Who's Your Microbe?
This is a reading I offer to all aspiring microbe whisperers after they acquire their cards and guidebook.
The video posted today highlights a microbe from my Wands suit, called D. Radiodurans, one of the hardiest bacteria known. Because of this reputation, it has been dubbed “Conan the Bacterium.” Like the strong and muscular Barbarian from this movie reference, D. radiodurans has the power to endure extremes of heat and cold, strong acids ultraviolet light, desiccation, ionizing radiation and even, the vacuum of space!
What it does for the environment
D. radiodurans is used to bioremediate (clean up) soil that is contaminated with heavy metals and harmful solvents. It is sent on these “search and destroy” missions because it can infiltrate areas, microniches, that are not tolerable to other bacteria.
One example of this is that of using D. radiodurans to detoxify soils contaminated by heavy metal ion residues, the waste that is produced from nuclear weapons manufacture.
Spiritual significance
In spite of its popular title, “Conan the Bacterium,” D. radiodurans may be more comparable to an indestructible superhero from DC Comics legends than any mere warrior human. Like a powerful superhero, D. radiodurans can withstand assaults of radiation, acid, extreme heat and dryness that would sap the life blood, of the average bacterium. (of course you know by now that bacterial “blood” is really called cytoplasm).
While radiation is commonly used to kill pathogenic bacteria on surgical instruments and in cans of food, D. radiodurans simply shrugs it off as an ordinary bump or bruise and gets its incredibly powerful DNA repair machine to smooth it out in quick order. The unusual array of talents hoisted around D. radiodurans’ belt, has caused microbiologist to wonder if D. radiodurans originated from a far distant galaxy, brought to us by a meteorite.
That story already has the stamp of superhero legend on it, doesn’t it?
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