Pyrolobus fumarii

Pyrolobus fumarii, (literally the "firelobe of the chimney"), is a species of archaea known for its ability to live at extremely high temperatures that kill most organisms.[1][2]

Pyrolobus fumarii
Scientific classification
Domain:
Archaea
Phylum:
Crenarchaeota
Class:
Thermoprotei
Order:
Desulfurococcales
Family:
Pyrodictiaceae
Genus:
Pyrolobus
Binomial name
Pyrolobus fumarii
Blöch, Rachel, Burggraf, Hafenbradl, Jannasch & Stetter, 1997

It was first discovered in 1997 in a black smoker hydrothermal vent at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, setting the upper temperature threshold for known life to exist at 113°C (235.4°F), but more recently Methanopyrus kandleri has been discovered which can survive temperatures up to 122°C. (251.6°F)  [3][4] The species "freezes" or solidifies and ceases growth at temperatures of 90°C (194°F) and below.[5]

Strain 121, a microbe from the same family found at a vent in the Pacific Ocean, survived and multiplied during a 10-hour interval spent at 121°C (249.8°F) in an autoclave.[3]

References
  1. C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Extremophile. eds. E.Monosson and C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment, washington DC
  2. Joseph E. Armstrong. 2014. How the Earth Turned Green: A Brief 3.8-Billion-Year History of Plants. University of Chicago Press.
  3. Davison, Anna (26 June 2008). "The most extreme life-forms in the universe". NewScientist.com news service. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  4. Blöchl E; Rachel R; Burggraf S; Hafenbradl D; et al. (February 1997). "Pyrolobus fumarii, gen. and sp. nov., represents a novel group of archaea, extending the upper temperature limit for life to 113 degrees C.". Extremophiles : Life Under Extreme Conditions. 1 (1): 14–21. doi:10.1007/s007920050010. PMID 9680332.
  5. Joseph E. Armstrong. 2014. How the Earth Turned Green: A Brief 3.8-Billion-Year History of Plants. University of Chicago Press.

Further reading

fr:Pyrolobus fumarii

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