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.
Another new species of bacteria, Paenibacillus phoenicis, is currently found in only 2 places on Earth: a spacecraft clean room in Florida and a bore hole 1.3 miles deep at a Colorado molybdenum mine. More than likely, these species are found elsewhere in nature, but just haven’t yet been cultured. The work to keep clean rooms clean selects for bacterial species that withstand stresses such as drying, chemical cleaning, ultraviolet treatments, and lack of nutrients. The rigorous testing of clean rooms allows for identification of these rare species.
Another new species of bacteria, Paenibacillus phoenicis, is currently found in only 2 places on Earth: a spacecraft clean room in Florida and a bore hole 1.3 miles deep at a Colorado molybdenum mine. More than likely, these species are found elsewhere in nature, but just haven’t yet been cultured. The work to keep clean rooms clean selects for bacterial species that withstand stresses such as drying, chemical cleaning, ultraviolet treatments, and lack of nutrients. The rigorous testing of clean rooms allows for identification of these rare species.
read the full NASA-JPL article HERE.
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