[Physicist]

However, the researchers calculate that it would take thousands of such cycles before the E. coli were as hardy as Deinococcus. And on Earth it would take between a million and a hundred million years to accumulate each dose, during which time the bugs would have to be dormant.

Since life originated on Earth about 3.8 billion years ago, Pavlov does not believe that there has been enough time for this resistance to evolve.

Foolish. A dose of radiation accumulated over a few days or weeks would not have the same effect as the same dose over a hundred million years. Besides, if that's all it took, all life would exhibit a similar radiation resistance; our cell line certainly reaches back hundreds of millions of years, too. The radiation resistance is most likely the by-product of another evolutionary pressure.

[Heartlander]

Hmmm… Scientific speculation? Surely not…LOL

[SauronOfMordor]

All it would take would be a deposit of pitchblende near a good source of nutrients. The bacteria who survived the radiation would prosper.

[Nebullis]

Foolish. A dose of radiation accumulated over a few days or weeks would not have the same effect as the same dose over a hundred million years.

Silly. That's precisely the point of the statement in the article.