What is an extremophile?
Q: What is an extremophile?
A: An extremophile is a living organism that thrives in extreme environments that are harmful to most other life on Earth.
Q: How do extremophiles differ from other organisms?
A: Extremophiles differ from other organisms that live in normal places, called mesophiles or neutrophiles.
Q: When did biologists discover that microbes can survive in extreme environments?
A: Biologists discovered that microbes can survive in extreme environments in the 1980s and 1990s.
Q: What are some examples of extreme environments in which microbes can survive?
A: Extreme environments in which microbes can survive may be extremely hot, or cold, or dry, or under huge pressure, or very salty or acidic.
Q: Why can't complex organisms, such as animals or plants, live in extreme environments?
A: Complex organisms, such as animals or plants, cannot live in extreme environments because they are not adapted to survive in those conditions.
Q: Where do some scientists suggest life may have begun on Earth?
A: Some scientists suggest that life may have begun on Earth in hydrothermal vents far below the ocean surface.
Q: When were environments such as hot oceans, hot springs and deep ocean hydrothermal vents common?
A: Environments such as hot oceans, hot springs and deep ocean hydrothermal vents would have been common during the Archaean eon, about 3.9 billion years ago.
