An organism which thrives in extreme chemical or physical conditions which would be harmful to most life forms.
Questions tagged [extremophiles]
24 questions
28
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How do biological communities at deep-ocean hydrothermal vents migrate between vents?
Much interest in the astrobiology community has been generated by the discovery of biological communities populating deep-ocean hydrothermal vents (i.e. "black smokers"). (1) These ecosystems rely on chemoautotrophic bacteria/archaea extremophiles…
Poshpaws
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Is it known how some heat-resistance Bacillus spores repair their DNA after having been heated to 420 °C? (but not much higher)
Background
Discussions below several recent posts in Space SE (links below) indicate that bacterial spores are a serious problem when considering how to prevent a future spacecraft mission to subsurface ocean worlds like Europa or Enceladus,…
uhoh
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What is the most heat-tolerant organism?
What is the most heat-tolerant (or heat loving - hyperthermophile) organism so far identified? What adaptations does this organism have in order to endure such high temperatures?
Poshpaws
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Does GFAJ-1 use Adenosine triarsenate as its energy currency?
Regarding the bacteria found in Mono Lake, CA that scientists believe uses or can use arsenic in its DNA backbone where life as we know it uses phosphorus (according to their experiments depriving the microbes of phosphorus and providing much…
mring
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Can tardigrades survive being eaten?
Compared to a tardigrade, the cockroach seems fragile.
But can tardigrades survive the acidic environment of being eaten by most animals?
alan2here
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7
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What is the deepest living underground organism?
A quick search reveals Halicephalobus mephisto which was
detected in ore recovered from deep rock fracture water in several gold mines in South Africa [...] 3.6 km (2.2 mi) under the surface of the Earth.
Have any deeper living organisms ever been…
2080
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How to obtain a tardigrade?
The tardigrade is often mentioned as one of the most "alien" lifeforms on Earth. This video speaks for itself:
(from this article)
I have long wanted to see a tardigrade with my own eyes. I have a small microscope. How do I obtain a tardigrade? I…
user6890
6
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1 answer
What's the opposite of a thermophile?
Thermophiles, heat-loving organisms, have been a popular topic of research for decades due in large part to the utility of their enzymes in various chemical reactions (Taq Pol single-enzymedly made PCR practical). One of the signatures of…
tel
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What's the biggest obligate anaerobic organism discovered till now?
Beside many anaerobic single cell organisms, there are some annelid worms that are obligate anaerobic at least in their early development stages. Probably, due to low concentration levels in nature, some of the other respiration methods (like…
symbiotech
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Is it possible to have life in vacuum?
I just got struck by curiosity now: Intuition says no, but I've never had confirmation of it.
Red Banana
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How can (or did) Deinococcus radiodurans continue to evolve after developing resistance to mutation?
Deinococcus radiodurans has a remarkable ability to resist damage to its DNA due to radiation, dehydration or (to my knowledge) any other source. It keeps multiple copies of its genome and has a repair mechanism as well.
My question is: how could…
Robert Rounthwaite
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How close to Earth's core can organisms live?
We don't to know much about organisms living deep below the Earth's crust. Recently a team led by S. Giovanni discovered some microbes 300 m below the ocean floor. The microbes were found to be a completley new and exotic species and apparently they…
math_lover
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Is infrared photosynthesis possible?
The post-apocalyptic science fiction novel Dark Universe by Daniel F. Galouye has some plants living inside bunkers that use infrared light for photosynthesis. There are speculations that extraterrestrial plants might use the same trick on planets…
symbiotech
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Extreme or just rare: evolution of complex life in extreme environments
Many environments are considered "extreme" (boiling hot springs, acidic/basic water, etc) and those tend to be dominated by Archaea instead of the "usual" mixture of bacteria along with complex plants and animals. But "extreme" is in-part in the eye…
Kevin Kostlan
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Could biofilms float and survive in the sulfuric acid clouds of Venus?
The atmosphere of Venus is composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen, and traces of other gases, most notably sulfur dioxide.
The main cloud deck is located in the 48-70 km altitude range and is composed mainly (75-96%) of sulfuric acid…
Cornelis
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