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The Radiation-Eaters

Posted on Sat Jul 5 2008
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Cryptococcus.jpgIt seems there's no end to the brilliant tricks microbes can do. Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York have discovered three types of bacteria that feed on radiation. The bacteria use malanin, the same stuff that darkens human skin and protects us from UV light. One of the researchers speculates that the bacteria could someday be used to protect the radiation-soaked shells of spacecraft exploring deep space.

Source: Heidi Ledford, Hungry fungi chomp on radiation. News @ Nature.com (subscription), May 23. Photo of Cryptococcus neoformans, one of the three species of radiation-eating bacteria.


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