MicrobeWorld

Archaea of Note

• Lobus fulgidus is a sulfur-reducer that can sour oil wells.
• Halobacteria are salt-loving microbes that give a pink tinge to salt water evaporation ponds, the Dead Sea and salted fish.
• Pyrolobus fumarii led scientists to extend the upper temperature limit for life to 113 degrees Celsius (235.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Pyrococcus furiosis is the source of an extra-stable enzyme that can endure many cycles in the process of PCR, the method behind gene sequencing and DNA fingerprinting.
• Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is used to leach copper and iron from ore.