India, Oct. 28 -- Most of us think of black mold as something to scrub off a bathroom wall. Researchers saw it as a possible space shield. A 2022 study published in Frontiers in Microbiology described how a team sent a black fungus called Cladosporium sphaerospermum to the International Space Station to test its tolerance to cosmic radiation. The species has been found in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where radiation levels are far above normal, although the strain flown was a commercial one. In the test, the fungus grew about 21% faster in orbit, and a thin layer of it sat above slightly lower readings of radiation. The results are interesting but have significant limitations.

One of the biggest health hazards for astronauts who travel ...