❌💊This ancient extremophile lives in an ice cave and is resistant to 10 modern antibiotics!
💪Psychrobacter SC65A.3 has more than 100 genes related to resistance, which suggests that some extremophiles act as “reservoirs” of resistance genes. Check it out: doi.org/hbpn39
Further research is still needed, but R.similis shows the potential of eukaryotic extremophiles in a better understanding of how life could be shaped over other planets✨.
👉 Source: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
👀Producing melanin - a pigment that not only gives its characteristic colour but also functions as a protective shield. The fungus also activates repairing enzymes and other metabolites as resistant mechanisms.
🚀This black fungus can survive stressors similar to those in space, such as oxidative salts and ultraviolet-C radiation. So, how does it do it?
A fungus known for causing fungal skin infections shows potential beyond its pathogenic role. ✨
Rhinocladiella similis is being studied as a eukaryotic model organism in simulated extraterrestrial settings, like Martian-like conditions. Name a better glow-up!
Check this archaeon that can live in a volcano! The Weizmann Institute of Science determined that Pyrococcus furiosus can do it, but, how? Check the answer 👉
We are still thinking about our consortium meeting last week!💫
Thank you all for coming ☺️
👉 Read how it went here: xtream-project.eu/news/xtream-...
🗓️ Consortium meeting time!
💫 One year after our kick-off, we’re meeting again in person, this time hosted by @uam.es.
We are really happy to share our latest extremophile discoveries, and discuss the next steps together! 🔬
🚀🦠 NASA’s “cleanrooms” are now the home of some extremophiles. These places are designed to avoid contamination, but 26 bacteria were able to survive there. To know how they managed to do so, click here 👉
🔬The @csic.es is also part of the XTREAM team! Meet the largest public research institution in Spain and one of the most prestigious in Europe. The Centre of Astrobiology is an institution within CSIC that works to learn more about extremophiles. Learn more about them 👉https://www.csic.es/es
🚺💪Today we celebrate all the talented and inspiring #WomenInScience. Much work is still needed for gender equality in STEM. Thanks to all the hardworking women researchers for showing girls around the world that Science is also for them. #11F #WomenInSTEM #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience
🚨 Breaking news! We welcome @uaveiro.bsky.social (UA) as a new partner in XTREAM! Bem-vindos à equipa!🎉 At UA, CICECO develops sustainable methods to recover high-value compounds from extremophiles, using computational tools and lab work to move biomolecules toward industrial use.🌱🛠️
👉 Follow NEXTMARINE and subscribe to the first joint newsletter with sibling projects @xtream-project.eu , @EXPLORA Project, and @Xtremolife, laying the foundation for joint activities across the Horizon Europe cluster.: lnkd.in/dE2AhAiu
🌱Two years ago, one of the partners of XTREAM, @csic.es, did the first biological expedition to the plasters of Gobi Desert. They collect samples of plants, soil and rocks to advance knowledge of the mechanisms that enable plant life in extreme conditions. 👉 Check what they found out: surl.li/mwnnwu
🔬There is a high variability of bacterial composition among oases, despite the similar extreme climate conditions. Some of these bacteria have metabolic flexibility for sustaining life in deserts.
In the Gobi Desert live important populations of endangered species such as gobi bear, wild bactrian camel or the snow leopard. But not only animals are found in Gobi Desert.
🚫💦If I tell you: waterless place, I am sure you will think about a place like this: a desert. Specifically, we are talking about the Gobi Desert.
🌏This desert occupies the third part of Mongolia and is one of the most important desert areas in the world due to its intact landforms and features.
Their survival capabilities lead to further investigation of the role of extremophiles in terraforming extraterrestrial environments.
Discover more 👉 doi.org/10.1038/s420...
👩🚀 Building life-supporting ecosystems in space is one of the greatest challenges in science. A challenge that extremophiles might be able to tackle! 🦠In a recent review in Nature, researchers addressed microbial functions and ecological advantages of microorganisms in Martian analogue environments.
New #XTREAMteam! Meet Wageningen University, a pioneer in innovation for sustainable change. Its mission is to explore nature's potential to improve quality of life, combining cutting-edge research and education in life sciences, human well-being, biodiversity and climate.👉 www.wur.nl/en.htm
When solar radiation becomes stronger and temperatures increase, the microalga can produce carotenoid-red pigments. This defence mechanism protects it from photoinhibition, not damaging chlorophyll or the photosynthetic system.
C.nivalis has adapted to maintain high levels of photosynthesis activity even at low temperatures through a complex life cycle. 🔴So where does the red come from?
👀Among these snow algae, we can find Chlamydomonas nivalis, a photosynthetic microalga adapted to cold temperatures. But how to survive in the snow in polar and high regions?
🍉❄️Sometimes snow is not white.
The appearance of red-tinted snowpacks, also known as “watermelon snow”, is the result of algae communities creating a unique scenario around seasonal changes.
🌍The European Digital Twin of the Ocean: a virtual replica of the seas. An interactive tool to provide ocean knowledge and simulate future scenarios, helping protect marine ecosystems and support a sustainable blue economy.
Discover more👉 research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/european-dig...
🦠🧬How can we study microorganisms that can’t be cultivated in the lab?
Have a look at this brief interview with microbiologist Yunha Hwang to learn more about the potential of computational approaches for exploring microbial diversity.
👉 news.mit.edu/2025/3-quest...
💪Everyone behaves differently under pressure, but this archaeon takes it to the next level!
Haloferax volcanii, an archaeon from the Dead Sea, can switch to a tissue-like multicellular form when exposed to mechanical pressure. Read more about this fascinating twist doi.org/10.1126/scie...
🧬Nature loves exceptions—and the genetic code is no different.
👀Researchers have found that certain archaea reassign TAG from a stop signal to encode the amino acid pyrrolysine instead, creating a distinct genetic code that evolved independently several times.
Take a look! doi.org/10.1126/scie...
🚨News on life at the extreme!
Meet Incendiamoeba cascadensis, “the fire amoeba”. A single-cell amoeba that can survive at +60 °C! The study has not yet been peer reviewed, but in the meantime, it questions the limits of eukaryotic life known until now. ✨
Read more here👉 doi.org/10.1038/d415...
But what happens when those compounds are produced in extreme environments?
This is what these researchers are trying to answer with their latest review 👇
doi.org/10.1093/fems...
