\nLife in the zone<\/p>\n
And while we\u2019re at it, mushrooms aren\u2019t the only form of weird life thriving in Chernobyl\u2019s exclusion zone<\/a> \u2014 there are also worms that appear unscathed by the radiation<\/a>; the feral descendants of pet dogs<\/a>; and an endangered species of wild horse whose numbers have exploded<\/a>.<\/p>\n Humans have also been making lemonade, or better to say an apple-based moonshine called Atomik<\/a>, from ingredients grown within the exclusion zone.<\/p>\n If that sounds dangerous, only small parts of the zone are dangerous radiation hotspots, and tours through it ran frequently until Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n 2025-12-01T14:47:39.949Z \n (Image credit: Getty)<\/p>\n Onto terrestrial radiation now, and there are intriguing reports doing the rounds that a fungus may be using the radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone as food.<\/p>\n The fungus is called Cladosporium sphaerospermum and the strange process it could be using to mop up Chernobyl\u2019s radiation is called radiosynthesis, which deploys melanin to metabolise ionising radiation, the BBC reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The process of radiosynthesis remains hypothetical for the time being, but it could stand as a potential new foundation for life on Earth.<\/p>\n That means that instead of photosynthesis, the fungus may be thriving off the exploded fissile material of Ukraine\u2019s dark star. (Chernobyl is Ukrainian for wormwood, a prophesied star in The Book Of Revelation that falls to Earth to poison the waters).<\/p>\n 2025-12-01T13:44:21.297Z Here are some of the best stories Live Science published this morning and over the weekend:<\/p>\n 2025-12-01T13:39:34.853Z \n An Egyptair AIrbus A320 SU-GCC (Image credit: vaalaa \/ Shutterstock.com)<\/p>\n How much disruption can space weather really cause? Surprisingly, the answer is a lot \u2014 just ask Airbus.<\/p>\n Solar eruptions can grow to truly catastrophic scales<\/a>, having the potential to wreak havoc on electrical systems and Earth-orbiting satellites.<\/p>\n Even aircraft aren\u2019t immune from geomagnetic storms, as news broke over the weekend that aircraft manufacturer Airbus has recalled thousands of its A320 passenger jets owing to a fault that enabled intense solar radiation to “corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls”, Gizmodo reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The A320 is the most delivered jetliner in history, and the recall has severely impacted some airlines such as Colombia\u2019s Avianca, which said the issue had affected 70% of its fleet.<\/p>\n And as solar activity continues to unexpectedly ramp up in its activity for the next few decades<\/a>, the issues posed by it are only likely to get worse.<\/p>\n 2025-12-01T12:36:03.184Z \n (Image credit: AIA\/SDO\/NASA)<\/p>\n Welcome back, science fans. We\u2019re here with news of fresh geomagnetic storms, as Earth was hit by one solar flare last night and many more \u2014 alongside a coronal mass ejection \u2014 appear to be in the offing.<\/p>\n Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large, fast-moving clouds of magnetized plasma that occasionally get spat out into space by the sun alongside solar flares<\/a> \u2014 powerful explosions on our star’s surface triggered when solar magnetic loops snap in half like an overstretched elastic band.<\/p>\n
\nChernobyl mushroom could be feeding on radiation<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kqpeHcBdwnVe7jMGceXyZB.jpg\")
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\nLive Science roundup<\/p>\n
\nSolar flares corrupt airplanes<\/p>\n![\"gyptair](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VfFNWuQBU4tdkoVDjNFdYb.jpg\")
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\nGood morning, sunshine<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tbgaPDrzZnnDo69W4Nvh9R.jpg\")
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