History

Thomas D. Brock, the primary scientist to discover Thermus aquaticus

(c) Kirk Williams

    In 1969 the Monty Python comedy troupe was formed. In 1969 Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon and Richard Nixon was president. Another one of the most important events in 1969 was the discovery of the bacteria Thermus aquaticus. In the fall of 1969, Thomas D. Brock was dipping microscope slides into thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park. Suddenly, when Thomas dipped his slide into Mushroom Spring he discovered a new microbe! The angels began singing in heaven as Thomas rejoiced over his find. Thomas Brock named the new microbe he discovered Thermus aquaticus. Brock used his knowledge of ancient languages to name his new microbe. The word Thermus derives from the Greek word Thermos, which means hot. The word Aquaticus comes from the Latin word aqua meaning water. The genius Brock used long words in other languages to name his microbe hot water. How brilliant is that? 

The importance of Brocks discovery was that prior to 1966 it was believed that life couldn't exist in temperatures above 163 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery of Thermus aquaticus ended that belief.

Thermus aquaticus is still today an extremely important bacterium. One of the many benefits of Thermus aquaticus is that it helps researchers in Yellowstone learn more about other extremophiles, like Thermus aquaticus.