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Discovering Extremophiles: Life Thriving in Earth's Most Extreme Environments

Extremophiles are fascinating organisms that thrive in extreme conditions on Earth and potentially other planets. From boiling hot springs to the frigid Arctic, these resilient life forms, including bacteria, archaea, and unique multicellular organisms, adapt to survive in environments with high salinity, extreme pH levels, and extreme temperatures. This exploration compares Earth’s extreme locales with Mars, noting both planets' unique challenges and similarities. By examining how life persists in such harsh settings, we gain insight into the potential for life beyond our planet.

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Discovering Extremophiles: Life Thriving in Earth's Most Extreme Environments

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  1. EXTREMophiles! Finding Life on other Planets

  2. -What are some sites or places that you have been to or have heard about that are characteristic of having extreme conditions (very hot, very cold, very dry)? -What about extreme conditions around us on a daily basis or where we live? (in kitchen, our bodies, etc.)

  3. What do you consider to be an ideal Environment for you? • Temperature? • 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit? • Climate? • Warm? Sunny? Breezy? • Geography? • Mountains? Forest? Flat/Grassland?

  4. What about living in… • …boiling water? • …living in acidic water that can eat through metal (your stomach!)? • …in mud that is saltier than the ocean? • …in volcanic hot spots?

  5. So what could possibly live in these kind of environments?

  6. Common Examples of Extremophiles • Microbes—bacteria and archae • Mostly unicellular, but some multicellular include particular worms, insects, and crustaceans

  7. EXTREMOPHILE • Extreme– being of a high or of the highest degree or intensity • – phile “love”, attraction, or affinity to something • “Extreme-lovers” <3

  8. What is an Extreme Environment? • High-Salt (>0.2M salt concentration) • halophiles • Low pH (<3) • acidophiles • High pH (>9) • alkaliphiles

  9. High-temperature (176–300 °F) • thermophiles • Low-temperature (< 50 °F; as low as -450 F) • psychrophile • High-pressure

  10. A Polyextremophile: the “water bear” • Hypoliths

  11. What are some Examples of Extreme Environments here on Earth? • Volcanic areas (hot spots) • Geysers • Hot springs • Hydrothermal vents (deep sea)

  12. What is Mars’ Environment Like? • Like Earth’s extreme environments, the entirety of Mars’ is “extreme” • Dry, frozen desert

  13. How Similar do You Think Earth is to Mars?

  14. Comparing Earth and Mars • Both have large polar caps • Similar solar day • Both have a similar rotational tilt in their axis (similar seasons) • Carbon, nitrogen, water (but not liquid now) • The magnetic field of Earth makes it’s largest characteristic in difference • Mars is much colder • http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/Sibling_Rivalry.html

  15. Life on Mars? • Evidence that Mars once had water, maybe even oceans • possibly at the same time Earth first had life. So what happened to Mars, then? • Mars “lost” its atmosphere; was mostly CO2, turned into carbonate and mineralized in rocks • Thicker atmosphere=stabilize water, warmer climate • Our atmosphere is maintained from recycling of plate tectonics

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