The bacterium D. radiodurans can survive thousands of times more radiation than any other living creature -- because it has a unique ability to repair genetic damage extremely efficiently. Scientists have been trying to discover how the bug pulls of this nifty trick for 40 years. Everyone from cancer researchers to the Department of Energy would like to know. But as NPR's Jon Hamilton reports, a paper in Science magazine this week may not throw as much light on the matter as they might have wished.
Copyright 2003 NPR
