# FWD: RE: radioactive fungus email from grandma
[^note]:
I received this email from my grandma on Feb 11, 2020. The mentioned link is
now dead, but archived
[here](https://web.archive.org/web/20221003174158/https://redrightpatriot.com/what-chernobyl-radiation-is-being-eaten-by-organism-growing-inside-reactor/).
And while you're there, don't forget to
[donate to the Internet Archive](https://archive.org/donate).
> **WHAT?! Chernobyl Radiation is Being EATEN by Organism Growing Inside
> Reactor - Red Right Patriot**
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> Whoa! This is very interesting! My question: is the fungi now radioactive?
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> https://redrightpatriot.com/what-chernobyl-radiation-is-being-eaten-by-organism-growing-inside-reactor/
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> Sent from my iPhone
“Radioactive decay” is just a fancy way of saying that atoms are breaking apart.
This is happening to everything all around you, and it’s really nothing to worry
about.
But certain versions of elements (like uranium and plutonium) decay in a way
that’s harmful to all living things. The particles falling off of uranium and
plutonium go really fast and hard and tear right through your body.
If you sit around uranium for long enough, some of these particles might damage
your DNA. That’s what “radiation sickness” is! It’s just damaged DNA.
Cancer is just a particular form of DNA damage. When you sit out in the sun too
long, you increase your chances of skin cancer, because the light particles from
the sun are damaging the DNA in your skin cells.
So why do our bodies get darker after we get sunburnt? Our bodies produce
melanin to block some of the radiation particles, because the radiation
particles get absorbed by the melanin. Remember how you learned that white
things reflect all the colors and black things absorb all the colors? Well this
is literally the same thing. Radiation is really just complicated light
particles, and all the same concepts apply.
Sooooo these fungi are evolving right now, just like all other living things.
These fungi are probably resistant to DNA damage in a ton of different ways,
because after years and years the only fungi that survives and reproduces are
the ones that survived! The ones that weren’t resistant to radiation literally
died off, and the ones that had more and more melanin kept on breeding. This is
literally the fundamental concept of evolution, playing out right before our
eyes :)
Our DNA is always getting damaged, but it usually gets repaired before anything
bad happens. But sometimes the damage can actually be a helpful mutation, and
can be passed on to children! So these fungi might be evolving faster, thanks to
the radiation. Did you know food scientists expose fruits and vegetables to
harsh radiation in order to introduce mutations? Most of the fruits and
vegetables die, but sometimes we got redder tomatoes or juicier peaches!
The world is a beautiful place! Never stop being curious!!
tt
PS: Did you know that
[bananas contain dangerous radioactive elements](https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/10/18/yes-bananas-are-radioactive-and-yes-you-should-keep-eating-them-anyway/#12ab0ffa30bb)?
And
[old soft drink bottles](https://theconversation.com/when-energy-drinks-actually-contained-radioactive-energy-67976)?