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Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

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Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#101

Post by RichardCA »

YeGoblynQueenne wrote: post #43

>> Scientists are thinking of shielding astronauts and space objects with a layer of this radiation-absorbing protective fungus. This reminds me of Adam Stone's discovery in Cordwainer Smith's Scanners Live in Vain [1]: SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT Adam Stone has basically discovered that the radiation that causes the Great Pain of Space not only affects life, it is absorbed b…

When I was in High School I had a teacher who taught a Literature of SF class.

Every single short story in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1 was required reading.

I remain thankful to that teacher.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_Fiction_Hall_of_Fa...

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#102

Post by _emacsomancer_ »

DuskStar wrote: post #100
Hnrobert42 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it’s because you have to ship stainless steel from Earth. Maybe the mass of the fungus can be grown from CO2 from respiration. The carbon originally coming from food, which has to be shipped up. Lots of maybes, but you know, maybe...

Either you ship steel, or you ship biological material - you're shipping things either way. (And if you can do ISRU, then steel or just plain cast iron is available)

Steel doesn't reproduce though.

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#103

Post by beowulfey »

acidburnNSA wrote: post #68
agumonkey wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

still worth for the conversion of radiative energy to biological activity nuclear waste may become green :)

Well technically it already is pretty darn green in that the energy system concentrates its waste into tiny generally well-contained packages that have, per TWh generated, a relatively miniscule negative impact and footprint on the biosphere. I recognize this is controversial but the numbers are pretty solid.

Totally true and nothing disappoints me more than the push away from nuclear energy

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#104

Post by DuskStar »

_emacsomancer_ wrote: post #102
DuskStar wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Either you ship steel, or you ship biological material - you're shipping things either way. (And if you can do ISRU, then steel or just plain cast iron is available)

Steel doesn't reproduce though.

Reproduction doesn't create matter ex niliho, either. And in space, organizing the matter is far easier than getting the matter in the first place.

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#105

Post by 0xdeadb00f »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #72
0xdeadb00f wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't know why anyone would care about that property in a fungus. My thought would be the possibility of it being cheaper to produce than lead, possible to farm it. That could mean a more lightweight material for insulated suits and stuff along those lines.

It's unlikely to be much use for shielding for reasons the top comment explains. The real reason to care is because it's an interesting - almost textbook - example of evolution operating in a challenging environment.

> It's unlikely to be much use for shielding for reasons the top comment explains.

I did read the comment - I know it can't be used for that. I only said that as a more generic response to "I don't know why anyone would care" about this property being found in a fungus - a statement which seemed to lack any imagination imo.

> The real reason to care is because it's an interesting - almost textbook - example of evolution operating in a challenging environment.

This is true! Good point.

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#106

Post by TouchyJoe »

acidburnNSA wrote: post #68
agumonkey wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

still worth for the conversion of radiative energy to biological activity nuclear waste may become green :)

Well technically it already is pretty darn green in that the energy system concentrates its waste into tiny generally well-contained packages that have, per TWh generated, a relatively miniscule negative impact and footprint on the biosphere. I recognize this is controversial but the numbers are pretty solid.

totally untrue they dump the western nucular waste in front of the Somalian coast.

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#107

Post by [deleted] »

burtonator wrote: post #51

There's simply no way that this type of fungus could absorb enough radiation simply because it's not dense enough. If you want to absorb radiation you have to block it which means it has to come into contact with matter. The only way you can do this is to have either a smaller volumetric amount of something that's dense (lead, gold, uranium, etc) or a LARGE amount of something less dense (water, concrete, etc). If yo…

[deleted]

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#108

Post by einpoklum »

dogma1138 wrote: post #8
einpoklum wrote: post #5

Ok, but: 1. Is it doable to maintain a 21-cm thick layer of fungus, at all, let alone in space, for a prolonged period of time? 2. Wouldn't it be easier/simpler to replicate this radio-synthesis mechanism in a non-organic setting?

> Is it doable to maintain a 21-cm thick layer of fungus, at all, let alone in space, for a prolonged period of time? Building a living wall isn’t hard, I have one with moss in my flat it does wonders for air quality (even if not actual one just the smell/perception is enough), fungus is easy to grow - feed it shit and keep it in the dark does work. > Wouldn't it be easier/simpler to replicate this radio-synthesis me…

But you don't need to replicate the complex biology - just the simple chemistry. Just like a solar panel doesn't replicate photosynthesis.

Re: Fungus at Chernobyl absorbs nuclear radiation via radiosynthesis

#109

Post by dogma1138 »

einpoklum wrote: post #108
dogma1138 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is it doable to maintain a 21-cm thick layer of fungus, at all, let alone in space, for a prolonged period of time? Building a living wall isn’t hard, I have one with moss in my flat it does wonders for air quality (even if not actual one just the smell/perception is enough), fungus is easy to grow - feed it shit and keep it in the dark does work. > Wouldn't it be easier/simpler to replicate this radio-synthesis me…

But you don't need to replicate the complex biology - just the simple chemistry. Just like a solar panel doesn't replicate photosynthesis.

Creating the same molecules would be considerably more complex than harvesting them heck we might not even be able to make them at all there is a plethora of compounds we use on a daily basis we can’t synthesize.

Your example isn’t a particularly good one solar panels and photosynthesis don’t operate in the same manner, if we needed to produce chlorophyll at scale we probably wouldn’t be able too.

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