Tag Archives: extremophile

Meet the Snottite

I would like to introduce you to the Snottite. The Snottite is a microbial mat of extremophilic bacteria that hang around walls and ceiling of caves just like stalactites. That’s maybe why they have the same suffix. But yes, it does get its name for its mucus like consistency but they are every bit extremophile. […] Continue reading

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Chroococcidiopsis Aboard EXPOSE-R2

Chroococcidiopsis was sent aboard EXPOSE-R2 as part of the Biofilm Organisms Surfing Space (BOSS) experiment on July 24, 2014. Its goal was to test the hypothesis that “microorganisms grown as biofilms, hence embedded in self-produced extracellular polymeric substances, are more tolerant to space and Martian conditions compared to their planktonic counterparts” (or, put simply, to … Continue reading Chroococcidiopsis Aboard EXPOSE-R2 Continue reading

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Extremophile: Chroococcidiopsis

Chroococcidiopsis is a primitive, photosynthetic, coccoidal cyanobacteria that is able to resist desiccation (extreme dryness). Its ability to live in arid environments is due in part because it colonizes on the underside of translucent rocks which provide both enough condensed moisture for growth and enough light for photosynthesis to occur. Hence, because Chroococcidiopsis is resistant … Continue reading Extremophile: Chroococcidiopsis Continue reading

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Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, also known as “Brewer’s yeast”, is a very strange extremophile. It is known as an “Osmophile”, or an organism that thrives in environments with high sugar concentrations. Many people fear osmophiles because they are responsible for the spoiling of many sugary drinks such as orange juice or soda. However, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is a species […] Continue reading

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Meet the Ferroplasma, in acid!

Extremophiles are organisms that thrive under “extreme” conditions. The term frequently refers to microbes such as prokaryotes, which are single-celled organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus. Extremophiles do come in all shapes and sizes, and are grouped according to the environment they thrive in. One such group is the acidophiles: organisms that grow best at acidic […] Continue reading

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Extremophiles

Life outside of Earth can be hard to find. It was thought that life could not survive in our solar system outside of Earth. It would be too harsh for any living creature to survive. It is; except for extremophiles. Lichens showed promising results under Martian conditions. Escherichia coli and Paracoccus denitrificans not only survived, but […] Continue reading

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The Toughest Creature in the World

In the early 1700s, several different scientists examining the components of water and water habitats came across a miniscule creature …

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How Do They Do It?

In nearly every environment on Earth, there is some form of life. Many of these environments are quite hostile to most forms of life, but some are able to make them into a perfectly suitable home. Such locations could be deep underground in mine shafts, or near vents on the ocean floor, or even inside […] Continue reading

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Tardigrade – Water Bear!

This is one of the most amazing animals on Earth! It has a very geeky name “tardigrade”, but is also known as water bear as it lives in water. It can live in most extreme conditions from just above absolute zero to above the temperature of boiling water. It can also withstand dehydration, extreme pressures […] Continue reading

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