Microbiology: this one that resists to radiations

This bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans has a surprising resistant to radiations. It can endure 1.5 millions of rads, that is to say two hundred times more than Escherichia coli and three hundred more than man. The radiations break the DNA. the system of cell repair can correct a part of the breaks but rarely the totality. Then it often lead to genetic abnormality appearance. This bacterium is able to correct an important number of errors. Some of researchers explain that the cell is divided in four compartments, where are stored copies of genetic information. When DNA is broken, the fragments are dispersed but stay in the genetic structure. The repair system has only to catch the fragment to the bearer strands and the DNA copies can travel from a compartment to another. Some researcher think they have to look for structure genes of DNA but they are not accepted unanimously. (N.C.)