Which bacterium is famous for surviving doses of radiation that would kill most other organisms?

Deinococcus radiodurans is famous for surviving doses of radiation that would kill most other organisms.

This bacterium can withstand intense ionizing radiation and also tolerates drying, ultraviolet radiation, and other forms of cellular damage. Radiation breaks DNA strands, but D. radiodurans can reconstruct working chromosomes from numerous damaged fragments.

Its unusual resistance was reported in the 1950s after scientists found that irradiation intended to sterilize canned food had not killed the organism. The bacterium is sometimes nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium,” a reference to its extraordinary toughness rather than to a special protective shell.

Radiation resistance does not mean the bacterium is invulnerable or that it normally lives in nuclear reactors. Researchers study its DNA-repair systems for possible applications in biotechnology and environmental cleanup, including work involving radioactive sites.