Astronomy Picture of the Day 9-30-02

NASA ^ | 9-30-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 September 30

D. rad Bacteria: Candidate Astronauts
Credit: Michael Daly (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences), DOE

Explanation: These bacteria could survive on another planet. In an Earth lab, Deinococcus radiodurans (D. rad) 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. Already 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.

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Fun Fact:

Microbes such as Deinococcus radiodurans can handle conditions which would kill a human in a short time. "D-Rad", or "Conan the Bacterium", can endure 3000 times the ionizing radiation levels we could survive. Perhaps it can even survive Mars' oxidized soil and frigid temperatures.

[petuniasevan]

[MeekOneGOP]

Microbes such as Deinococcus radiodurans can handle conditions which would kill a human in a short time. "D-Rad", or "Conan the Bacterium", can endure 3000 times the ionizing radiation levels we could survive. Perhaps it can even survive Mars' oxidized soil and frigid temperatures.

Wow. That's pretty interesting. Great post, great info. Thanks......

[NerdDad]

So, is this a bacteria with which a human can be infected? Cuz I have this athlete's foot problem that I simply cannot make go away. (He said, making a lame attempt at humor). Actually, it does sound like a nasty bug one would be interested in closely controlling access to.

[petuniasevan]

Depends on your definition of "infected". Are the bacteria doing you any harm? The one causing your athlete's foot is; the one that makes vitamin B-12 in your gut certainly is not. Your skin is populated by colonies of bacteria (wash all you like; they're still there) that help keep harmful bacteria at bay.

I'm supposing that since the D. rad bacterium has been isolated in animal tissues and dung, and in granite from Antarctica, it's everywhere. And it probably does no harm unless it spoils food thought to be sterilized. That's how it was discovered in the first place.

[BossyRoofer]

Good job APOD!

[William McKinley]

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[RightWhale]

it does sound like a nasty bug

Maybe not. A bacterium that thrives inside solid granite might die instantly upon exposure to air. It's all a matter of habitat, niche. Beside which, we have been coexisting with these bacteria for a very long time, so that eating one of them would not be a new experience.