Hunger: A global crisis, an unimaginable craving, or simply, the inevitable need to be nourished. It’s quite normal to find ourselves munching on late night snacks or buying a tub of popcorn at the movie theatre, or maybe something simple as following a healthy diet. Finding ways to satisfy our nutritional requirements is essential for our health and growth. We buy groceries, cook up a meal, while plants take it up from the soil. What about the rest of the world? One of the most inexplicable, rather extraordinary methods of feeding is on radiation! Quite a bizarre alternative, isn’t it? It’s certainly amusing how fungi, who are primarily decomposers could possibly rely on radiation as their source of energy. Could this be the next way to tackle nuclear waste?
The fungi present at Chernobyl are far more resistant to oxidative stress, but where does this oxidative stress even occur from? Ionizing radiation results in the formation of reactive oxygen species which trigger oxidative stress cells. But in fungi, hydrogen peroxide (H202), one of the products in reactive oxygen species is interrelated with their growth factor. Even though hydrogen peroxide acts as a trigger to the stimulating effect of radiation, the fungi were able still show to exhibit growth in such extreme conditions! Olygotrophic growth is the shortcut to their hunger, fancy word, ain’t it? It simply means that in the presence of low concentrated nutrients, fungi are able to demonstrate maximal growth!
Fungi are far more interesting than you think they are, they aren’t just yeasts, mushrooms or molds, but could be a possible candidate to cleaner and greener future.
Please do check out this wonderfully written research paper on the micro fungi at Chernobyl!
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