A peculiar class of fungi known for thriving in extreme radiation environments is raising questions about whether such organisms could one day be engineered into living shields for astronauts.
Interest in radiation-resistant fungi surged after the discovery of Cladosporium sphaerospermum growing on the walls of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
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A 2007 study found it appeared to turn radiation into energy, potentially in a similar way to plants using light during photosynthesis.
In 2022, an experiment aboard the International Space Station showed that a thin layer of the fungus reduced radiation levels by roughly 2%. Although small, the finding hinted at potential future applications.
Cosmic radiation remains one of the greatest challenges for human space exploration, particularly for long-duration missions to Mars.
Traditional shielding requires heavy materials like water, polyethylene or aluminium – all costly to launch.
A self-repairing, self-replicating biological layer is therefore an appealing idea.
Researchers from NASA’s Ames Research Center and the University of North Carolina estimate that a 21cm (8-inch) layer could negate almost all of Mars’s surface radiation.
It could even be just 9cm thick (3.5 inches) if mixed with soil.
However, the leap from lab to Mars base is huge, so while this idea is an intriguing potential solution to one of the main dangers for off-world habitats, evidence remains preliminary.
