Plan for microbes to eat Chernobyl's nuclear waste may be ruined

MattSparkes writes: Researchers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine had been looking for bacteria to eat radioactive waste – but they now fear that their work was irreparably lost during the Russian invasion of the facility.

A limited party was able to access laboratories on 12 April and found doors and windows broken and most scientific equipment looted, damaged or destroyed.

Scientist Olena Pareniuk was attempting to identify bacteria that could consume radioactive waste within Chernobyl’s destroyed reactor before the Russian invasion. If her samples are lost it will likely be impossible to replace them.