Chernobyl Fungus Back in Focus as DARPA and Space Claims Revive Radiation-Eating Debate
ScienceAlert and other outlets revived coverage of Chernobyl’s black fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, but researchers have not shown it can convert radiation into usable energy. The fungus, first documented in Chernobyl in 2000, grows faster under radiation and may help shield against it, as seen in ISS experiments. DARPA is moving forward with space manufacturing tests, but links to the fungus remain speculative.
