The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in 1986 caused an area of 2600 square kilometers in Ukraine to be unsafe for humans to inhabit. Nuclear radiation at high levels can cause cancer and subsequent death. But scientists from Rutgers University have found a fungus that lives by eating nuclear radiation in Chernobyl.
The black fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum was found living on the walls of reactor 4 where the explosion occurred almost 40 years ago. It performs a radiosynthesis process that converts gamma rays into a source of energy to continue living just like green trees perform the photosynthesis process of sunlight.
Cladosporium sphaerospermum can still live in areas of radiation that would cause death to humans. Previously, the population of wolves and earthworms in Chernobyl has also been found to have radiation-resistant capabilities.
Scientists are now continuing their studies on this fungus with the aim of using it to clean up areas contaminated with radiation. It can also be used as a radiation-shielding material by astronauts who will explore the galaxy. High radiation in space makes traveling to Mars impossible because it damages human kidneys.