6 Organisms That Can Survive the Fallout From A Nuclear Explosion

An animal's ability to survive the fallout from a nuclear explosion is usually dependent on its ability to withstand radiation, otherwise known as radio-resistance. Radio-resistant life forms or ionizing-radiation-resistant organisms (IRRO) are a group of organisms that require large doses of radiation, 1000 gray (Gy) to achieve a 90% reduction in their survival rate. To put it in perspective, a human would need something in the range of 4-10 (Gy) to achieve the same results and a dog could withstand even less, about 3.5 (Gy). Gray, with the symbol of (Gy), is a unit of measurement used to describe the absorption of radiation energy per 1 kilogram of matter. 

Compared to dogs, some humans can withstand a little more radiation abuse, but there are other mammals that cope even better in a radiation soaked environment. For example, rats can withstand about 7.5 (Gy), and mice can survive up to 9 (Gy). Although, these numbers are terribly inadequate compared to some of the extremely radio-resistant organisms out there. This is because mammals, humans in particular, have quick cell cycles. Meaning that in humans some cells are constantly dividing and replicating themselves and during the process of cell replication is when these cells are the most vulnerable to the effects of radiation. Animals that have slower cell cycles are usually more resistant to higher radiation levels that can result in cell death and DNA deterioration. These radio-resistant creatures certainly have a larger window of time to escape the fallout, up to a week or more for some of those with particularly slow cell cycles. Here is a list of 6 animals that can survive the fallout from a nuclear explosion:

#1 Thermococcus gammatolerans - 30,000 gray (Gy)

The species Thermococcus gammatolerans' ability to withstand up to 30,000 (Gy) in a short amount of time is quite amazing. Especially when compared to the measly radio-resistance of 4-10 (Gy) in humans, with some dying within weeks after a dose of only 1 (Gy). Thermococcus gammatolerans are microorganisms with no cell nucleus. They are considered to be in the class of archaea extremophiles, and are the most radiation resistant organisms known to man. Extremophiles are organisms that live in the most extreme environments on Earth, like hydrothermal vents located at the bottom of the ocean. These hydrothermal vents are where Thermococcus gammatolerans thrive and this naturally harsh environment lends them pre-programmed ability to withstand almost any kind of super weapon we might throw at them. 

While a dose of only 60 (Gy) is enough to kill all the cells in a colony of E. coli, Thermococcus gammatolerans can live through a dose of up to 30,000 (Gy) over a short amount of time and even remain viable after an instantaneous dose of 5,000 (Gy). For comparison, the people that fell victim to the Chernobyl power plant disaster would have soaked up a instantaneous dose of about 6 (Gy), which killed most of them within a week. 

During the Chernobyl disaster four hundred times more radioactive material was released than at the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the dose at 1000 meters from ground zero is estimated at about 4 (Gy), and around 12 (Gy) at ground zero, meaning that Thermococcus gammatolerans can survive the radiation of 7,500 Hiroshima blasts at 1000 feet. In perspective, the typical radiation absorption rate for humans, in the United States, is about 0.008 (Gy), while occupational exposure levels, in the U.S., allows up to 0.05 (Gy) to be absorbed safely in a year. With medical care, about half of the population can survive 6 (Gy) in whole body exposure and some have survived up to 10 (Gy). Nearly all people who receive more than 8 (Gy) die within a few days but most who absorb less than 2 (Gy) fully recover within 1 month, although long-term complications such as cancer may occur. 

Thermococcus gammatolerans is resistant to radiation due to their ability to slowly or quickly rebuild damaged chromosomes and reconstitute DNA without a loss of viability. It has been suggested that their DNA repair mechanisms could be incorporated into the genome of higher species in order to improve DNA repair and reduce cellular aging.

#2 Deinococcus radiodurans - 15,000 gray (Gy)

Deinococcus radiodurans is a bacterium, and like the microorganism Thermococcus gammatolerans, it is also considered an extremophile. In addition to being an extremophile, it is also regarded as a polyextremophile, meaning that it can survive cold, acid, vacuum, and dehydration. Deinococcus radiodurans is listed as the the world's toughest bacterium in The Guinness Book of World Records, and is nicknamed Conan the Bacterium.

