The Radiation-Loving Mold Found at Chernobyl

A dark mold found at Chernobyl can survive intense radiation, and its melanin may help it tolerate and possibly use radiation as an energy source.

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A strange form of life found around the Chernobyl nuclear accident has drawn attention because it thrives where radiation is unusually high. One notable species is Cladosporium sphaerospermum, a dark, melanin-rich fungus that has been studied for its ability to survive ionizing radiation. Research has found that some melanized fungi can grow faster when exposed to radiation, especially when nutrients are limited. Scientists have proposed that melanin may help by absorbing radiation and changing its electronic behavior, potentially allowing some of that energy to contribute to fungal metabolism. The exact mechanism is still not settled, so describing the fungus simply as eating radiation can overstate what has been demonstrated. The fungus is clearly radiation-tolerant, and experiments have provided evidence for radiation-stimulated growth, but researchers continue to investigate whether true radiotrophy occurs and how much useful energy radiation actually provides. Later experiments have even examined this fungus in space, where it showed a measurable growth advantage compared with a ground control. These findings have made melanized fungi interesting for possible future radiation shielding and space biotechnology, although substantial research is still needed before those applications are practical.

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