Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.

Nature’s Radiation Armor? Chernobyl Fungi Could Safeguard Space Missions

The explosion at Chernobyl's number four reactor on April 26, 1986, turned a simple safety check into the world's most serious nuclear accident. The massive blast released a massive amount of radioactive elements into the atmosphere, and radioactive iodine caused numerous deaths and a subsequent increase in cancer cases. To protect people, authorities established a 30-kilometer restricted zone, called the "Zone of Alienation," to keep everyone away from the highly contaminated area. Previous soil tests had shown that several types of fungi actually respond to the radioactive dust. Now they discovered that these fungi had reached the most dangerous parts of the reactor. These discoveries opened up new possibilities-such as cleaning up radioactive areas and ways to protect future astronauts from deep-space radiation.

Venus in Overdrive: Sun-Powered Winds Circle the Planet at Breakneck Pace

A new study by Lai and his colleagues shows that the daily atmospheric tidal cycle, driven by solar heat, plays a more significant role in Venus's extreme winds than previously thought. Superrotation is common on rocky planets that orbit their stars and rotate slowly. Venus completes one full rotation in 243 Earth days, while its atmosphere orbits the planet in just four Earth days. There are two major types of Venusian thermal tides: diurnal tides, which complete one cycle each Venusian day, and semidiurnal tides, which complete two cycles a day. New findings suggest that diurnal tides, driven by solar heat, are a major contributor to the extreme speeds of Venus's winds. Understanding these tidal waves could help scientists better understand why Venus's atmosphere rotates so rapidly, even though the planet itself rotates very slowly.

Fossils Uncover Secret: Animals Were Using Magnetic Navigation Millions of Years Ago

Scientists have discovered that animals may have been using Earth's magnetic field to navigate for tens of millions of years. By studying tiny fossils found on ocean floors, researchers have found evidence of a "biological GPS" called magnetoreception, according to reports. While scientists have known that many animals like birds and sea turtles use this system, they still do not fully understand how it works. Tiny fossils called magnetofossils were found in 97-million-year-old sediments and show signs of magnetoreception. Researchers explained that the organisms that created these fossils were likely able to accurately determine direction and location.

Your Midlife Workout Might Be Your Brain’s Lifelong Bodyguard

A new study has found that increasing physical activity during midlife or later can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. According to researchers, individuals who stay active may lower their dementia risk by as much as 45%. The study analyzed data from over 4,300 participants of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. All participants were dementia-free at the beginning of the study and completed detailed questionnaires on their sleep habits and physical activity levels-ranging from sedentary to heavy. Findings showed that those with higher levels of physical activity in midlife had a 40% lower risk of developing dementia over a 26-year period. Similarly, high physical activity in later life was linked to a 36% to 45% reduced dementia risk over 15 years.