Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Science

Why a Bacteria Can Withstand Radiation Which Would Kill a Human (cnn.com) 25

Long-time Slashdot reader smooth wombat writes: Scientist have unlocked the secret to a bacteria dubbed 'Conan the Bacterium' which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most radiant-resistant life-form. Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses 28,000 times greater than that which would kill a human [and every other organism]. In addition, this bacteria can survive on the outside of the International Space Station for three years. It can also withstand acid, cold, and dehydration (a D&D player's worst nightmare). All of this protection comes down to a unique antioxidant.

The antioxidant is formed by a simple group of small molecules called metabolites, including manganese, phosphate and a small peptide, or molecule, of amino acids.

CNN reports: The antioxidant is formed by a simple group of small molecules called metabolites, including manganese, phosphate and a small peptide, or molecule, of amino acids. Together, this powerful trilogy is more effective in protecting against radiation than manganese combined with just one of the other components, according to a new study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings could be used to protect astronauts from high doses of cosmic radiation on future deep-space missions across our solar system, according to the study authors.

âoeWeâ(TM)ve long known that manganese ions and phosphate together make a strong antioxidant, but discovering and understanding the âmagicâ(TM) potency provided by the addition of the third component is a breakthrough," said study coauthor Brian Hoffman, the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry and professor of molecular biosciences at Northwestern Universityâ(TM)s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, in a statement...

On Earth, the antioxidant could be used for protection against accidents that release radiation.

Why a Bacteria Can Withstand Radiation Which Would Kill a Human

Comments Filter:
  • Keeping those darned rads away will make your day, get that bright healthy radiation glow and get your skin and flesh to stay, with RadAway!
  • "manganese, phosphate and a small peptide, or molecule, of amino acids"

    So the astronauts are going to eat some supplements and that will protect them from cosmic radiation?

    • We could genetically engineer their gut bacteria to constantly produce it. And while that sounds like a super dangerous and irresponsible way to go, it's much cooler than taking some gross supplements.

    • So the astronauts are going to eat some supplements and that will protect them from cosmic radiation?

      For longer space trips, they should probably buy the Costco-sized bottle.

  • Bacterium (Score:4, Informative)

    by Ubi_NL ( 313657 ) <joris.benschop@NOspam.gmail.com> on Sunday December 15, 2024 @01:23AM (#65014409) Journal

    Editors, bacteria is plural. I think you mean [a species of bacteria] if you must. The singular is [bacterium], but that tends to indicate a single organism.

    • by jopet ( 538074 )

      Exactly ... my feeling is that every child in Europe knows this but in (US) English I constantly see people getting the singular/plural forms of Latin/Greek words totally wrong. Is this not taught ins school there?

      • by Shaitan ( 22585 )

        Remember that our language is a giant melting pot of words derived from various languages around the world, you can hardly expect us to apply the rules of the origin language rather than our own language to them.

        American's generally get it right, we realize that most plural words which end in -a can also act as the singular without change. They can also act as the plural relative to an -ium counterpart. Media, data, bacteria, etc. I'm sure the redundant -ium versions will erode away eventually since they do

      • No, it is the same in Europe.
        Unless you learn Latin in school, which is a very small minority, you do not know that.
        And on top of that: we have luckily our own language forms of the words. In German it is Bakterie(sing) and Bakterien(plural) - so no one needs to know the Greek or Latin original word.

    • For a while now bacterium has been sliding into oblivion while being replaced by bacteria. Very few lay people use bacterium any more.
  • by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 ) on Sunday December 15, 2024 @03:12AM (#65014477)

    The "secret" of what, though, journo?

    Radiation damage can affect both cell structure, destroying its proteins, and cell's ability to repair and reproduce itself by damaging its DNA. There are two main sets of "pathways" through which radiation does damage.

    One is direct ionization, when charged particles break the molecular bonds of the various components of the cell; the other is radiation-induced radiolysis, when dissociation of water molecules creates hydroxyl radicals, which then do the damage to the various cell structures nearby.

    So, "a strong antioxidant" may help by lessening the importance of the second set of pathways, both for the proteins and the DNA, but it certainly doesn't affect the first factor.

    In this case, we have a discovery of one mechanism of protection of the cell's proteins, which mitigates the indirect damage to cell proteins. This is important, as it could lead to therapies that lessen cell damage.

    The larger mystery of the ability of this bacterium to effectively repair its DNA is still unknown, so we're pretty far from re-engineering astronauts to be able to "repair their DNA".

    https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.10... [pnas.org]

  • With it we can fold space, and prolong our lives.
  • by jopet ( 538074 ) on Sunday December 15, 2024 @06:18AM (#65014549) Journal

    It really hurts to read "a bacteria".

    • It really hurts to read "a bacteria".

      It hurts to read "your" instead of "you're", and yet, here we are.

    • It really hurts to read "a bacteria".

      Think of it as like a flock of geese.

      One bacterium doesn't really do anything; it's only as a flock that you care.

  • by methano ( 519830 ) on Sunday December 15, 2024 @07:52AM (#65014607)
    "Metabolite" is a word with a much broader meaning than this blurb suggests. Metabolites are, generally, products of metabolism. And they don't usually include manganese. It's like they came up with a new name for a special gun. Let's call them "Weapons". Or a new name for a type of Indy race car. Let's call them "Vehicles".
  • I am used to seeing duplicate articles here, but now we can see duplicates within the same article. Saves time!
  • we see a run on manganese water heater anodes courtesy of the dewormer / UV / bleach whisperers?

Reality must take precedence over public relations, for Mother Nature cannot be fooled. -- R.P. Feynman

Working...