Depok, May 13, 2026 — Amid the extreme temperatures of the Cisolok geyser in Sukabumi, a research team from Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia discovered a new species of thermophilic bacteria capable of surviving at temperatures close to the boiling point of water. The microorganism was named Thermus javaensis sp. nov. and has been published in an international journal International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (2026;76:007136).

This discovery represents the first species from the genus Thermus which is described from the geothermal area of ​​Indonesia. The name “javaensis” taken from the island of Java, the location where the bacteria was first discovered.

The research was led by Prof. Dra. Wellyzar Sjamsuridzal, M.Sc., Ph.D., Professor of Systematics and Microorganism Prospection, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, together with Dr. Fitria Ningsih, S.Si., M.Eng., Dr. Mazytha K. Rachmania, M.Si., and Dhian Chitra Ayu Fitria Sari, M.Si. This research involved Yasunori Ichihashi, Ph.D. and Shuhei Yabe, Ph.D. from RIKEN, as well as Prof. Song-Gun Kim, Ph.D. from KRIBB, South Korea, as international collaborators.

Surviving in extreme temperatures

Bacteria Thermus javaensis found in leaf litter around the Cisolok geyser, which has temperatures reaching the boiling point of water (100°C). To thrive in such an environment, microorganisms must possess biological adaptations that most other living things lack.

“Invention Thermus javaensis shows that Indonesia’s geothermal ecosystem is biodiversity hotspot which contains a very large diversity of microorganisms that has not yet been fully revealed scientifically,” said Prof. Wellyzar.

This bacterium is known to be able to grow in the laboratory at temperatures of 45–80°C with an optimum temperature of 60–65°C. Morphologically, the bacterium is yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, and has a unique structure called rotund bodies, which is a round shape that is rarely found in members of the genus Thermus.

The existence of this structure attracted the attention of researchers because it had previously been found in Thermus aquaticus, a well-known enzyme-producing bacterium Taq polymerase which is the basis of PCR technology—a key method in disease diagnosis and modern molecular biology.

A research journey of more than a decade

This discovery wasn’t the result of a short research effort. Exploration of microorganisms in the Cisolok geyser area began in 2012, with sampling for this species conducted in 2015.

The identification process takes years through stages of microbial isolation, genetic analysis, whole genome sequencing (WGS), to biochemical and microscopic characterization on the UI campus and in various international partner laboratories.

According to the research team, one of the biggest challenges is keeping the thermophilic bacterial cultures alive throughout the research process because these microorganisms require high temperatures and special media to grow optimally.

Confirmed as a new species

Determination Thermus javaensis as a new species was carried out through a polyphasic study approach that combines genetic, physiological, biochemical, and chemotaxonomic analyses.

The analysis showed that this bacterium differs significantly from its closest species, both at the genomic level and in other biological characteristics. These differences confirm that this microorganism is not simply a variant, but rather a new species that has never been described scientifically.

With this discovery, the number of species in the genus Thermus It has now increased to 26 species since the genus was first introduced in 1969.

Potential for industry and health

Besides being important for the basic science of microbiology, Thermus javaensis is also considered to have great potential for biotechnology development.

Genome analysis indicates that this bacterium has the potential to produce thermostable, heat-resistant enzymes that can be used in high-temperature industrial processes. Researchers also found indications of new secondary metabolites from the terpene group that could potentially be developed into antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactive compounds.

“This discovery opens up opportunities for further development in the field of biotechnology, particularly thermophilic microorganisms that have the potential to produce high-value industrial applications,” said Prof. Wellyzar.

Indonesia still has many unknown microbes

The UI Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences team believes that Indonesia’s geothermal areas represent a vast, underexplored “mine” of microbial diversity. Researchers have now confirmed two other new bacterial species from the Cisolok geyser area, which are currently being prepared for scientific publication.

Further research will focus on exploring heat-resistant enzymes, cell-protective pigments, and active compounds that have the potential to be utilized in the fields of health, industry, and sustainable biotechnology.