Dundee University discovers fungi can treat nuclear fallout
Adding to the intriguing properties that fungi can demonstrate, researchers at Dundee University have found that uranium can be locked into fungi in mineral form.
Although still hazardous, using fungi to retain the nuclear material means that it is no longer mobile, and therefore less likely to make its way into water supplies, or be taken up by plants and animals, and into the food chain.
The discovery could help recover land polluted by radioactive fallout, and help in clearing up the after effects of recent conflicts that have seen the use of DU (Depleted Uranium) weapons, where the residual material does not offer the same danger from radiation as natural uranium, but is still a threat due to its toxicity. This is greater when the material has fragmented or been dispersed by burning, and become dust.
