Wildlife continually surprises us in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Dogs left behind that escaped execution survived and bred. Frogs evolved darker skin to protect themselves from the damaging radiation. Now, a humble fungus has apparently evolved not just to survive amid ionizing radiation but to thrive in it. According to Science Alert:

That fungus is called Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and some scientists think its dark pigment – melanin – may allow it to harness ionizing radiation through a process similar to the way plants harness light for photosynthesis. This proposed mechanism is even referred to as radiosynthesis.

As early as 1990, scientists found that 37 species of darker-colored fungi, thanks to higher levels of the pigment melanin, were flourishing in the zone. C. sphaerosper

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