extremophile

noun

ex·trem·o·phile ik-ˈstrē-mə-ˌfī(-ə)l How to pronounce extremophile (audio)

: an organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in a hot spring or ice cap)

Did you know?

No, an extremophile is not an enthusiast of extreme sports (though -phile does mean "one who loves or has an affinity for"). Rather, extremophiles are organisms—mostly microorganisms—that thrive in environments once considered uninhabitable, from places with high levels of toxicity and radiation to boiling-hot deep-sea volcanoes to Antarctic ice sheets. Scientists have even created a new biological domain to classify some of these extremophiles: Archaea (from Greek archaios, meaning "ancient"). These extremophiles may have a lot in common with the first organisms to appear on earth billions of years ago. If so, they can give us insight into how life on our planet may have arisen. They are also being studied to learn about possible life forms on other planets, where conditions are extreme compared to conditions on Earth.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The Patagonian ice dragon is what scientists call an extremophile, or an organism that can live in extreme environments.

Katie Hunt, CNN, 23 July 2022 Out of more than 1,000 different extremophile species gathered from those sites, the team managed to grow just 31 in the lab.

Brianne Palmer, Scientific American, 21 July 2021 Orphan’s work with extremophiles — organisms that survive under extreme conditions like high pressure or a complete lack of sunlight — could shed light on the origins of life on Earth and the potential for life on other worlds, among other things.

Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2020 Some organisms—extremophiles—have adapted to live life in these severe environments.

Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2019 One major factor that many extremophiles share is their ability to tolerate or even feed off of methane instead of oxygen or carbon dioxide, like methanotrophs, which are bacteria that eat methane and release oxygen as a byproduct.

Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 21 Nov. 2019 The overall family of extremophiles that live on or despite radiation includes both fungi and bacteria, and different species have different mechanisms for absorbing or tolerating radiation.

Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Feb. 2020 These extremophiles can also be found in highly salty or highly acidic environments.

Robin George Andrews, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2019 But one of the new nematodes from the genus Auanema did reproduce in the lab, which will provide researchers a new model extremophile to work with.

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 1 Oct. 2019 See More

单词	extremophile
释义	extremophile noun ex·trem·o·phile ik-ˈstrē-mə-ˌfī(-ə)l : an organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in a hot spring or ice cap) Did you know? No, an extremophile is not an enthusiast of extreme sports (though -phile does mean "one who loves or has an affinity for"). Rather, extremophiles are organisms—mostly microorganisms—that thrive in environments once considered uninhabitable, from places with high levels of toxicity and radiation to boiling-hot deep-sea volcanoes to Antarctic ice sheets. Scientists have even created a new biological domain to classify some of these extremophiles: Archaea (from Greek archaios, meaning "ancient"). These extremophiles may have a lot in common with the first organisms to appear on earth billions of years ago. If so, they can give us insight into how life on our planet may have arisen. They are also being studied to learn about possible life forms on other planets, where conditions are extreme compared to conditions on Earth. Example Sentences Recent Examples on the Web The Patagonian ice dragon is what scientists call an extremophile, or an organism that can live in extreme environments. Katie Hunt, CNN, 23 July 2022 Out of more than 1,000 different extremophile species gathered from those sites, the team managed to grow just 31 in the lab. Brianne Palmer, Scientific American, 21 July 2021 Orphan’s work with extremophiles — organisms that survive under extreme conditions like high pressure or a complete lack of sunlight — could shed light on the origins of life on Earth and the potential for life on other worlds, among other things. Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2020 Some organisms—extremophiles—have adapted to live life in these severe environments. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2019 One major factor that many extremophiles share is their ability to tolerate or even feed off of methane instead of oxygen or carbon dioxide, like methanotrophs, which are bacteria that eat methane and release oxygen as a byproduct. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 21 Nov. 2019 The overall family of extremophiles that live on or despite radiation includes both fungi and bacteria, and different species have different mechanisms for absorbing or tolerating radiation. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Feb. 2020 These extremophiles can also be found in highly salty or highly acidic environments. Robin George Andrews, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2019 But one of the new nematodes from the genus Auanema did reproduce in the lab, which will provide researchers a new model extremophile to work with. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 1 Oct. 2019 See More Word History First Known Use 1989, in the meaning defined above
随便看	drive time drive to an early grave drive under the influence drive up a wall drive up the wall drive wheel drive-by drive-bys drive-in drive-ins drive-through drive-thru drive-up drive-volley drive-yourself driveabilities driveability list system listable liste que le roi listed listed (for) listed for listee listees

extremophile

noun

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History