Bizarre But True! Scientists have genetically engineered a bacteria to produce melanin, the same pigment that colours human skin and turned it into a self-dyeing fabric that blocks nuclear radiation…!
The breakthrough centres on a bacteria called Komagataeibacter rhaeticus. Researchers modified it to produce melanin whilst growing bacterial cellulose, creating a jet-black material without any dyeing required.
The fabric doesn’t fade. Water doesn’t strip the colour. Scraping doesn’t lighten it. That’s because the melanin isn’t applied – it’s embedded during growth, the same way black sheep grow black wool rather than white wool that’s dyed afterwards.
But the material has an even bigger talent…
The Chernobyl Connection
The inspiration came from approximately 2,000 fungal strains discovered thriving inside Chernobyl’s destroyed reactor. These black fungi don’t just survive radiation – they actively grow towards it.
Russian scientists documented melanised fungi migrating toward radioactive sources in what they call “positive radiotropism.” The organisms appear to be intentionally attracted to radiation, treating it as an energy source rather than a threat.
Cladosporium sphaerospermum, one dominant Chernobyl species, grew faster when exposed to radiation levels 500 times higher than background radiation, even in environments with minimal nutrients.
The process is called radiosynthesis. It’s like photosynthesis, but with gamma rays instead of sunlight.
How Melanin Blocks Radiation
Laboratory experiments showed human skin cells treated with selenomelanin survived X-ray doses that would kill a person. The melanin formed “microparasols” – tiny shields around the cells’ nuclei where DNA is stored.
The cells took on a naturally brown tanned colour when they absorbed the protective pigment.
Studies examining melanin-rich fungi showed they could shield ionising radiation at efficacies comparable to lead and twice as effective as charcoal. Melanin microspheres absorbed X-rays, UV light and other radiation types whilst remaining far lighter and more flexible than traditional shielding materials. The pigment even seems to get stronger when you hit it with radiation.
The Mars Calculation
ISS experiments with Cladosporium sphaerospermum showed that just 1.67mm of fungal ‘lawn’ reduced radiation by 2%. Researchers calculated that a roughly 21-centimetre layer could largely negate the annual radiation dose on Mars’ surface.
Or just 9 centimetres if mixed with Martian soil…
An astronaut on a Mars mission could receive up to 700 times more radiation than on Earth. After one year on Mars, they’d be exposed to roughly 66 times more radiation than the average person on Earth experiences annually.
NASA’s Twins Study showed DNA damage to astronaut Scott Kelly from just one year in orbit. And the problem gets worse the further you travel from Earth’s magnetic field.
The fungus is also self-replicating, so astronauts could grow new radiation shielding rather than transport it all from Earth.
Beyond Space Suits…
There’s a huge curiosity about using the bacteria in the production of future spacesuits, but the technology extends beyond astronaut protection.
Melanin-producing bacteria could create radiation shielding for habitats, equipment covers, or any surface requiring protection from cosmic rays. The material grows at room temperature using minimal resources. On the Moon or Mars, astronauts could theoretically cultivate the melanin-producing bacteria on-site, utilising local resources to create radiation shielding as needed.
That significantly reduces the mass of materials that need to be transported from Earth – a major logistical challenge for long-duration space missions.
The bacterial melanin can be tailored to absorb specific types of radiation too, offering an even more targeted and effective form of protection than traditional shielding methods.
So watch this space, soon it might be normal to see astronauts blasting off wearing jet black spacesuits rather than the traditionally white gear we’ve all become used to…
