All Extremophiles articles
-
NewsNew super-enzyme could revolutionize CO₂ capture
Scientists have developed new metagenomic analysis tools to identify a super heat-resistant enzyme of biotechnological interest. The enzyme specializes in enhancing the dissolution of CO₂ in water and exhibits unprecedented stability under industrial conditions.
-
NewsStudy reveals how ‘Conan the Bacterium’ withstands extreme radiation
Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human - and scientists have uncovered the secrets of the antioxidant that confers this protection.
-
NewsSpecialist under-ice species at risk as Arctic warms
’Specialist’ lifeforms that live under Arctic sea ice are at risk as the ice retreats, new research shows. Scientists studied microscopic organisms in four environments – open ocean, river mouths, coasts and under sea ice – in the sea off northern Canada.
-
NewsArctic viruses in the surface microlayer help their hosts to survive extreme temperatures
Arctic viruses employ specialized mechanisms, including cryoprotective genes, to thrive in harsh environmental conditions despite limited host availability, reveals Dr Janina Rahlff from our Ocean Sustainability Advisory Group.
-
NewsResearchers use chemistry modeling software to detect conditions for microbial life on icy worlds
Scientists are working to expand software normally used to model electrolytes and predict corrosion and turn it into a tool that can help determine whether ice-covered worlds have the right conditions for microbial life.
-
NewsAntarctic streptomyces offer promising biocontrol agents to combat banana wilt
A recent study has unveiled the biotechnological potential of microorganisms from Antarctica. Researchers evaluating the antifungal activity of isolated actinomycete strains found 41.18% of these strains could inhibit the growth of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i>.
-
NewsNew technique reveals the living microbes in Earth’s driest desert
An international team of researchers describes a new way to separate extracellular from intracellular genetic material, providing better insights into microbial life in low-biomass environments such as the Atacama Desert.
-
NewsScientists identify potential microbial habitats in Martian ice
Dusty ice exposed at the surface of Mars could provide the conditions necessary for the presence of photosynthetic life, according to a modelling study.
-
NewsStudy shows how bacterium tweaks its lipopolysaccharides to survive chill of Antarctic lake
Scientists have uncovered some of the unique biochemical survival tactics employed by a species of Pseudomonas found living in an ice-covered lake in Antarctica.
-
NewsCrews sample lichens in ‘dress rehearsal’ for Martian exploration
During simulated extra-vehicular activities, Mars 160 mission specialists wearing simulated spacesuits scouted out various habitats in two Mars analog stations, seeking out lichen species growing in various microhabitats.
-
NewsMore than 160,000 new virus species discovered by AI
161,979 new species of RNA virus have been discovered using a machine learning tool that researchers believe will vastly improve the mapping of life on Earth and could aid in the identification of many millions more viruses yet to be characterised.
-
NewsExtreme microbe reveals how life’s building blocks adapt to high pressure
An AI tool has helped scientists discover how the proteins of a heat-loving microbe respond to the crushing conditions of the planet’s deepest ocean trenches, offering new insights into how building blocks of life might have evolved under early Earth conditions.
-
NewsUC Santa Barbara to lead $22M NSF-funded center on exceptional microbes
UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, and Cal Poly Pomona receive a six-year, $22 million grant to establish a first-of-its-kind BioFoundry that focuses on largely untapped and unexplored extreme microbes.
-
NewsCreature the size of a dust grain found hiding in California’s Mono Lake
Researchers have now found an unusual creature lurking in the shallows of Mono Lake — a choanoflagellate that could tell scientists about the origin of animals more than 650 million years ago.
-
NewsEfflux pumps conferring antibiotic resistance found in archaea for the first time
Scientists have discovered antibiotic resistance mechanisms called efflux pumps in archaea for the first time.
-
NewsMicrobes conquer the next extreme environment - your microwave
A radiation-resistant microbiome inside microwaves resembles that on solar panels, a new study finds.
-
CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Alexandre S. Rosado
The Microbiologist gets to know our new Global Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Alexandre S Rosado, who is Professor of Bioscience at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
-
NewsAncient Antarctic microorganisms are aggressive predators
Antarctic dwelling single-celled microorganisms called archaea can behave like parasites, new research shows.
-
NewsResearchers develop new way for beneficial microbes to survive extreme conditions and space exploration
The team’s formulations allow microbial therapeutics to maintain their potency and function over time despite extreme temperatures, harsh manufacturing processes, and radiation exposure.
-
NewsHot spring microbe delivers nitrite-driven anaerobic ethane oxidation
A microbial culture capable of nitrite-driven anaerobic ethane oxidation was enriched through long-term operation of a nitrite-and-ethane-fed bioreactor, a new study shows.
