EXTREMophiles!

Finding Life on other Planets

-What are some sites or places that you have been to or have heard about that are characteristic of having extreme conditions (very hot, very cold, very dry)?

-What about extreme conditions around us on a daily basis or where we live? (in kitchen, our bodies, etc.)

What do you consider to be an ideal Environment for you?

• Temperature? 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit?

• Climate? Warm? Sunny? Breezy?

• Geography?Mountains? Forest? Flat/Grassland?

What about living in…

• …boiling water?• …living in acidic water that can eat through

metal (your stomach!)?• …in mud that is saltier than the ocean?• …in volcanic hot spots?

So what could possibly live in these kind of environments?

Common Examples of Extremophiles

• Microbes—bacteria and archae• Mostly unicellular, but some multicellular

include particular worms, insects, and crustaceans

EXTREMOPHILE

• Extreme– being of a high or of the highest degree or

intensity

• – phile “love”, attraction, or affinity to something

• “Extreme-lovers”

<3

What is an Extreme Environment?

• High-Salt (>0.2M salt concentration)– halophiles

• Low pH (<3)– acidophiles

• High pH (>9)– alkaliphiles

• High-temperature (176–300 °F)– thermophiles

• Low-temperature (< 50 °F; as low as -450 F)– psychrophile

• High-pressure

• A Polyextremophile: the “water bear”• Hypoliths

What are some Examples of Extreme Environments here on Earth?

• Volcanic areas (hot spots)• Geysers • Hot springs• Hydrothermal vents (deep sea)

What is Mars’ Environment Like?

• Like Earth’s extreme environments, the entirety of Mars’ is “extreme”

• Dry, frozen desert

How Similar do You Think Earth is to Mars?

Comparing Earth and Mars

• Both have large polar caps• Similar solar day • Both have a similar rotational tilt in their axis (similar

seasons)• Carbon, nitrogen, water (but not liquid now)• The magnetic field of Earth makes it’s largest

characteristic in difference• Mars is much colder• http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/

Sibling_Rivalry.html

Life on Mars?

• Evidence that Mars once had water, maybe even oceans

• possibly at the same time Earth first had life. So what happened to Mars, then?

• Mars “lost” its atmosphere; was mostly CO2, turned into carbonate and mineralized in rocks

• Thicker atmosphere=stabilize water, warmer climate• Our atmosphere is maintained from recycling of

plate tectonics