[Aroid-l] OT: Fungi that eat ionizing radiation?

A bit off topic, but I know others on the list like these things too ...

A post today on one of the bulb lists I follow gave a link to a
"fascinating-if-true" paper on the possibility that some fungi can use ionizing
radiation as a direct energy source in a way similar to plant's use of visible
light. 

An abstract is at:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/aeco-erd051607.php

and the full paper seems to be available online at PLoS ONE at:

http://www.plosone.org/doi/pone.0000457

Ok, it's not exactly "The Blob", but the part about melanized fungi colonizing
the walls of the damaged Chernobyl reactor has at least a bit of those old
1960's science fiction "B" movies about it. If it were April 1, I'd assume it 
was a joke ... but I admit I hope it's true. 

Steve

-- Steve Marak
-- samarak@gizmoworks.com
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