Rare Clean Room Bacterium Survives by Playing Dead UH Team Finds

Rare clean room bacterium survives by playing dead UH team finds

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025 A University of Houston team reports that a rare bacterium found in NASA spacecraft assembly clean rooms can evade detection by entering dormancy, effectively "playing dead" in a nutrient-poor environment. The microorganism, Tersicoccus phoenicis, turned up in two clean rooms more than a decade ago in Florida and French Guiana. These facilities undergo rigorous sterilization to protect spa

University of Houston Scientists Discover Rare Bacterium That ‘Plays

In a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize our understanding of microbial survival in extreme environments, researchers at the University of Houston have revealed that a rare bacterium, Tersicoccus phoenicis, has the remarkable ability to evade detection within NASA spacecraft assembly clean rooms by entering a dormant state. This finding, detailed as a critical advancement in […]