Deinococcus radiodurans
| Deinococcus radiodurans | |
|---|---|
| A tetrad of D. radiodurans | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Thermotogati |
| Phylum: | Deinococcota |
| Class: | Deinococci |
| Order: | Deinococcales |
| Family: | Deinococcaceae |
| Genus: | Deinococcus |
| Species: | D. radiodurans |
| Binomial name | |
| Deinococcus radiodurans Brooks & Murray, 1981 | |
Deinococcus radiodurans is a bacterium, an extremophile and one of the most radiation-resistant organisms known. It can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, and acid, and therefore is known as a polyextremophile. The Guinness Book Of World Records listed it in January 1998 as the world's most radiation-resistant bacterium or lifeform.
Several bacteria of comparable radioresistance are known, including some species of the genus Chroococcidiopsis (phylum cyanobacteria) and some species of Rubrobacter (phylum Actinomycetota); among the archaea, the species Thermococcus gammatolerans shows comparable radioresistance.