Extremophiles 101 | National Geographic

intense heat freezing cold high acidity
and radioactivity these harsh
environments don’t seem hospitable for
life but some organisms not only survive
but thrive under such extreme conditions
the name extrema file means extreme
lover these organisms live in
exceptionally harsh environments such as
hot hydrothermal vents or buried in
rocks far beneath the earth’s surface
extremophiles occur in all three domains
of life bacteria archaea and eukaryotes
they range from the extreme heat loving
thermophiles which feed off of inorganic
chemicals and have special enzymes to
survive high temperatures to extreme
cold loving sacrifice which have evolved
antifreeze proteins that help ensure
their survival in some of the coldest
waters on the planet but the most
extreme living things on earth are
tardigrades also known as water bears
these water dwelling micro animals are
poly extremophiles this means they are
capable of surviving multiple harsh
conditions they are nearly
indestructible and have even survived
the extreme conditions of outer space
tardigrades have a unique adaptation
that allows them to curl up into a dry
seemingly lifeless ball and slow down
their metabolic rate in this state they
can survive cold dry environments like
space for decades
studying the adaptations of
extremophiles who may hold the key to
solving many of Earth’s problems this
includes the development of genetically
based medications producing new types of
biofuels and protecting people against
radiation exposure extremophiles have
opened our minds to the many
possibilities of life and the
environments that can support it
understanding the limits of life in
these extreme conditions on earth may
provide scientists with clues of how
life could possibly exist elsewhere in the universe