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BAME police officers take on the 'Don't Rush' challenge to boost recruitment

Black, Asian and minority ethnic officers of the West Midlands Police have launched a series of #Don’tRush videos online to boost the force’s recruitment drive amid the coronavirus crisis.

Reports said officers from BAME backgrounds from "all over Birmingham and beyond joined the latest TikTok craze".


The videos juxtaposes visuals of the men and women in their uniforms, and while off duty.

Police Sergeant Chris Grandison posted the video on Monday (20), with the message that the officers were “just a normal bunch of people, who put on a uniform or lanyard everyday to help others & to make a positive difference”.

"We had a lot of fun putting it together and also wanted to remind people that we are still here and that we still need people to join - now more than ever," said Grandison.

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Chernobyl

Cladosporium sphaerospermum, is among several dark-hued fungi identified during a survey

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Chernobyl dark fungus might be 'eating' radiation, experiments show

Highlights

  • Researchers identify a dark fungus thriving inside one of Chernobyl’s most radioactive structures
  • Its pigment, melanin, appears central to its survival and unusual behaviour
  • Scientists propose, but have not confirmed, a process similar to photosynthesis using radiation
  • New studies examine its potential as a natural radiation shield

A fungus thriving where humans cannot

Nearly four decades after the Chernobyl reactor explosion, the exclusion zone remains inaccessible to people, yet several life forms adapt to its harsh environment. One of the most striking examples is a black fungus found on the interior walls of a highly contaminated building near the damaged reactor.

This species, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, is among several dark-hued fungi identified during a survey in the late 1990s. Researchers documented 37 species in total, many rich in melanin, but C. sphaerospermum dominates the samples and carries high levels of radioactive contamination.

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