Deinococcus (from the Greek: δεινός, deinos, "dreadful, strange" and κόκκος, kókkos, "granule"[1]) is in the monotypic family Deinococcaceae, and one genus[2] of three in the order Deinococcales[3][4] of the bacterial phylum Deinococcota highly resistant to environmental hazards.

These findings support the notion of panspermia, the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed in various ways, including space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets, planetoids or contaminated spacecraft.

[7] In a more recent work focused on DNA repair proteins an additional 22 CSIs were identified as specific to this genus, including a 30 amino acid insert in the UvrA1 protein that is suggested to play in a role in the resistance ability of Deinococcus species against radiation and oxidation damage.

The surface exposed loops/patches formed by these CSIs are thought to mediate protein-protein interactions with the transmembrane protein dCSP-1, thus facilitating a sequence of electron transfers that ultimately ameliorates oxidative damage.

[10] The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) [11] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

D. cavernae] D. reticulitermitis D. radiodurans D. wulumuqiensis D. ficus D. deserti D. malanensis D. metalli D. koreensis D. aerophilus D. humi D. radiopugnans D. aerolatus D. frigens D. marmoris D. indicus D. aquaticus D. seoulensis [incl.