Skip to content
extremophile

File:Aerial_image_of_Grand_Prismatic_Spring_(view_from_the_south).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ206912· pop 58· linked from 736 articles

extremophile

Sign in to save

Also known as extremophiles

right|thumb|300px|The bright colors of Grand Prismatic Spring in [[Yellowstone National Park are produced by thermophiles, a type of extremophile.]]

AI overview

An extremophile is an organism that thrives in environmental conditions extreme enough to kill most other life forms, such as extremely high temperatures like those found in Yellowstone's hot springs. Scientists study extremophiles because they help us understand the limits of life and have potential applications in biotechnology and medicine.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

5,958 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
organism
Image
Aerial image of Grand Prismatic Spring (view from the south).jpg
Show 6 more facts
topic's main category
Category:Extremophiles
opposite of
mesophile
Commons category
Extremophiles
on focus list of Wikimedia project
Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
topic has template
Template:Extremophile
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~24 min read

Encyclopedic overview

19 sections
Contents
  • Characteristics
  • Classification
  • Definitions
  • Overview
  • Polyextremophiles
  • In astrobiology
  • Bioremediation
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Metals
  • Acid mine drainage
  • Oil-based, hazardous pollutants in Arctic regions
  • Radioactive materials
  • Examples and recent findings
  • Biotechnology
  • DNA transfer
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

right|thumb|300px|The bright colors of Grand Prismatic Spring in [[Yellowstone National Park are produced by thermophiles, a type of extremophile.]]

An extremophile () is an organism that is able to live (or in some cases thrive) in extreme environments, i.e., environments with conditions approaching or stretching the limits of what known life can adapt to, such as extreme temperature, pressure, radiation, salinity, or pH level.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “extremophile” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (14)