Deinococcus radiodurans, strange berry that withstands radiation, formerly called Micrococcus radiodurans, is an extremophilic bacterium, and is the most radio resistant organism known. While a dose of 10 Gy is sufficient to kill a human, and a dose of 60 Gy is sufficient to kill all cells in a culture of E. coli, D. radiodurans is capable of withstanding an instantaneous dose of up to 5,000 Gy with no loss of viability, and an instantaneous dose of up to 15,000 Gy with 37 percent viability. It can survive heat, cold, dehydration, vacuum, and acid, and because of its resistance to more than one extreme condition, D. radiodurans is known as a polyextremophile. It has also been listed as the world’s toughest bacterium in The Guiness Book of World Records because of its extraordinary resistance to several tremendous conditions. Studies are being conducted to verify the origin of D. radiodurans as many scientists are speculating that it has originated on Mars. It has been classified as a Gram-positive bacterium.The term Deinobacter has been replaced by Deinococcus based on evaluation of ribosomal RNA sequences. Several other species within the genus have been described, and they are related to heat-resistant bacteria such as Thermus; the group is hence known as Deinococcus-Thermus.D. radiodurans was discovered by A.W. Anderson at the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station in Corvallis, Oregon. Experiments were being done to determine if canned food could be sterilized using high doses of gamma radiation. A tin of meat was exposed to a dose of radiation that was thought to kill all known forms of life, but the meat subsequently spoiled. D. radiodurans was isolated from the meat.It has been found that these bacteria could survive on another planet. In an Earth lab, Deinococcus radiodurans, in short D. rad can survive extreme levels of radiation, extreme temperatures, dehydration, and exposure to genotoxic chemicals. Amazingly, they even have the ability to repair their own DNA, usually with 48 hours. Known as an extremophile, bacteria such as D. rad are of interest to NASA partly because they might be adaptable to help human astronauts survive on other worlds. A recent map of D. rad’s DNA might allow biologists to augment their survival skills with the ability to produce medicine, clean water, and oxygen. Previously they have been genetically engineered to help clean up spills of toxic mercury. Likely one of the oldest surviving life forms, D. rad was discovered by accident in the 1950s when scientists investigating food preservation techniques could not easily kill it. Pictured above, Deinococcus radiodurans grow quietly in a dish.
