An Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded scientist has made a discovery that might one day offer protection to military personnel exposed to radiation. Michael Daly, a professor of pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., has identified manganese complexes in the bacterium Deinococcus radioduran that protect protein, thereby resisting the damaging effects of radiation. “Death by DNA damage is the conventionally held view of why cells die after exposure to extreme dryness or radiation,” Daly said. “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.” He is now pursuing the practical applications of the manganese complexes in areas like radiation sickness protection. (AFOSR report by Maria Callier)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.