Why study life in extreme environments?
In addition to understanding fundamental biology here on Earth and speculating on comparable limits in the universe, if unusual characteristics in microbial metabolism can be identified and studied, the transfer of this knowledge is almost immediate to applications in environmental cleanup, pollution prevention, or energy production. Many researchers envision a range of medically, industrially, and environmentally useful compounds derived from the extreme heat-loving, or”hyperthermophilic” Archaea, as well as antifreeze properties from cold-loving, or “cryophilic” microbes. Biomolecules from these organisms are active at temperatures that generally degrade normal cellular molecules (or membranes), such as enzymes, lipids, and nucleic acids.