It was discovered in the 50's, when experiments were being performed to determine if canned food could be sterilized using high doses of gamma radiation. A can of meat product was subsequently exposed to a dose of radiation. Previously, these levels of radiation were believed to kill all known forms of life, yet surprisingly after the meat spoiled a newly discovered bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans, was isolated. 

Luckily for us, Conan the Bacterium doesn't seem to cause any apparent disease in humans. Although, it does live in materials such as sewage, meat, medical instruments, dust, and even some dry food products. Again similar to Thermococcus gammatolerans, Deinococcus radiodurans has the ability to repair its damaged DNA. It isolates the damaged segments in a controlled area and repairs it. This bacterium can also repair many small fragments from an entire chromosome. It can withstand ionizing radiation, ultraviolet light, desiccation, oxidizing and electrophilic agents. It can also survive up to 15,000 (Gy) with only a 37% loss of viability, and 5,000 (Gy) with almost no loss of viability at all. This means that the bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans, can survive the radiation of 3,750 Hiroshima blasts at 1000 feet.

#3 Milnesium tardigradum (water bears) - 5,000 gray (Gy)

The Milnesium tardigradum is a cosmopolitan species of tardigrade or water bear that lives in a diverse range of habitats, including the sea around Antarctica. They can even survive the vacuum of space. They have a range of responses designed to survive intense temperatures and harsh environments, some of which allow it to survive up to 5,700 (Gy) and remain viable. 

The Milnesium tardigradum can even resurrect after exposure to dehydration, radiation, and the vacuum of space for up to 200 years or more. At 5,000 (Gy), they could survive the radiation of 1,250 Hiroshima blasts at 1000 feet. 

#4 Braconidae (Wasps) - 1,800 gray (Gy)

The Braconidae is a large family of ancient parasitic wasps dating back to the Cretaceous period. Not only can they survive high radiation doses, around 1,800 (Gy) without completely losing their fertility, the females can also withstand extremely low temperatures, provided food and water are available, and in some incredibly durable specimens even if they are not. 

Some of the species in the family Braconidae use a 100-million-year-old viral infection to alter its host DNA and cause the host to die or become sterile and less active. They then insert their larvae into the host body while the viruses suppress the immune system and allow the parasitoid to grow inside the host undetected. The viruses themselves have become so modified through their evolutionary use by the Braconidae that they appear quite unlike any other known viruses today. At 1,800 (Gy), the Braconidae could survive the radiation of 450 Hiroshima blasts at 1000 feet. 

Interesting fact: The species Microplitis croceipes possesses an extremely accurate sense of smell and can be trained for use in narcotics and explosives detection.

#5 Amoeba - 1,000 gray (Gy)

Amoebas are unicellular organisms which do not have a definite shape. When the amoeba is exposed to environments that are potentially lethal to the cell, it may become dormant by forming itself into a ball and secreting a protective membrane to become a microbial cyst. The cell remains in this state until it encounters more favorable conditions. This is one way the amoeba can withstand up to 1,000 (Gy) and another might be its ability to reproduce asexually or through binary fission. Binary fission is the ability to divide into two parts and regenerate those parts into separate cells, although they can reproduce sexually as well. 

#6 Cockroaches - 100-9,000 gray (Gy)

The belief that cockroaches would inherit the Earth, in the event of nuclear warfare, became widespread after the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It was reported that the cockroach was the only survivor left in the destroyed and toxic Japanese city. We now know that many of the survivors weren't visible to the eye, but it was confirmed that the cockroach could and did survive. Despite this, its radio-resistance was much lower than was expected, although it was resistant enough to make it though that particular type of nuclear bomb. 

Compared to some, in the terms of nuclear survivability, the cockroach is a pantywaist. In an experiment conducted by Mythbusters 10% of German Cockroaches survived 100 (Gy) or more, but all the specimens expired once levels reached 1,000 (Gy). This makes them only 6 to 15 times tougher than the frailer human species, and it's not much when compared to some of the other highly radio-resistant organisms. This means the cockroach could survive at 1,000 feet from the Hiroshima blast, but probably couldn't survive the megaton-range hydrogen bombs in today's nuclear stockpiles. 

