Chernobyl Fungus Seems to Have Evolved an Incredible Ability

A black fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, thrives inside radioactive structures at Chernobyl.

Researchers proposed in 2008 that melanin might enable the fungus to harvest ionizing radiation in a process called radiosynthesis.

A 2022 ISS experiment showed the fungus attenuated radiation compared with an agar control, but no study has proven radiation-driven carbon fixation or energy gain.