Source: Only Engineers Can Understand (Facebook Page)

This Fungus Eats Radiation — And Scientists Are Taking Notes.

Inside the radioactive ruins of Chernobyl, researchers found a strange black fungus that doesn’t just resist radiation — it thrives on it.

The fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, produces high levels of melanin, the same pigment in human skin — but here, it acts like a biological solar panel, soaking up ionizing radiation and converting it into chemical energy.

Scientists call this survival trick radiosynthesis, a process similar to photosynthesis but powered by radiation instead of sunlight. 

First discovered in 1991 and studied extensively since 2007, this radiation-loving fungus was even sent to the International Space Station — where it grew rapidly and showed promise as a natural radiation shield for astronauts.

From cleaning up nuclear waste sites on Earth to protecting future Mars explorers, this tiny organism may hold the key to surviving in the most hostile environments known to man.

What started as a weird survivor in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone… may soon help us thrive in space.