One of the most radioresistant organisms in the world is called Conan the Bacteria, in reference to the film Conan the Barbarian from 1982. In addition to cosmic radiation, this incredible bacteria can withstand many other extreme situations and conditions.
Conan the bacteria in the Guinness book
Conan the Bacteria is the nickname given to Deinococcus radiodurans. This polyextremophilic bacterium is one of the most radioresistant organisms known in the world. She resists ionizing radiationspace vacuum, acid, UV, drying out, hunger or even extreme temperatures. Deinococcus radiodurans was discovered in 1956 by the American researcher AW Anderson. The person had attempted to sterilize cans of corned beef by subjecting them to gamma rays. His surprise was great when he discovered that colonies of Deinococcus radiodurans had survived the radiation.
Since 1998, the organization has been included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most radiation-resistant life form. This one survives 1.5 million rads (old unit) of gamma radiation, about 3,000 times the amount capable of killing a human. Decades after its discovery, Conan the Bacteria continues to intrigue the scientific community.
The most important research on it was carried out between 2015 and 2018 on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the ExHAM program of JAXA, the Japanese space agency. A publication in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology in August 2020 details this work, the objective of which was to understand your survival mechanism and this is the origin of its great resistance.
Interesting prospects
Remember that in addition to being in orbit around our planet at an altitude of 400 km, the ISS is located in a extreme environment. Cold and heat reign supreme there. In fact, the side of the station facing the sun can reach 121°C, and the opposite side -157°C. The ISS is also exposed to cosmic radiation. The experiment consisted of depositing bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans on the station's solar panels. After three years of experimenting, all bacterial aggregates larger than 0.5 mm had survived. The study leaders claimed that the bacteria could have lived between 15 and 45 years outside the ISS. The fact is that it is capable of repairing its own DNA indefinitely after suffering damage. This is a mechanism allowing him to be resurrected a few hours after his death.
This work suggests that the Deinococcus radiodurans could survive extreme conditions of a journey from Earth to Mars. Other research suggests that they could be used to create very robust storage devices. It would therefore be a question of storing the data in the DNA of the bacteria and no longer risking losing them even if a major catastrophe occurs.
The incredible biotechnological potential of Conan the bacteria
Thanks to its exceptional resistance capabilities, Conan the bacteria represents a fascinating source of inspiration for biotechnological applications. Researchers are exploring the possibility of using this bacteria in the decontamination of nuclear sites, exploiting its ability to survive in highly irradiated environments while degrading radioactive waste. Other promising avenues include integrating its DNA repair mechanisms into cellular protection therapies for humans, to enhance our resistance to radiation, for example during long-duration space missions.
