Iron-eating Bug Found to Thrive in 121C Heat

shobadobs writes "A story in the Independent reports that a microorganism appropriately referred to as 'Strain 121' has been found capable of thriving, with its colony size doubling, at a heat of 121 degrees Celsius, eight degrees more than the previously recorded maximum temperature that an organism can survive. This deep-sea volcanic vent creature was found on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and it feeds off of iron." Luckily it's only a microorganism. At first glance I thought scientists might have discovered a real-life rust monster.

Comments

Luckily

[sploxx]

> Luckily it's only a microorganism.
Hmm, aren't microorganisms eating iron and surviving in ovens are harder to extinct than some cm long creatures with hands and feet?

Re:Luckily

[Dyolf Knip]

I imagine that the chemical reactions that allow this thing to subsist on iron don't work too well at lower temperatures anyway. Otherwise we'd have seen that particular niche filled here on the surface a _long_ time ago.

Re:Depth vs. Temperature?

[Ubi_NL]

Almost certainly. Metabolic processes (enzymes) have a narrow active temperature range. My guess is anything below 80 degC will slow them down so much that they won't multiply anymore. They probably won't die either, just slow down

joris