NASA-Funded Research Finds Complex Life Defying Record Heat

Lee esta historia en español aquí. NASA-supported scientists have discovered an organism that lives at extreme temperatures previously thought impossible for complex life. High temperatures can cause the destruction of necessary cell components, which is a big problem for cells with complex parts like a nucleus encasing delicate genetic information.

In the heated waters of […]. NASA-Funded Research Finds Complex Life Defying Record Heat. Cascadensis can remain partially active at 150.8 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius) and can recover from exposure to a staggering 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) for five minutes.

176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius) proved to be too much for the amoeba to come back from. In the heated waters of California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, a team of scientists observed an amoeba that can reproduce by division at an astonishing 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degree Celsius), setting a record for the upper temperature limit for all known eukaryotes. Incendiamoeba cascadensis, also dubbed the fire amoeba, stops reproducing above 145 degrees Fahrenheit but is still active, moving around to search for food at up to 147 degrees Fahrenheit (64 Celsius).

The previous limit of 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius) for eukaryotes was set by a few species of fungi and red algae.