What are some everyday examples of microbial extremophiles?
Although very few may make the immediate association, the majority of DNA and genetic science now owes a debt to the study of extremophile microbes. The first Archaea-related products were enzymes called DNA polymerases for the research market, that make possible the sequencing or decoding of large blocks of all kinds of DNA. As a simple example, the use of DNA evidence in criminal trials for forensic experts would not be possible without the study of extremophiles. A recent article in Time Magazine (Jan 11, 1999) reported that DNA analysis is used to match suspects to evidence left at unsolved crime scenes at the astonishing rate of cracking more than 500 otherwise mysterious crimes PER WEEK. These numbers will only increase as analysis becomes more comprehensive and database methods more sophisticated, in a modern day version of fingerprint analysis. The solving of more than 2,000 human genetic diseases, along with the 200 more common diseases that may have therapeutic benefits from
