Extremophiles
The term extremophiles is applied to groups of microorganisms that live and thrive in places where most living creatures could not survive. Extremophiles can be grouped into two categories; Bacteria, simple celled creatures whose cells lack a nucleus, and eukarya, whose cells are more complex. The habitats of extremophiles include a wide range of environments each containing its own unique creature specially adapted to that particular place. Each of those groups has a lot of commercial and scientific value that scientists are exploring eagerly. The first group of extremophiles is the Thermophiles. By definition these are microbes that thrive in very hot environments. To be considered an extremophile in this type environment, the microbe needs to be able to thrive and reproduce in temperatures in excesses of 45 degrees Celsius. There is a second class of thermophiles called hyperthermophiles, which enjoy temperatures above 80 degrees Celsius. There are a select few that can actually survive at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, the boiling point of water. As a comparison, no multicellular animals or plants have been found that can tolerate an environment above 50 degrees Celsius. The discover
Thermophiles are spread all over the planet, ranging from deep sea geysers to hot springs. There have been about 50 species of hyperthermophiles isolated to date, but scientists are positive that with time more will be discovered. With our current scientific knowledge of thermophiles and hyperthermophiles the scientific community believes that there will be no microbe that can survive temperatures exceeding 150 degrees Celsius. At that temperature dissolution of chemical bonds occurs, which those maintain the integrity of DNA and other essential molecules necessary for life to survive. Of course there are always flukes in nature, even if they are a fluke of a fluke! There are area two basic ideas behind the adaptation of extremophiles. The first is that the microorganism is in an area that it enjoys and can readily survive and reproduce in. The other idea is that the creatures tolerate their environment, yet would not live there if they had the choice. They are in fact similar to humans. The ideal place for a human to live would be in constant temperate zone. Humans are spread all over the planet, some in very harsh environments. Although they do not like it, they tolerate it and adapt to survive, much like these amazing creatures. Other groups of extremophiles include acidophiles, microorganisms that thrive in a highly acidic environment, and alkaliphiles, microorganisms that thrive in highly basic environments. Acidophiles survive in an area that has a pH below five, and alkaliphiles survive in an
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