A brief history of the discovery of hyperthermophilic life.
Hyperthermophiles, growing optimally at 80°C and above were first discovered in 1981. They represent the upper temperature border of life and are found within water-containing terrestrial and submarine environments of active volcanism and geothermally heated subterranean rocks. The energy-yielding reactions represent mainly anaerobic and aerobic types of respiration rather than fermentation. Within the ss (single-stranded) rRNA phylogenetic tree, hyperthermophiles occupy all of the short deep branches closest to the root. Members of the deepest branch-offs are represented by the newly found Nanoarchaeota and Korarchaeota.
University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany. karl.stetter@biologie.uni-regensburg.de
Karl O
KO
Stetter
D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001105:Archaea / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006358:Hot Temperature