Cockroaches are able to withstand extreme radiation exposure due to the fact that they have slower cell cycles, only molting about once a week. This allows them to escape the radiation fallout relatively unharmed because minimal cells are damaged as they are not dividing and replicating rapidly, like human cells do. This narrows the opportunity time for the radiation to affect their cells and cause cell death or DNA deterioration.

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6 Organisms That Can Survive Travel In The Vacuum Of Space

Panspermia is the theory that life spreads throughout the universe from planet to planet and solar system to solar system, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, comets, and even through spacecraft via unintended contamination from alien contact. For example, during an Apollo mission to the moon there was a stowaway, the common bacteria Streptococcus mitis, took a walk on the moon with the astronauts and lived to return home and tell it's tale. In 1991, Apollo 12 Commander Pete Conrad commented on the significance of the only known microbial survivor of harsh interplanetary travel:

"I always thought the most significant thing that we ever found on the whole...Moon was that little bacteria who came back and lived and nobody ever said [anything] about it." 

It was the only known survivor of unprotected space travel, but in the span of the last thirty years since the discovery, many other organisms have been exposed to the vacuum of space and lived. Here is a list of 6 organisms that can survive travel in the vacuum of space:

#1 Beer Microbes

Bacteria, called OU-20, amazingly survived a 553-day trial where it was exposed to the vacuum of space and returned to Earth alive and even began to thrive after its return. Taken from the mountains of Beer near a remote fishing village in England, this bacterium has proved to be amazingly resilient and hard to kill. The bacterium was placed on the exterior of the space station to see how it would cope with the harsh environment and the radiation of space. When the microbes were inspected 553 days later many specimens were still alive. The bacteria usually thrive on rock, such as limestone, and can even be used to extract important minerals from rock. The fact that it can survive in space on rock furthers the theory that certain microbes traveled to this planet on rocky meteorites. 

Before this, bacteria spores like Streptococcus mitis had been known to survive many years in space, but this is the longest any cells of photosynthesizing microbes have been recorded surviving. Scientists speculate that OU-20 can survive the ultraviolet light, cosmic rays, and dramatic temperatures because of its extremely thick gel-like cell walls. Also, through the microbe's habit to form colonies in harsh conditions and protect those cells located at the very center from radiation. 

#2 Streptococcus mitis

Streptococcus mitis is a common bacterium that usually lives in the mouth or throat but has also been known to live in space. The Surveyor probes, the first craft to land safely on the moon, carried with them cameras to send pictures of the moon back to Earth. Within one of the cameras, a tiny microbe stowed away and survived over two years of the moon's harsh environment before returning to Earth on the Apollo 12 mission, in 1969. NASA retains an ambiguous stance on the subject, maintaining that the equipment could have been compromised by a sneeze from a technician after its return to Earth, but recently has been more open to the possibility. NASA even marked the 30 year anniversary since the microbe's return to Earth in 1999. 

#3 Sea Plankton

Recently, Russian cosmonauts have reported the presence of sea plankton and other microscopic particles on the exterior of the International Space Station. Chief of the Russian ISS orbital mission Vladimir Solovyev said in a recent press release:

“Results of the experiment are absolutely unique. We have found traces of sea plankton and microscopic particles on the illuminator surface. This should be studied further.” 

“Results of the scope of scientific experiments which had been conducted for a quite long time were summed up in the previous year, confirming that some organisms can live on the surface of the International Space Station (ISS) for years amid factors of a space flight, such as zero gravity, temperature conditions and hard cosmic radiation. Several surveys proved that these organisms can even develop.”

