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M. Frigidum |
Classification:
Kingdom: Monera (Bacteria)
Phylum: Archaebacteria Class: Methanomicrobia (methanogens) Order: Methanomicrobiales Family: Methanomicrobiaceae Genus: Methanogenium Species: Methanogenium frigidum M. Frigidum masks! How to make them
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Most living things thrive on heat, but Methanogenium frigidum bacteria prefer the cold. They're methanogens, bacteria that produce methane, and they were first discovered happily hanging out on the sunless, oxygenless bottom of an icy lake in Antarctica. The scientists who found them were surprised to find them thriving in such a cold place— they can grow and reproduce at temperatures around freezing, and can even survive being completely frozen for long periods. They don't do so well in the heat, though— they can't really handle temperatures of more than around 15° Celsius. Even a UK summer would be too much for them! Bacteria that like it cold are called "psychrophiles", which means "cold-lovers" in Greek. The discovery of bacteria living in the snow and ice of these extreme climates has biologists heading for the North and South Poles in droves, and new species of psychrophiles are being discovered all the time. Surviving cold temperatures would be one of the main challenges for life forms in outer space, or on planets without our warm atmosphere, so some scientists now think that this is what extraterrestrial life might be like. Other "extremophilic" bacteria like heat-loving thermophiles might also do okay in space and on planets we humans would never be able to stand. They're not exactly Mr. Spock, though, are they?On the Web:
Psychrophiles on Wikipedia.
Extremophiles, Antarctica, and Extraterrestrial Life, an article about bacteria in cold places. |
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