Scientists discover amoeba thriving at record 145°F / 63°C
A single-celled organism thriving in the scalding waters of California's Lassen Volcanic National Park has shattered the temperature record for complex life, researchers announced last week. The newly discovered amoeba, named Incendiamoeba cascadensis, can divide and reproduce at 63 degrees Celsius (145.4 degrees Fahrenheit), pushing past the long-established upper limit of 60 degrees for eukaryotic organisms.
A newly discovered single-celled organism, Incendiamoeba cascadensis, thrives in the extreme heat of California's Lassen Volcanic National Park, growing and dividing at temperatures up to 63 degrees Celsius, which is the highest known temperature for a eukaryotic organism. This obligate thermophile challenges existing paradigms about temperature constraints on eukaryotic cells and suggests that life can adapt to far more extreme conditions than previously thought. The discovery could have implications for understanding the potential habitability of alien worlds.
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