[onceUponADime]

This funig does not diggest the radioactive material. It diggest the rays produced by radioactive material decaying. The radioation emitted is similar to light for a plant for this fungi. If this fungi diggests radioactive material, my guess would be, that it would die- surrounded by its decendants, who would fare pretty well in the sunshine of their spore creator.

[jxramos]

Yah, the language of "eat radiation" is fraught with confusion.

> However in fungi, it reportedly absorbed radiation and converted it into some type of chemical energy for growth.

So the actual mechanism is more in line with photosynthesis, maybe call it radiosynthesis for a similar process outside of the visible spectrum. I'm not even sure what frequencies plants absorb light energy.

[s_y_n_t_a_x]

You could possibly surround the material with the fungi to naturally absorb the gamma radiation.

Also some genetic modification to the fungi may yield interesting results.

[mirimir]

Lead would work a lot better.

[s_y_n_t_a_x]

Lead doesn't convert it to chemical energy.

Seems like a waste if we can use the decay...

Also, this fungi could be infinitely cheaper and much greener than lead...

[jshevek]

The amount of energy lost in this circumstance is too small to invest effort into reclaiming it.

It is unlikely to be both cheaper than lead and equally reliable.

One day we may find a commercial use for this, but replacing lead with fungi in this context is not likely.

[candiodari]

Or you could go with a substance that both stops radiation AND extracts the energy, used in every nuclear reactor: water. It's not quite as good as lead but pretty good, and it will heat up while stopping the radiation, then conveniently through convection can transport itself to a point where the energy can get extracted.

[s_y_n_t_a_x]

Water extracts thermal radiation at the infrared wavelength, not the higher energy wavelengths that these fungi eat. (X-ray, and Gamma).

Funny enough, these little critters are actually found in reactor pools.