What is "deinococcus-thermus"

Deinococcus–Thermus is a phylum of bacteria that are highly resistant to environmental hazards.

There are two main groups.

• The Deinococcales include two families, with three genera, Deinococcus and Truepera, the former with several species that are resistant to radiation; they have become famous for their ability to eat nuclear waste and other toxic materials, survive in the vacuum of space and survive extremes of heat and cold.
• The Thermales include several genera resistant to heat ( Marinithermus, Meiothermus, Oceanithermus, Thermus, Vulcanithermus). Thermus aquaticus was important in the development of the polymerase chain reaction where repeated cycles of heating DNA to near boiling make it advantageous to use a thermo-stable DNA polymerase enzyme.

Though these two groups evolved from a common ancestor, the two mechanisms of resistance appear to be largely independent.

These bacteria have thick cell walls that give them gram-positive stains, but they include a second membrane and so are closer in structure to those of gram-negative bacteria.

Cavalier-Smith calls this clade Hadobacteria (from Hades, the Greek underworld).