Deinococcus radiodurans

Deinococcus radiodurans is a bacterium renowned for its extraordinary resistance to radiation. While most organisms, including mammals, are killed by relatively low doses of ionizing radiation, Deinococcus radiodurans can survive doses of approximately 1,000,000 roentgens. This remarkable resilience allows it to thrive in environments with radioactivity levels that would be lethal to other life forms, such as the cooling pools of nuclear reactors. Mammals, in contrast, typically succumb to radiation sickness and death at doses around 400 roentgens. This significant difference is attributed to the complexity of mammalian biology, where more systems can be adversely affected by radiation damage.1