Biology: Does radioactivity help fungi to grow?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential effects of radioactivity on fungi growth, exploring whether radioactivity could be beneficial or merely mutagenic. Participants reference existing literature and examples from biology to support their viewpoints.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if radioactivity helps fungi grow, referencing an article from Scientific American.
  • Another participant suggests that radioactivity only mutates fungi, implying a negative effect.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the relationship between radioactivity and fungi growth, with one stating, "but it may be true i don't really know."
  • A participant discusses how certain life forms, like D. audaxviator, utilize energy from radioactive decay, suggesting that radiation could create high-energy molecules that could be beneficial for other life forms, including fungi.
  • References are made to the processes of photosynthesis and energy acquisition in life forms, indicating a broader context of how organisms interact with energy sources, including radiation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit disagreement regarding the effects of radioactivity on fungi, with some proposing potential benefits while others argue it may only lead to mutations. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing views present.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not reach a consensus on the effects of radioactivity on fungi, and the discussion includes various assumptions about the mechanisms of energy acquisition and the role of radiation in biological processes.

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radioactivity only mutate fungi
 
but it may be true i don't really know
 
There is precedence for life using the energy from radiation indirectly:
Most life on Earth's surface takes in the energy it needs through one of two processes. Plants, some bacteria, and certain other organisms collect energy from sunlight through a process called photosynthesis. In it, they use the energy from light to convert water and carbon dioxide into more complex and energetic molecules called hydrocarbons, thus storing the energy so that it can be recovered later by breaking down the molecules through a process called oxidation. Alternatively, animals and other organisms simply feed off of plants, one another, etc., to steal the energy already stored in living things.

D. audaxviator takes a third path: It draws its energy from the radioactivity of uranium in the rock in the mine. The radiation from decaying uranium nuclei breaks apart sulfur and water molecules in the stone, producing molecular fragments such as sulfate and hydrogen peroxide that are excited with internal energy. The microbe then takes in these molecules, siphons off their energy, and spits them back out. Most of the energy produced from this process powers the bacterium’s reproduction and internal processes, but a portion of it also goes to repairing damage from the radiation.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/alien-life-could-feed-cosmic-rays

Essentially, the radiation would create high-energy molecules in the environment which life could then feed on and use for fuel and nutrients. Based on these observations, researchers have speculated that life could potentially live off of cosmic rays elsewhere in the universe: http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/13/123/20160459
 
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oh yee i fogot about it
 

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