Title: Archaea: The Third Domain of Life - The Santa Barbara Independent
Headings: Archaea: The Third Domain of Life
Archaea: The Third Domain of Life
Do They Live on Comets?

Content: They have the amazing ability to turn inorganic material into organic matter, like turning metal to meat. Their unique metabolisms allow them to live in oxygen-free habitats, boiling sulfuric acid pools near volcanoes, sulfur hot springs, glacial ice, methane seeps, rock four miles into the Earth, desert sands, acid mines, oil leaks, polluted waters, and toxic waste dumps. And while it hasn’t been shown that they are responsible for any diseases, they also call the insides of animals home; they’re in our gums, living with infectious bacteria, and in the guts of animals, producing methane. Truly, archaea inhabit incredible niches around the globe. Many fascinating members of the phylum Crenarchaeota have been described: Pyrolobus fumarii, which holds the record for the highest temperature an organism can live at, grows best around 236 degrees Fahrenheit in deep ocean hydrothermal vents; while the genus Sulfolobus lives in very hot (170 degrees Fahrenheit) and very acidic (pH 2 to 3) volcanic springs. However, other archaea of the Crenarchaeota phylum inhabit “normal” soil, fresh waters, and moderate temperatures; they may be found in most environments.