Bacteria Research Could Protect Airmen

[unhappycamper]

Bacteria Research Could Protect Airmen
Air Force Print News | Maria Callier | February 15, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. - An Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded scientist has identified manganese complexes in the bacterium Deinococcus radioduran that resists the damaging effects of radiation.

The goal of the research is to investigate biomaterials that offer protection to Airmen from various environmental hazards, such as military personnel who are exposed to radiation in the course of their duties.

According to Maj. Jennifer Gresham, AFOSR program manager, most biomaterials break down and are not suited for extreme environments.

"Only a few organisms have figured out how to survive and even thrive in harsh environments, and we like to understand these mechanisms to provide long-term stability in a variety of conditions," the major said.

According to Dr. Michael Daly, a professor of pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., "Death by DNA damage is the conventionally held view of why cells die after exposure to extreme dryness or radiation. This work supports the idea that the mutual nature of extreme dryness and radiation resistance resides in the ability of cells to prevent protein damage."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,162269,00.html



uhc comment: This is the first article that I have seen in a long time about depleted uranium.