"Conan the Bacterium"

It's all about a microbe: a tough one ;) Deinococcus Radiodurans is then name of a bacterium species that can withstand extremely strong levels of radiation. Scientists found out it can survive conditions of radioactive exposure and chemical toxicity that proved to be lethal to any other lifeform. Hence the nickname - Conan the Bacterium - after the famous fiction character - Conan the Barbarian.

Some interesting facts:

• Radiodurans was discovered in 1956 by A.W. Andersonand and belongs to a family of microorganisms, called the 'extremophiles': bugs which survive in harsh environments. The Heroic-Fantasy champion, was born in 1932, and is the brain child of American writer Robert E. Howard. His adventures take place on the Hyborian - legendary - continent.
  

• While the barbarians are now an extinguished race (or are they ?), the extremophiles are a 'growing' category. In fact it is difficult to estimate the number of species, but it is thought that only 1% of Earth's micro-organisms have been identified so far. So there may be many many more of these bacteria species out there. In fact there are lots of them "in here" too. The human gut bacterial flora is estimated to around 500 species. Among them, the formidable Helicobacter Pylori, which lives in the highly acidic environment of the stomach.

• Whereas Conan the Barbarian remains unvanquished, its bacterial counterpart proved to be a wimp: although it can handle radiation, it doesn't survive some common chemicals, like the solvent toluene. The explanation is simple: although its DNA protection mechanisms allow it to repair its genetic material - damaged by radiation - far more efficiently than humans, Radiodurans is still a living organism, so exposure to specific chemical substances can destoy it. Conan the Bacterium still holds the title of 'the world's most resistant bacterium' in the Guiness Book of Records.
  

• Some scientists are striving to develop a genetically improved 'Super Conan' bacterium, and to use it for cheap cleanup of nuclear waste sites. Others, more modestly study Deinococcus Radiodurans in order to understand the origins of life on Earth.

A few links:
An article in Slate.fr (2009 FR)
CNRS paper (2006 FR)
Daniel Drezner's blog (2004 EN)
An article in bio-medicine.org (2000 EN)