http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000457
the research paper is really nice, im sure you all will enjoy it's depth and detail. the site it's hosted on looks really cool too. (for example, if you remember brassinosteroids from the Ps.c. growth research... check this out )
Quote:
Background
Melanin pigments are ubiquitous in nature. Melanized microorganisms are often the dominating species in certain extreme environments, such as soils contaminated with radionuclides, suggesting that the presence of melanin is beneficial in their life cycle. We hypothesized that ionizing radiation could change the electronic properties of melanin and might enhance the growth of melanized microorganisms.
if you arn't going to read the whole article, the conclusions at the bottom of the paragraphs are good inspiration to read the whole text. here are a few that most interested me:
Quote:
...Overall, these results demonstrate that the presence of melanin contributes to the enhancement of cellular growth upon exposure to ionizing radiation in conditions of limited nutrients.
Quote:
...The conclusion from these experiments is that melanin was produced by fungi even when the amounts of nutrients and energy sources in the media were very low of absent; and the irradiated melanized cells experienced increased growth even in the conditions of starvation.
If this isn't advanced mycology please feel free to move it.
my question is.... well duh, you all should know my question. actually i really dont even know my question its something along the lines of is this at all feasible on a home cultivator scale? i guess not to the extent of irradiating melanized fungi huh?
-------------------- "A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." -Al Einstein
Edited by amyloid (05/23/07 10:50 PM)
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