Bacillus infernus is a thermophilic, strictly anaerobic bacterium of the genus Bacillus that lives in deep terrestrial subsurface areas. It was first isolated in depths of 2.65 kilometers (1.65 mi) to 2.77 kilometers (1.72 mi) in the Taylorsville Triassic Basin in Virginia, and grew well at 50 °C (122 °F) but not at 40° or 65 °C.[1]

Bacillus infernus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Bacilli
Order: Caryophanales
Family: Bacillaceae
Genus: Bacillus
Species:
B. infernus
Binomial name
Bacillus infernus
Boone et al., 1995
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Bacillus infernus premiered in the 2008 The Andromeda Strain (miniseries). The bacteria's origin was erroneously attributed to hydrothermal vents instead of a buried triassic rift basin.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Boone, David R.; et al. (July 1995). "Bacillus infernus sp. nov., an Fe(III)- and Mn(IV)-Reducing Anaerobe from the Deep Terrestrial Subsurface" (PDF). International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 45 (3): 441–448. doi:10.1099/00207713-45-3-441. PMID 8590670.
  2. ^ Onstott, Tullis C. (2016). Deep Life: The Hunt for the Hidden Biology of Earth, Mars, and Beyond. Princeton University Press. p. 398. ISBN 978-0-691-09644-5. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
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