Fungus That Eats Radiation

This ESL news lesson explores how scientists discovered black mould feeding on radiation inside the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site and why NASA believes it could protect astronauts in space. Students build strong topic vocabulary, read a clear news in English article, and identify the main ideas about how melanin helps fungi absorb dangerous radioactive energy. Learners compare different scientific theories about radiosynthesis and share their own opinions about using living organisms as radiation shields using structured speaking prompts. The lesson also includes a practical design task where students create their own radiation protection systems for Mars colonies and explain their choices with new vocabulary. These news articles for students make complex scientific discoveries accessible through conversational language and engaging real world applications.