What is an Extremophile?
What is an extremophile?
Ok, so you came upon this really
strange word out there in your web
surfing, data gathering endeavors and
now you want to know what it isextremophile. Well I suppose you
came to the right place because
explaining about that word is exactly
what this particular article is all about.
An extremophile is and organism which
can live in extreme environments, and I am talking really extreme environments the places that you
thought nothing could ever survive in; Conditions such as high pressure and off the chart temperatures,
from the really hot, like volcano sizzling heat to the really frosty fidget cold--yeah, the stuff that would
freeze you solid in a heartbeat (National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration, 2015).
Most of extremophiles are micro-organisms such as bacteria or archaea (Hogan, Extremophile, 2012).
Archaea are additionally a form of single celled microorganism, but they have no cell nucleus or any
other organelles inside of their cells. They used to be considered a weird form of bacteria called
archaebacteria, but have been classified off into their own unique domain because of a lot of other
differences (Hogan, 2011). But then that is getting off into a whole other subject and we are focusing on
extremophiles here.
Where are extremophiles found?
Extremophiles can be found in a number of locations on earth. These dwellings can be deep down in the
depths of the ocean, inside of the earth’s crusty interior, soils that are highly mineralized and even
extreme radioactive or aquatic chemical environments, none of which would be conducive to human life
and would quickly do a person in (Hogan, Extremophile, 2012).
How are Extremophiles able to do what they do?
These organisms of Extremophiles are able to survive in these harsh conditions because of a unique
enzyme called “extremozyme”. These critters produce these enzymes so that they are able to live under
the most extreme of all of Earths habitats (National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration, 2015).
What are some different types of Extremophiles?
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Snottite
Giant Tube Worm
Water Bear
Loricifera
Ice Bugs
Snottite - These are colonies of cave-dwelling extremophile bacteria, which thrive off of volcanic sulfur.
Volcanic sulfur when combined with water produces sulfuric acid. The waste products of these critters
have properties that are similar to battery acid. OOCH!
Giant Tube Worm – These creatures are quite beautiful and can live several miles under the ocean
surface. This means that they can withstand excruciating pressure. Not only that but they also are
commonly found around “black smokers” or hydrothermal vent in the ocean floor. These vents emit
particles of high levels of sulfur-bearing minerals. So in other words, these creatures can endure high
levels of hydrogen sulfide.
Water Bears – These microscopic organisms are basically the toughest things on the planet. These
creatures are actually called polyextremophile because they can survive in a variety of
environments which we would consider completely uninhabitable. They can live without either
food or water for 120 years. Additionally these super bugs can withstand pressures that are six
times greater than what is found in the ocean. They can tolerate both freezing and boiling
temperature and also endure radiation hundreds of times higher than a human can. Because of all
of this it is quite likely that they could withstand one of the harshest environments of all: outer
space. So this is one very durable little organism.
Loricifera – These are tiny little microscopic animals that also live in marine sediment. All together
there are 22 species in the Loricifera phylum, but there are three of these 22 that are of particular
interest. This is because they live about 3,000 meters down in the Mediterranean Sea. What makes
them stand out is the fact that they live their entire life without oxygen or sunlight, and survive almost
completely in salt-saturated brine. The reason that they can live this way is because they do not rely on
mitochondria for energy. Instead these creatures rely on hydrogenosomes, which do not need oxygen
to create energy.
Ice Bugs – Also known as Grylloblattidae, are rugged wingless insects. They live in some rather cold
environments- between 34 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit. This is quite cool considering most bugs you
think of really would rather be in warm weather. They also live at very high elevations. They aren’t quite
as tough as some of the other organisms discussed and can actually be killed if the temperatures
plummet too low for them.
(Townsend, 2013)
What are my closing thought on these little guys?
Well, I am not normally into bugs at all, but these creatures have piqued my interest with their amazing
adapting super powers. Besides that they are good for humanity because studying them could bring
about advancements in medicine and science. Not to mention the fact that if these guys can survive in
these incredible circumstances on earth, than finding life out in the universe is brought just a few steps
closer to accepting the possibilities of life actually being able to exist out in the cosmos, and that is a
very interesting premise in deed.
Works Cited
Hogan, C. M. (2011, August 23). Archaea. Retrieved October 21, 2015, from The Encyclopedia of Earth:
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150172/
Hogan, C. M. (2012, December 23). Extremophile. Retrieved October 21, 2015, from The Encyclopedia of
Earth: http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/160977/
National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration. (2015). What is an extremophile? Retrieved October
21, 2015, from National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration [NOAA]:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/extremophile.html
Townsend, M. (2013, July 22). 5 Creatures That Can Survive the Most Extreme Conditions. Retrieved
October 21, 2015, from Care2.com: http://www.care2.com/causes/5-creatures-that-can-survive-themost-extreme-conditions.html