Scientists have discovered a new genus and species of bacteria, Tersicoccus phoenicis. It survives on very low nutrients and has been isolated in only 2 places on Earth: spacecraft clean rooms in Florida and South America. Tersi is Latin for clean, like the room. Coccus is Greek for berry, describing the bacterium's shape. Phoenicis is for NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, the spacecraft being prepared for launch when the species was first collected. Other species of bacteria have been discovered in spacecraft clean rooms, but none have been found in 2 different clean rooms and nowhere else on Earth.
