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Chernobyl’s goth radiation-snacking fungus, TikTok-fueled toy and blood-donor drives, and a rugby rematch spiced as Erasmus’ prediction boomerangs
Chernobyl’s goth fungus might snack on radiation, and one day shield astronauts
Melanin-rich fungi discovered on Chernobyl’s reactor walls appear to grow toward ionizing radiation and may harness it for energy. A 2007 study found melanized fungi grew roughly 10 percent faster when exposed to radioactive cesium, hinting at radiosynthesis. The species Cladosporium sphaerospermum also grew an average of 1.21 times faster on the ISS over 26 days than Earth controls, though co-author Nils Averesch cautions microgravity could be the real driver. If verified, space could get its first living shield, a self-repairing strip of goth wallpaper that actually wants the cosmic rays the rest of us are trying to avoid.
TikTok driver says Amazon workload was “insane,” quits, and starts a toy appeal
Viral delivery creator Laura Orgill says she left an Amazon route after filming vans crammed with parcels, run-ins over hazard-light parking, and claims of routes where some drivers coasted while others were loaded up. She says she was expected to handle around 400 packages, a figure critics online dispute, and she declined to spar over it. Amazon notes its drivers are engaged by independent delivery partners, says routes are realistic, breaks are available any time, and there is a hotline for concerns. Translation, we care deeply, at a safe distance measured in parcels per hour. Orgill, meanwhile, is organizing a local Christmas toy appeal, which feels like a better use of human energy than surgically inserting cardboard into doorways all day.
Rugby rematch, with extra spice, after Erasmus prediction boomerangs
Wales meet South Africa on Saturday for the first time since Rassie Erasmus’s confident take on Warren Gatland went flying back in his face during a historic Welsh skid. Gatland is still in post, Erasmus’s crystal ball still needs a warranty, and both sides now get to settle it on the field instead of in the headlines.
“Bus Aunty” turns TikTok into a blood donor megaphone
London’s “Bus Aunty” is urging 3,000 people with a specific blood type to step up and is amplifying an urgent call for Black Londoners of any blood type to donate. For once, the algorithm might actually save lives. If you can donate, please do, because that is the sort of clout that matters.
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By IniaesChernobyl’s goth fungus might snack on radiation, and one day shield astronauts
Melanin-rich fungi discovered on Chernobyl’s reactor walls appear to grow toward ionizing radiation and may harness it for energy. A 2007 study found melanized fungi grew roughly 10 percent faster when exposed to radioactive cesium, hinting at radiosynthesis. The species Cladosporium sphaerospermum also grew an average of 1.21 times faster on the ISS over 26 days than Earth controls, though co-author Nils Averesch cautions microgravity could be the real driver. If verified, space could get its first living shield, a self-repairing strip of goth wallpaper that actually wants the cosmic rays the rest of us are trying to avoid.
TikTok driver says Amazon workload was “insane,” quits, and starts a toy appeal
Viral delivery creator Laura Orgill says she left an Amazon route after filming vans crammed with parcels, run-ins over hazard-light parking, and claims of routes where some drivers coasted while others were loaded up. She says she was expected to handle around 400 packages, a figure critics online dispute, and she declined to spar over it. Amazon notes its drivers are engaged by independent delivery partners, says routes are realistic, breaks are available any time, and there is a hotline for concerns. Translation, we care deeply, at a safe distance measured in parcels per hour. Orgill, meanwhile, is organizing a local Christmas toy appeal, which feels like a better use of human energy than surgically inserting cardboard into doorways all day.
Rugby rematch, with extra spice, after Erasmus prediction boomerangs
Wales meet South Africa on Saturday for the first time since Rassie Erasmus’s confident take on Warren Gatland went flying back in his face during a historic Welsh skid. Gatland is still in post, Erasmus’s crystal ball still needs a warranty, and both sides now get to settle it on the field instead of in the headlines.
“Bus Aunty” turns TikTok into a blood donor megaphone
London’s “Bus Aunty” is urging 3,000 people with a specific blood type to step up and is amplifying an urgent call for Black Londoners of any blood type to donate. For once, the algorithm might actually save lives. If you can donate, please do, because that is the sort of clout that matters.