contain fungi, on the other, C. sphaerospermum. Beneath the Petri dish was a radiation detector. For 30 days, detectors measured radiation every 110 seconds. The proof-of-concept study showed that fungi could adapt to microgravity and thrive on radiation. It was able to block some of the incoming radiation, lowering the levels by almost 2%.
One of the main advantages, the researchers write, is that fungi self-replicate in microscopic amounts. It would only need to send a small amount into orbit, give it some nutrients, and allow it to replicate, forming a biological radiation shield. With some adjustments, the mushrooms could be used to protect bases on the moon or Mars.
It is a long time until we put boots on the red planet, but now the ground is being prepared. July has been a great month for exploration of Mars. A fleet of robotic explorers is currently on its way to the planet – and NASA Perseverance Rover It is scheduled for July 30. If you want to see that release, we have a great guide ready for your eyeballs. And do not forget SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will return to Earth from ISS on August 2.
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