this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2026
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[–] Denixen@feddit.nu 77 points 1 month ago (4 children)

According to the article there exists no evidence that it actually synthesis energy from the radiation. The title is a flat out lie. It is a hypothesis with zero evidence.

Also, it claims melanin that makes it dark, like our skin, is part of the synthesis, but an easier explanation is that it is there to protect against radiation, just like how melanin in our skin protects us from solar radiation.

The whole idea of "radio-synthesis" is pseudoscientific bullshit with nothing to back it up.

[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

it's a hypothesis... making hypotheses and verifying them is how science progresses. you can't dismiss every single unproven hypotheses as pseudoscience. that is in fact, unscientific.

on the other hand, i am tired of media sensationalising as well...

[–] HollowNaught@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

The bigger problem here is that the paper is stating an (as of currently) unsupported hypothesis as a definitive fact

[–] Denixen@feddit.nu 0 points 4 weeks ago

Pseudoscience is claiming something as fact when you have no evidence. Portraying an hypothesis as fact is an example of pseudoscience.

It isn't the hypothesis that makes things scientific, it is the testing and falsification of the hypothesis that makes it scientific. No such has been done.

Until you have the evidence and results, all you have is a sophisticated guess.

I absolutely can dismiss every unproven hypothesis as pseudoscience if it is used as if it was a proven hypothesis. You should too.

[–] scratchee@feddit.uk 9 points 1 month ago

Yeah, and not like it needs to eat radiation to be successful, all it has to do is survive in a place where everything else dies, and suddenly it has no competitors or predators, and is free to grow explosively.

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I disagree - there’s a massive corpus of science fiction behind it. Protomolecule!!

[–] YeahToast@aussie.zone 1 points 1 month ago

Unfortunately science alert has had shitty click bait titles for years.

[–] Kevlar21@piefed.social 76 points 1 month ago (2 children)

It would be more interesting if it was noisily feasting on radiation

[–] radiofreebc@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

What...was it raised in a barn? People who chew with their mouths open deserve a special place in hell.

[–] Kevlar21@piefed.social 23 points 1 month ago

Actually it was raised in the Chernobyl exclusion zone so I think we can make an exception

[–] GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

You dont know if your tinnitus is getting worse or theres radiation fungus around

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 34 points 1 month ago (3 children)

can we stop using the word quietly! I am so quietly sick of hearing the word quietly in every god damn sentence I see

[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I am SLAMMED that your are quietly sick of hearing quietly.

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 month ago

I am silent screaming at your quiet comment that SLAMMED me.

[–] Maroon@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Could you type this a bit quieter?

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] tonywu@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Upvoted quietly cause cat.

[–] stardreamer@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 month ago

Sorry, but the fungus has been burping and slurping on radiation.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago
[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Quietly? Do fungi typically feast loudly?

[–] Mad_Punda@feddit.org 14 points 1 month ago

They didn’t announce their feast on social media.

Nom nom nom nom

[–] KC_Royalz@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Ok who wants to stick their dick in it first?

[–] Gregers@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

I think you found a perfect fit for you. I'll lend you my microscope

[–] CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] KC_Royalz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

The origin story of the toxic avenger

[–] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I wonder if theres a possibility to line a spaceship haul with this stuff to protect from cosmic radiation.

[–] Zonetrooper@lemmy.world 33 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's an interesting thought, but according to the article, it's not even clear that the fungus is absorbing radiation or befitting from radiation. Actual photosynthesis-via-radiation hasn't been demonstrated; it might simply be taking advantage of the absence of other species due to high radiation, or the radiation is triggering a stress response.

Beyond that, I'm not sure this fungus would have a better protection-per-ton rating than, say, water (which is an astoundingly good radiation shield). But, it might point us towards ways of developing plants which are radiation-tolerant, theoretically opening a path to growing food in orbital or lunar-surface environments.

[–] LemmyTellYou@lemmy.cafe 5 points 1 month ago

Now I’m imagining ‘Moon Melons, Moon Mangos and Moon Mangetout”

[–] felixwhynot@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

This is mentioned in the article!

[–] kayzeekayzee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

That sounds like a bad idea

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 month ago

It's not going to end well for the belters

[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Forbidden dumplings.

[–] jade52@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago

Thought these were green buttholes

[–] Broadfern@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

There is a fungus for everything

[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (3 children)

=3

It... uhm...

Looks like...

Uhm...

You know...

A butthole

[–] baronvonj@piefed.social 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

No. I will not wash my wok and I will not wash my ass. I must preserve the flavor

[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

So it's like last of us, but instead of making everyone a zombie, it makes everyone an drooing asshole with the goal of making the entire planet a radiated nuclear wasteland.

My god, we've been blaming social media for that. We are doomed! AI threat was just a diversion.

[–] deltapi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I wonder if it 'toots to scoot.'

[–] Nounka@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Fungus eats radiation ... i think i saw the movie

[–] Skanky@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

I should call her...

[–] dzsimbo@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 month ago

That's a pretty funky video in the article. I didn't see much funghi, but I think the camera sensor was picking up on the radiation. At the dark scenes you can see these white artifacts, almost like ants on the screen, when you don't have a CRT TV tuned to a channel.

[–] TIEPilot@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Real life Fallout's "Glowing Fungus"

[–] orenj@leminal.space 2 points 1 month ago

I hope when it develops sapience that we can be friends

[–] nexguy@lemmy.world -2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

There is a form of life that can digest radioactive material to make it less radioactive?

Doubt

Edit: which chemical reaction can reduce radioactivity?