06/21/2026
A strange black fungus was found growing on the walls inside the damaged Chernobyl reactor after the nuclear disaster.
Instead of being destroyed by the high radiation, it appeared to survive and even grow well in that extreme environment.
Scientists later identified melanized fungi such as Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cryptococcus neoformans. These fungi contain large amounts of melanin, the same pigment that gives color to human skin.
Research suggests that the melanin in these fungi may do more than protect them. It may help them absorb ionizing radiation, including gamma radiation, and convert part of that energy into a form they can use.
This process is often described as radiosynthesis. It is similar in idea to photosynthesis, except the fungi may be using radiation instead of sunlight as an energy source.
A 2007 study on melanized fungi reported that radiation exposure appeared to enhance their growth under certain conditions. Later experiments from 2018 to 2019 aboard the International Space Station also tested whether these fungi could help reduce radiation exposure in space.
In one space experiment, a layer of fungus about 1.7 millimeters thick blocked more than 2% of cosmic radiation. Scientists have suggested that thicker layers could someday help create biological radiation shields for long space missions, including missions to Mars.
This discovery has made these fungi important to several fields. They may help with radiation cleanup, improve protection for astronauts, and reveal how life can adapt to some of the harshest environments known.
Their ability to turn a dangerous energy source into a possible survival advantage makes them one of nature’s most unusual examples of adaptation.
