Genus Pyrolobus Rank Species Higher classification Pyrolobus | Scientific name Pyrolobus fumarii | |
Similar Strain 121, Pyrodictium, Hyperthermus |
Pyrolobus fumarii is a species of Archaea known for its ability to live at extremely high temperatures that kill most organisms.
It was first discovered in 1997 in a black smoker hydrothermal vent at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, setting the upper temperature threshold for known life to exist at 113 °C.
Strain 121, a microbe from the same family found at a vent in the Pacific Ocean, survived and multiplied during a 10-hour interval spent at 121 °C in an autoclave.
References
Pyrolobus fumarii Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA