Mark Megahan
Deinococcus radiodurans is so well armored against lethal radiation that researchers call it “Conan the Bacterium.” NASA Astronauts have found it on the ISS. Not inside the tin can, where the people are. Outside, where the air isn’t. The organism can “survive the harshest of extremes,” including doses of cosmic rays “28,000 times greater than those that would kill a human being.” There turns out to be a simple key to Conan’s successful defense. An “antioxidant.” Experts are hoping to use the new discovery to solve one of the biggest challenges to human space exploration.
Radiation proof possibilities
Scientists are convinced that humans can use the same antioxidant as the bacterium to become virtually “radiation proof.”
It certainly unlocks “the possibility that it could be used to protect the health of humans, both on Earth and those exploring beyond it in the future.”
Biologists have long been aware that Manganese can have radiation suppressing effects, which improve when a little phosphate is added.
The breakthrough utilized by the modest bacterium is a single small amino acid molecule, called a “peptide.” It seems that Conan the Bacterium was programmed with exactly the right DNA.
“Together, this powerful trilogy is more effective in protecting against radiation than manganese combined with just one of the other components.”
The results went public on December 9 in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It has the entire space exploration community ecstatic.
Used to protect astronauts
The findings, researchers note, “could be used to protect astronauts from high doses of cosmic radiation on future deep-space missions across our solar system.” The authors explain how it works.
“We’ve long known that manganese ions and phosphate together make a strong antioxidant, but discovering and understanding the ‘magic‘ potency provided by the addition of the third component is a breakthrough. This study has provided the key to understanding why this combination is such a powerful — and promising — radioprotectant.”
Conan the Bacterium is listed in the Guinness World Records book as “the most radiant-resistant life-form.” Deinococcus can “survive outside of the International Space Station for three years.” Besides being impervious to radiation, the “hardy bacteria can also withstand acid, cold and dehydration.”
They’re so resilient that when Elon Musk finally makes it to Mars, Conan might be there to meet him. If “Deinococcus ever existed on Mars, the frozen microbes could have survived for millions of years.”
The researchers did their best to kill Conan and simply couldn’t do it. “When dried and frozen, Deinococcus radiodurans could survive 140,000 grays, or units of X-and gamma-ray radiation, which is 28,000 times greater than the amount of radiation that could kill a person.” That’s great news for space explorers.
The melatonin like concoction scientists whipped up is called “MDP.” It turns out to be “a simple, cost-effective, nontoxic, and highly effective radioprotector.” One which “could be administered orally to mitigate these space radiation risks.“
