Move over Elon; Ukrainian fungus can help us get to Mars.
Radiation-eating fungus thriving near the Chornobyl reactor could be a solution to space radiation, allowing humans to venture forth into space. Chornobyl can become a testing lab for space missions.
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Space is deadly silent, just like the Chornobyl exclusion zone.
There is something spooky about the emptiness of both: these great expanses where no human life can exist, the desolation of the void.
"It feels like a cemetery. This area could have had a future, but it was lost because of the accident," says Olena Pareniuk, a Ukrainian radiobiologist.
Despite the nuclear disaster, Olena is among many that believe Chornobyl has a future far beyond our planet. If one day humans can conquer the exclusion zone, we can conquer even greater frontiers, including outer space.
In 1991, five years after the accident at the nuclear power plant that caused a massive release of radiation, remote-controlled robots discovered black fungus on the walls of the destroyed reactor.
Scientists were baffled. Not only did the microorganisms survive in what seemed to be an uninhabitable environment, but they also began to ‘grow’ toward the radiation source, which would later inspire applications beyond Earth.
Ukraine has cultivated unique microbial habitats that exist nowhere else in the world, paving the way for advances in space exploration and the development of new technologies. Using microorganisms, such as radiotrophic fungi from the Chornobyl zone, Ukraine is contributing to the exploration of space – and could even help humanity travel to Mars.
Since the first sighting of black fungi in the reactor, Ukrainian scientists have regularly visited the plant to study these organisms' ability to thrive under extreme radiation. Eventually, a team led by Ukrainian scientist Nelli Zhdanova identified more than 200 species of fungi at the site. Many of them were rich in melanin—a pigment also found in humans that gives color to skin, eyes, and hair, while also protecting the body from ultraviolet radiation.
It was then proposed that these fungi could grow due to the interaction between melanin and radiation.
In 2007, this theory was further confirmed when an American research team obtained some of their own mushroom samples from Chornobyl. They found that three species of fungi with the pigment melanin — Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Wangiella dermatitidis and Cryptococcus neoformans — grew faster and accumulated nutrients (acetate) in an environment with extremely high radiation levels. In this case, they were growing in locations where the radiation was 500 times higher than normal.
This process was similar to photosynthesis in plants. Only this was radiosynthesis, in which the fungi converted dangerous radiation into chemical energy to help them grow.
"No normal biological process is designed to handle such high doses of radiation. But our planet is remarkable in how life adapts to everything," Olena Pareniuk explained to The Counteroffensive.
From an early age, Olena Pareniuk's life has been intertwined with Chornobyl. She was born in Zhytomyr, not far from the exclusion zone, and her family members worked in areas of contamination after the explosion.
Due to her family’s background, in the eighth grade Olena became interested in radiobiology, the study of the effects of radiation on living organisms. She hasn’t looked back since.
For more than ten years, Olena Pareniuk has been studying microorganisms in the Chornobyl zone, specifically bacteria. She later became the first to publish a study on the diversity of bacteria inside a destroyed nuclear reactor. She was also among the Ukrainian scientists who helped address the Fukushima catastrophe.
Her meeting with one of the Japanese professors was a turning point. He invited Olena to a private space conference, where the scientist was inspired by the idea of turning Chornobyl into a space research laboratory and offering scientists from around the world access to it. In particular, she is convinced that Chornobyl can contribute to the exploration of Mars.
"I listened to what kind of radiation they were studying, what kinds of energies they were dealing with, and what difficulties they were facing... And I thought, 'Oh my God, we have their ‘space’ for free,'" Olena noted.
The question of colonizing Mars has been debated for decades. Elon Musk, who aims to be a pioneer with his SpaceX Red Planet project, makes quite optimistic predictions. He plans to land on Mars within four years, and people will start living there in about twenty years. On the other hand, NASA, which is working with SpaceX, believes that any idea of going to a neighboring planet by 2040 would be "audacious."
That’s because humans face many challenges before colonizing Mars.
One of them is how to deal with cosmic radiation.
In some ways, Earth is lucky. Thanks to its strong magnetosphere, our planet is protected from dangerous radiation, particularly radiation from solar flares and galactic cosmic rays.
This is not the case on Mars, which has no protective magnetic field. As a result, everything—spacecraft, rovers, and humans themselves — will be exposed to much higher levels of radiation. During a single trip to a neighboring planet and back, humans risk receiving 60 percent of the maximum amount of radiation deemed safe for a lifetime. Such high levels of radiation could render mission participants mentally and physically incapacitated.
However, a discovery made at Chornobyl — radiotrophic fungi — may help solve the problem. One such species is Cladosporium sphaerospermum. In the winter of 2018-2019, samples of this fungus were delivered to the International Space Station.
The idea was to test the fungus's potential as an inexpensive and lightweight material for radiation shielding. It was a way of killing two birds with one stone — addressing both the safety and cost issues facing the Mars mission.