NASA has yet to jump on board with this new find, again retaining its ambiguity, but with more studies we may soon have an official statement. One type of sea crustacean and form of sea plankton, water fleas, are known to reproduce through parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis is an asexual form of reproduction where no genetic contribution is needed from the male of the species, but the resulting offspring can still be male or non-clone females. Water fleas will often reproduce this way when exposed to incredibly harsh environments, so this ability might be used to populate a viable habitat after being exposed to extreme conditions, like those experienced in space. Parthenogenesis has been known to enable animals to retain genetic diversity among populations in small habitats, like islands, by enabling the female to reproduce completely asexually or produce, without genetic contribution from a male, male offspring to breed with. The fact that the females are better equipped to survive the harsh conditions and can produce males, without any male contribution, leads to the assumption that the females of the species were the first to survive the harsh conditions of space and arrive on Earth. It could even be that the males of the species are simply a product of evolution, created as a retainer of genetic information, and only used to provide genetic diversity when the occasion arises, like an arrival to Earth. See the article 5 Animals That May Prove The Male Sex Is A Product Of Evolution for more information and explanation. 

#4 Lichen

The lichen pictured above was exposed to the vacuum of space outside the International Space Station in 2008. A follow-up mission was issued in 2009 and both experiments lasted over a year and a half. The lichen was observed to go into a dormant state, waiting for better conditions to arise, and continued to thrive once it had made the trip back to Earth. 

"The results from the Expose-E mission's astrobiology experiments are exciting in that they test life's capacity to survive the harsh environment of outer space," says Sherry Cady, editor-in-chief of Astrobiology. "These kinds of activities are critical to the success of future missions for solar system exploration."

The European Space Agency's study reports that its findings lend credence to the theory of Panspermia, which states that life spreads throughout the universe. The findings could also lend a hand in developing new formulas for sunscreen.

#5 Spores of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032

Bacillus pumilus can form endospores, tough, dormant, and non-reproductive structures that allow it to survive harsh conditions and extreme environments. The tough shells of the endospores provide the organism with the means to protect its genetic material from cosmic radiation and other factors. A team of researchers on the International Space Station exposed the spores to a simulated Mars environment:

"After testing exposure to the simulated Mars environment, we wanted to see what would happen in real space, and EuTEF gave us the chance," said Kasthuri J. Venkateswaran, a researcher with the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a co-author on all three papers, according to a news release. "To our surprise, some of the spores survived for 18 months."

The researchers found that the spores which survived exposure to the simulated Mars environment, showed an increased resistance to U.V. radiation when back on Earth. In a second study, researchers exposed both Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus subtilis to space radiation and temperature fluctuations for over a year followed by exposure to the simulated Mars Environment. Researchers found that when they filtered out some of the radiation 50% of these spores survived, meaning that it is possible for these spores to hitch a ride through space if they are sheltered against solar radiation. The third experiment was with the lichen mentioned in #4, and the researchers concluded that some organisms could survive space for millions of years before landing on a planet. Once the organisms land, it can be speculated that their evolution from there is only limited to the various environments of their new terrain. In the future, we may be able to hypothesize the various animals that may exist on a newly discovered habitable planet by looking at the organisms that occupy similar environments here on Earth. If life is found on other habitable planets and the theory of Panspermia is proven correct, then all life forms come from the same building blocks, and life throughout the solar system could be quite similar even on planets millions of light years away. Therefore we could accurately predict what life might be where, based on the environment of the planet in question. See the article 5 Possibilities Of How Alien Life Could Appear On Other Habitable Planets for some ideas. One example is the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, which was listed as the world's toughest bacterium in The Guinness Book Of World Records.

#6 Tardigrades

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are aquatic micro-animals with eight legs and they are the first known animal species with the ability to survive in space. In 2007, for ten days a group of tardigrades were subjected to an experiment, some of the specimens were exposed to solar radiation, some to just the vacuum of space, and some to a combination of both. Those that were protected from full U.V. radiation exposure survived at a remarkable rate of 68%, and revived within 30 minutes of rehydration. Those that were exposed both to the vacuum and to radiation maintained significantly reduced survival rates, with only 3 specimens of the Milnesium tardigradum species surviving. 

It should also be noted that the Milnesium tardigradum can reproduce sexually and through parthenogenesis. In May 2011, Italian scientists sent tardigrades on board the International Space Station along with other extremophiles on STS-134, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Their conclusion was that microgravity and cosmic radiation "did not significantly affect survival of tardigrades in flight, confirming that tardigrades represent a useful animal for space research."

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