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[–] 40 points 1 year ago (7 children)

When we measure calories in food we are speaking of bioavailable chemical energy. The energy listed for Uranium here is not chemical, it's the nuclear potential energy released during nuclear fission which is completely different.

That was probably obvious but ackshyually if we include the nuclear potential energy that could be released from fusion, I would wager the water in that food has enough hydrogen to give the same amount of energy, since hydrogen carries far more nuclear potential energy.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Some fungi found to be thriving in Chernobyl, and seemingly growing towards radiation sources, are hypothesized to be able to capture and use the radiation energy to support biological processes. If it turns out that some fungi can synthesize compounds that convert ionizing radiation into chemical bonds that can be metabolized by biological organisms, one could theoretically imagine some kind of symbiotic relationship between organisms that comes out of that.

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