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1
Dec
2025

Chernobyl Fungus: Space Radiation Shield

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Picture a black fungus growing toward radiation in Chernobyl like it's its favorite snack. In 1991, microbiologist Nelli Zhdanova found Cladosporium sphaerospermum on Reactor 4 walls, packed with melanin that protects it and seems to turn gamma rays into energy via "radiosynthesis." In 2007, Ekaterina Dadachova and Arturo Casadevall showed it grows faster under radiation, exhibiting radiotropism.?

ISS Tests
In 2018, NASA sent samples to the ISS: over 30 days, a 1.7 mm layer cut radiation by 2.17%, growing 21% faster than Earth controls. Scaling up, 21 cm could block a year's Mars dose. Still, full radiosynthesis isn't proven, and microgravity challenges persist.?

Future Uses
It could shield astronauts or clean nuclear sites—like a biological superhero! But experts like Nils Averesch note no confirmed energy pathway yet. Tip: Grow it on local substrates for living shields on Mars missions.?