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'Conan the Bacterium' is radiation-resistant for a surprising reason
A type of bacteria dubbed “Conan the Bacterium” can withstand radiation thousands of times stronger than what can kill a human. Now, scientists have figured out why.
A type of bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans, nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium” for its ability to survive the harshest of extremes, can withstand radiation doses 28,000 times greater than those that would kill a human being — and the secret to its success is rooted in an antioxidant. Dr. Tetyana Milojevic, chair of exobiology at the University of Orléans in France, said the study provides new insights into how radioprotective shields could be created by metabolites, and potentially enhanced in the future. Daly noted that astronauts on deep-space missions would be exposed to high levels of radiation, primarily from energetic particles traveling through the cosmos called cosmic rays.
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