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Fire Amoeba Shatters Heat Tolerance Record
Confirmed
In Short: A newly discovered amoeba, named Incendiamoeba cascadensis, has shattered the heat tolerance record for eukaryotes, surviving temperatures up to 145°F (63°C).
A newly discovered amoeba, named Incendiamoeba cascadensis, has shattered the heat tolerance record for eukaryotes, surviving temperatures up to 145°F (63°C).
Researchers from Syracuse University, led by microbial ecologist Angela Oliverio, identified the amoeba after setting up cultures at various temperatures, with the highest being 57°C, the previous record for an amoeba.
When they observed an amoeba growing at 57°C that looked different from the previous record holder, Echinamoeba thermarum, they increased the temperature further.
The team found that the fire amoeba could survive up to 70°C by entering a dormant state and could grow at temperatures up to 145°F.
The genetic adaptations of this amoeba, which allow it to maintain protein and membrane stability at higher temperatures, are a significant discovery for understanding life in extreme environments.
Beryl Rappaport, a PhD student in Oliverio's lab, noted that while the ability to withstand heat has been less studied in eukaryotes, this discovery suggests there may be more heat-tolerant species yet to be found.
What this adds
The fire amoeba's discovery highlights the potential for finding more resilient life forms in extreme environments.
What's confirmed
- A newly discovered amoeba, named Incendiamoeba cascadensis, has shattered the heat tolerance record for eukaryotes, surviving temperatures up to 145°F (63°C).
- Researchers from Syracuse University, led by microbial ecologist Angela Oliverio, identified the amoeba after setting up cultures at various temperatures, with the highest being 57°C, the previous record for an amoeba.
- When they observed an amoeba growing at 57°C that looked different from the previous record holder, Echinamoeba thermarum, they increased the temperature further.
- The team found that the fire amoeba could survive up to 70°C by entering a dormant state and could grow at temperatures up to 145°F.
- The genetic adaptations of this amoeba, which allow it to maintain protein and membrane stability at higher temperatures, are a significant discovery for understanding life in extreme environments.
- Beryl Rappaport, a PhD student in Oliverio's lab, noted that while the ability to withstand heat has been less studied in eukaryotes, this discovery suggests there may be more heat-tolerant species yet to be found.
What's still developing
- When they compared the genome of the new species to those of other amoebas, they observed that the fire amoeba had ways of keeping its proteins and membranes stable at higher temperatures.
- And now that the fire amoeba has been documented, she thinks it's just the start.
- "There's a very deep curiosity and desire to understand life at its limits and at its most extreme," she says.
- The newfound microbe can live and grow in temperatures up to 145 ° Fahrenheit A single-celled blob living in a California hot spring has smashed a heat tolerance record for an entire domain of life.
- The newly described “fire amoeba” can grow at 63° Celsius (145° Fahrenheit), a temperature that’s fatal to all other known eukaryotes, researchers report September 22 in Cell.