Radiation exposure aboard the space station is low compared to other parts of space, but it is still many times higher than on Earth’s surface. Under these conditions, fungal spores were tested on the space station for about a month. The study showed that fungi are able to adapt to microgravity and grow under the influence of cosmic radiation. A layer just over 20 centimeters thick of such fungi would be enough to protect space travelers.
In addition, Chornobyl fungus is self-replicating and self-healing. This means that astronauts may be able to grow new radiation shielding during deep space missions. Only a small amount is needed, which can then grow vigorously. This eliminates the dependence on interplanetary supplies, which are complex and expensive. And even if the shield is damaged, it will repair itself in a few days thanks to these properties.
"You can use fungus or mold as a shield on living modules. You create a gap between the inside and outside the module, fill it with some nutrients, and then radiotrophic microorganisms can reduce the exposure dose [a measure of the radiation level in the environment],” notes Olena Pareniuk.
However, according to preliminary estimates, many microorganisms would need to be grown. To live on Mars in a radiation environment similar to Earth's, habitats should be covered with a layer of radio-synthesizing fungi biomass that is more than two meters thick.
But, according to Olena, the potential of Chornobyl is huge. It’s not just about using fungi that absorb radiation. Chornobyl can become a hub for testing materials and conducting other biological research — an additional link before sending something into space.
For example, you can grow cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which could be used as food when people begin colonizing Mars. At Chornobyl, people would be able to study whether they could survive high doses of radiation and whether they mutate.
Or we can research the effects of radiation on humans. According to Olena, no one has definitively studied whether the degradation of brain cells will begin while astronauts travel to Mars for months.
Of course, the conditions in space are different from those in the sarcophagus of the Chornobyl reactor. But according to Olena, if the ideas don’t work on Earth, they won’t work in space.
These ideas are now waiting for a better time: the era of post-war rebuilding. Chornobyl is currently a highly militarized area, so its access is restricted.
During the full-scale invasion, it was occupied by Russia. Its troops stole all the equipment they could find. Olena recalls that a local employee managed to enter the lab where she works, and put up "Radioactive" signs. This is the only thing that saved at least something from the Russians.
So, Olena’s Сhornobyl space project, which has not yet started, is on hold. The war has also made its own adjustments to Olena's scientific life. She now focuses on advocacy work. The war has brought new challenges — nuclear security in the face of Russian terror.
But she believes that one day, Ukraine will return to her concept, and help the whole world explore into the unknown.
"I have always been annoyed by statements that we are unhappy. No doubt, [Chornobyl] is a tragedy. But we already have it, and we must find a way to benefit from it," Olena says.
NEWS OF THE DAY:
Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
U.S. TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS AID TO UKRAINE: The new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has issued an order that immediately suspends funding for most foreign aid programs over the next 90 days, and appears to apply to Ukraine, Politico reported. The only exceptions are military funding for Israel and Egypt.
An unnamed USAID official told Reuters that staff responsible for projects in Ukraine have been ordered to stop all work. Support for schools and health assistance, such as emergency maternity care and child vaccinations, are among the frozen projects in Ukraine, the official said.
However, according to Zelenskyy, military aid will continue to be delivered to Ukraine.
U.S. BANS REFUGEES FROM UKRAINE: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is terminating several programs that allowed refugees to resettle in the country temporarily. This includes the Unite for Ukraine initiative, which permitted Ukrainians to enter the U.S. if they had financial sponsors. The program was launched under President Biden’s administration. As of September 2023, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have been able to come to the United States under this program.
UKRAINIAN INTEL ATTACKS RUSSIAN COMMS: HUR allegedly carried out a massive cyberattack on one of Russia's largest mobile and internet operators, Ukrainian media reported. Specifically, the DDoS attack affected the following companies: ‘MegaFon,’ ‘Yota,’ and ‘NetByNet.’
On the morning of January 24, residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and many central regions of the Russian Federation began to complain about poor internet connectivity and communication issues. Additionally, Russians lost access to services such as Steam, Twitch, and Discord. According to Ukrainian intelligence, these platforms are actively used by Russian special services.
SLOVAKIA PROTESTS PRO-RUSSIAN PM: Mass protests against pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico have erupted in Slovakia under the slogan “Slovakia is Europe.” The protesters are demanding his resignation and a shift in the country’s policy of rapprochement with Moscow. Over 100,000 people have taken to the streets in 30 cities across Slovakia. Slovaks also held rallies in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Ireland.
Cat of Conflict
Today's Cat of Conflict is a gray kitten who pretended to be sad and stole a piece of Mariana's grilled meat.
Stay safe out there.
Best,
Mariana
What a fascinating article. But what was really heartening was the way it was framed around the Ukrainians beating Elon Musk, especially on the day when we learned that Trump had suspended all aide to Ukraine.
There are a few science fiction books out there on this very topic. Start with the Blighted Stars by Megan O’Keefe. Many science discoveries were inspired by science fiction.