What Is Hyperthermophiles?

Hyperthermophiles, a name which breaks down to mean “superheat-loving” (Stetter, 2006), are one of the earliest types of extremophiles. These extremophiles are characterized by their thriving in high temperature environments, with an optimal growth zone of 80 to 106 degrees Celsius (Stetter, 2006). Pyrolobus fumarii, a specifies of hyperthermophiles, has been recorded to grow at 113 degrees Celsius, the highest recorded growth temperature (Stetter 1999). Hyperthermophiles do no grow at 50 degrees Celsius or lower (Stetter, 2006). As hyperthemophiles thrive in extreme heat, they are most often found in sites that receive heat from volcanic activity, such as hot springs or hydrothermal vents (Rampelotto, 2013).

Pabulo Henrique Rampelotto notes in “Extremophiles and Extreme Environments” that hyperthermophiles lie, in particular, “close to the 'universal ancestor' of all organisms on Earth” (2013). Due to their ability to survive down to -140 degrees Celsius, there is a posibility that hyperthermophiles arrived on meteorites from other planets, having survived impact ejecta (Stetter, 2006). Based on the requirements for growth, it is possible that hyperthermophiles existed on early Earth, during the early Archean eon – up to 3.9 gyr ago (Stetter, 2006). It is also possible that hyperthermophiles could survive and grow on Mars or Europa. Though the surface of Mars today is too cold for growth, it is
The majority of hyperthermophilic species show a chemolithoautotrophic way of nutrition (Stetter 2006). This means that these hyperthermophiles receive their energy by inorganic redox reactions with such compounds as sulphur, molecular hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and ferric and ferrous iron (Stetter 2006). Other hyperthermophiles are heterotrophic. This means their energy is reliant on organic materials, gaining energy through aerobic or different types of anaerobic respiration (Stetter,