Sarah Wallace, Matt Ford, ScienceGoGo and Jason Stajich comment on the fungus that gets its energy from radiation. I've heard of Deinococcus radiodurans before, but this is a fungus! Well, if there is an energy source to tap into, even if it is in the middle of Chernobyl, some life form is likely to find a way to do it.
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Do you perhaps mean Deinococcus radiodurans which is extremely resistant to radiation (and desiccation, extreme heat & cold, and acid) but does not necessarily metabolize the radiation.
Yes - post in haste....thanks for the correction.
All this makes me wonder what kind of interesting biology was going on back when there was enough uranium-235 in the Earth for natural fission reactors to be operating.
You just blew my mind.
Natural nuclear reactors... radiosynthesis... MY HEAD ASPLODE!