Extremophile environments, illustration. Extremophiles are microbes that live in extremes of radiation, cold, heat, pressure, drought, acidity and sal
Extremophile environments, illustration. Extremophiles are microbes that live in extremes of radiation, cold, heat, pressure, drought, acidity and salinity. At left are microbes found deep underground in mines, gaining energy from radioactivity released from uranium and thorium. Radioactivity (green) splits water molecules (red and white) into hydrogen and oxygen ions. The oxygen combines with water to form hydrogen peroxide, which reacts with an iron-sulphur compound called pyrite (bottom left) to produce sulphate ions. The microbes combine the sulphate and hydrogen ions to store energy (lower left). Other extremophiles at right are: ice-dwelling microbes in Antarctica (top right); microbes in hydrothermal vents on the seabed (centre right); microbes in acid hot springs in Yellowstone (bottom right, yellow); and microbes in extremely dry deserts (bottom right, purple).
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Photo credit: © Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science Foundation/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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