Found growing in and around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and other high-radiation environments, Radiotrophic Fungus does something that should not be possible — it feeds on ionising radiation. Rather than being destroyed by it, these fungi contain high levels of melanin and appear to use a process called radiosynthesis to convert gamma radiation into chemical energy, in much the same way plants use chlorophyll to convert sunlight. It was first discovered thriving on the walls inside the Chernobyl reactor itself, and researchers believe it may have significant implications for space exploration, where radiation exposure is a major biological challenge!