Extremophiles and Extremophilic Behaviour – New Insights and Perspectives

Extremophiles, throughout evolutionary time, have evolved a plethora of unique strategies to overcome hardships associated with the environments they are found in.

Modifying their genome, showing a bias towards certain amino acids, redesigning their proteins, and enhancing their membranes and other organelles with specialised chemical compounds are only some of those strategies. Scientists can utilise such attributes of theirs for a plethora of biotechnological and astrobiological applications.

Moreover, the rigorous study of such microorganisms regarding their evolution and ecological niche can offer deep insight into science’s most paramount inquiries such as how life originated on Earth and whether we are alone in the universe.

The intensification of studies involving extremophiles in the future can prove to be highly beneficial for humanity, even potentially ameliorating modern problems such as those related to climate change while also expanding our knowledge about the complex biochemical reactions that ultimately resulted in life as we know it today.

Extremophiles and Extremophilic Behaviour—New Insights and Perspectives, Life (open access)

Astrobiology