NASA's NextGen Astronauts - Bacteria With the Ability to Survive Radiation & Rapidly Repair Its Own DNA

A plot for the next Ridley Scott space thriller? The eye of the next generation HAL 9000? Guess again. NASA is experimenting was an extremeophile bacteria that could survive on another planet. In an Earth lab, Deinococcus radiodurans (D. rad) survive extreme levels of radiation, extreme temperatures, dehydration, and exposure to toxic chemicals.

Amazingly, they even have the ability to repair their own DNA, usually with 48 hours. D. rad is capable of withstanding an instantaneous dose of up to 5,000 Gy of ionizing radiation with no loss of viability, and an instantaneous dose of up to 15,000 Gy with 37% viability.  The symbol Gy for a "gray," is the unit of absorbed radiation dose due to ionizing radiation such as X-rays).

A dose of 5,000 Gy is estimated to introduce several hundred complete breaks into the organism's DNA. By comparison, 10 Gy can kill a human, over 4000 to kill the radiation-resistant tardigrade, and 60 Gy will kill E. coli. It accomplishes its resistance to radiation by having multiple copies of its genome and rapid DNA repair mechanisms. It usually repairs breaks in its chromosomes within 12-24 hours through a 2-step process.

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.

A team of Russian and American scientists proposed that evolution of the microorganism could have taken place on the Martian surface until it was delivered to Earth on a meteorite. However, apart from its resistance to radiation, D. rad is genetically and biochemically similar to other terrestrial life forms, arguing against an extraterrestrial origin.

Casey Kazan

Source: NASA/Apod

Image credit:
Credit: Michael Daly (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences), DOE

Comments

[Barrie O'Leary]

Yes, life is an exceptional case of existence, granted. But this seemingly apparent disbelief that life could not have derived on its own accord from the elements available reminds me so much of the colonial existence here in Australia of the late 19th century when opal was discovered in this country. Mining centres
of ultimate major lproportions opened up in the outback and were given diminutive names by the inhabitants such as Gemville and Opalton. When the first opal was located in western Idaho in 1892, a rush was on and the miners there called the congregation of tents Gem City. The United States of America took no notice of the stupid superstitions that affected European people but now seems to put the world into second fiddle by promoting the idea of life seeds from outer space. Indeed, maybe that is what actually happened but until we know a lot more about the galaxy I consider the hypothesis should be spoken of as simply a probability, not a fact.

[Zarkov]

>>> Likely one of the oldest surviving life forms >>>

All LIFE is a single organism. There are seeds of LIFE capable of cosmic travel.

>>> D. rad is genetically and biochemically similar to other terrestrial life forms, arguing against an extraterrestrial origin. >>>

No indeed, that conclusion is totally unfounded. ALL LIFE is one..it actually is a cosmic fungus. It originated somewhere else and it infects suitable hunks of rock at suitable distances from a suitable star.... there are billion++ of these habitats, but they are well spread out in the infinity of space.

LIFE is about to become extinct on this rock.... and this happens most of the time. Extinction is seeding with the resulting death of the mother.

LIFE is dead, long live LIFE...... LIFE never dies.

Earthlings, you failed to understand what you are, why you are here, and what you should have been doing. Don't worry this is the default option.

Your civilisation could have become perennial, instead in your arrogant ignorance, you have chosen the default... the annual option.

[ThankGodForAtheism]

Where the hell do you get off talking like you're not one of us, you are subject to the same failures as the rest of us... in fact even more so, as can be seen by YOUR WHOLE TROLL POST.

Failing to understand why we are here!? care to enlighten us?

Though there is a sliver of truth in your words about all life being one, he obviously means that that particular bacteria evolved on Earth, whatever came before it doesn't matter, because they're studying D. Rad.

>>> Likely one of the oldest surviving life forms >>>

Again, he is obviously talking about life on Earth.

Please STFU if you cannot even form a competent comment.

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Could it be used for repairing human DNA?

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No indeed, that conclusion is totally unfounded. ALL LIFE is one..it actually is a cosmic fungus. It originated somewhere else and it infects suitable hunks of rock at suitable distances from a suitable star.... there are billion++ of these habitats, but they are well spread out in the infinity of space.

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If NASA succeed to combine human DNA with DNA from this bacteria it will help astronauts to survive in harsh conditions in space. But the it would be effective? Can human body resist to such transformations? I don't think so. We are built to live on Earth and not on other planet. It would take millions of years to adapt to another conditions.

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Most known extremophiles are microbes.

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