Why a Bacteria Can Withstand Radiation Which Would Kill a Human (cnn.com) 58
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.
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.
RadAway (Score:3)
a supplement? (Score:2)
"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?
Re: (Score:3)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
No it has to be inside the cell, which means the best way to get it is to genetically engineer the astronauts themselves .. or give it to them temporarily as an RNA vaccine.
Re: (Score:1)
Or just slow aging and cancer.
TOS The Deadly Years (Score:2)
By mid 22nd century we will have drugs to treat radiation exposure that will reverse aging.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: TOS The Deadly Years (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm a little more concerned about it rolling back to a point where I need a womb to survive. Hopefully we'll be able to stop the reversal at some point!
Re: (Score:1)
Be a teenager again? Depends.
With what I knew back then? Nope. Been there, done that.
With what I know now? Sure, sign me up!
Re: (Score:1)
That's a safe bet since none of us will be around to know how it turns out.
Re:a supplement? (Score:4, Informative)
It doesn't sound like a simple mix. The protein (small molecule or peptide) might need to be tailored globules that can pass the cell membranes, but the manganese and phosphate are probably a serum level requirements.
Also, just because a bacterium can live with that mix doesn't mean you can. That will need testing.
That said, while radiodurans may hold the record, cockroaches have been observed eating the insulation of a working fission pile.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
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:5, Informative)
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.
Re: Bacterium (Score:2)
no one cares
Yes, we do.
Re: (Score:2)
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?
Re: (Score:2)
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
Re: (Score:2)
American's generally get it right
It doesn't seem like the plural of "American" should be too challenging, but...
Re: Bacterium (Score:2)
The plural of "American" is "North and South American", right?
Re: (Score:1)
You seem to think you're a clever pedantic. Unfortunately for you, Americans generally possess getting it right.
Re: (Score:1)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
"Unlocks the secret?" (Score:5, Informative)
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]
Re: (Score:2)
Thank you for saving us all the time.
Dr. Crusher's hypospray will have to wait.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah. For the same reason I also did not expound on the higher order QCD interactions and the hadronic jets they might create. Leaving to you the calculations of the reaction cross-sections in all these cases as an exercise.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think bacteria is better in DNA repair than us eukaryote.
It is better in "surviving" radiation in the sense that SOME individual cells remains viable, keep dividing and maintain the colony. Radiation damage is intrinsically random. Some DNA damage are repairable because of luck, those individual cells "survives". Unlucky bacterium with unrepairable damage just dies. As long as some individual remains viable the colony "survives" the radiation.
Multicellur organism like us need functioning organ/syste
Re: (Score:2)
This one is, and not in a trivial way. Read the intro and the references in it.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/a... [nih.gov]
As seen on Dune (Score:1)
FFS it is "one/a bacterium" and many "bacteria" (Score:3)
It really hurts to read "a bacteria".
Re: (Score:2)
It really hurts to read "a bacteria".
It hurts to read "your" instead of "you're", and yet, here we are.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I think you mean "a flock of goose."
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
OK, you win the internet today.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
and don't even get on to ravens.
that would be unkind.
Re: (Score:2)
Metabolites? (Score:3)
A new level (Score:2)
So how long before⦠(Score:2)
we see a run on manganese water heater anodes courtesy of the dewormer / UV / bleach whisperers?
Re: (Score:2)
s/manganese/magnesium/ ?
In the grand scheme (Score:2)
Cockroaches are easy to kill (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Deinococcus radiodurans (Score:2)
The Hostess Twinkie of bacteria.
heard this story on NPR (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Penicillin (Score:2)
How does it fare against antibiotics?