Gljive koje "rade" na radijaciju

[kRiK u tAmI]

Ili kako kaže stručni naziv radiotrofne gljivice...

Ovo je stvarno jeziv nalaz, vrsta gljivica koja koristi energiju gama zračenje i pigment melanin u procesu sličnom fotosintezi biljaka. Ove crne gljivce su otkrivene, a gde drugo, nego u okolini reaktora u Černobilu. Tekst na wikipediji ne kaže da li su one evoluirale baš tamo ili su doletele od negde drugde. Ovo je dokaz da će život iskoristiti u nedostatku boljeg svaki izvor energije koji mu se ukaže.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus

[MaudDib]

priroda ima odgovor na sve \o/

Samples of these bacteria grew significantly faster when exposed to gamma radiation at 500 times the normal background radiation level. The fungi appear to use melanin, a chemical found in human skin as well, in the same fashion as plants use chlorophyll. That is to say, the melanin molecule gets struck by a gamma ray and its chemistry is altered.

This discovery leads to some interesting speculation and potential research. Humans have melanin molecules in their skin cells, does this mean that humans are getting some of their energy from radiation? This also implies there could be organisms living in space where ionizing radiation is plentiful. I’ve always been a big panspermia proponent, the idea that life did not originate on Earth but is actually common in the cosmos. Organisms that can live in space certainly gives more credence to this idea.