radiationtolerant

Radiation tolerance, also referred to as radiotolerance, is the capacity of a biological organism, a device, or a material to withstand exposure to ionizing radiation without sustaining unacceptable damage or loss of function.

In biology, radiotolerance describes how organisms respond to ionizing radiation. Some microbes and animals exhibit remarkable tolerance; Deinococcus radiodurans is a notable example, while tardigrades and some plants show substantial resistance. Mechanisms include highly efficient DNA repair, multiple genome copies, protective proteins and pigments, and rapid detoxification of reactive oxygen species.

In technology, radiation-tolerant, or radiation-hardened, design refers to systems that continue to operate in high-radiation environments. Strategies include redundancy, error detection and correction, radiation-tolerant materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride, shielding, and fault-tolerant architectures. Testing uses gamma irradiation and heavy-ion beams to simulate space, reactor, or high-energy medical settings.

In medicine, the concept relates to the tolerance of healthy tissues to radiation during radiotherapy, guiding dose planning to maximize tumor control while limiting normal tissue injury.