Bacteria literally exist everywhere (perhaps not as much in Purell sanitizer bottles) and are the bane of our existence. From the early stages of childhood, we were always screamed at by our parents to wash our hands, brush our teeth, refer to the 5 second rule for dropped food, and cough into the crook of our elbows. But just how much bacteria were we fending off by dutifully following those instructions? The answer is, not enough. The typical human body is covered by so many of these unseen and unfelt creatures that if you were to remove them all, you'd have enough to fill up a large soup can!
Here are some fascinating photos of extremophiles (organisms that thrive in extreme conditions).
The photo above is of a thermophilic bacterium species.
It thrives in heated environments, and can live in temperatures up to 100°C.
Can be found in heated regions such as hot springs.
The Halobacillus Karajensis is a halophile, which is a extremophile that
grows optimally in NaCl concentrations. It can withstand conditions that
The Deinococcus Radiodurans shown above is a type of extremophile
bacterium that can defy colossal amounts of radiation. They can
also survive drought conditions and lack of nutrients.
Life on an active volcano seems very inhospitable, but extremophiles have found a way to make it work. Recently, signs of [very small] life have been found on South American volcanoes. These microscopic organisms have to face challenges such as 56°C days, dry environments, ultraviolet radiation, and frigid conditions. The D. Radiodurans, as seen above, can withstand a 15,000 gray dose of radiation. In comparison, humans can only withstand 10.
Activity has also been found in other intense environments, such as within Earth's crust below the ocean floor! These extremophiles live in a tremendous reservoir of hot water below ocean floors.
In addition, bacteria was discovered behind a layer of ice that was coating a lava tube that once flowed through the Cascade Mountains. These conditions are a less-extreme replica of life on Mars--ice-cold and bone-dry. The ice layer blocked out most of the oxygen and it was devoid of food source. However, the bacteria managed to thrive by living off the olivine deposits found in the basaltic lava tubes.
It's incredible how much life can thrive under these extreme environments. It's good to know that something is making use of these living conditions, because humans for now and the foreseeable future will not be able to. This raises the question, "are bacteria superior at adaptation?" According to these statistics, it would appear so. Perhaps one day, humans will also be able to survive in colder, drier, hotter and more radioactive environments.
