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Updated: May 14, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment
Published on: February 27, 2021
A brief history of the discovery of hyperthermophilic life
1University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany. karl.stetter@biologie.uni-regensburg.de
Abstract:
Hyperthermophiles, growing optimally at 80°C and above were first discovered in 1981. They represent the upper temperature border of life and are found within water-containing terrestrial and submarine environments of active volcanism and geothermally heated subterranean rocks. The energy-yielding reactions represent mainly anaerobic and aerobic types of respiration rather than fermentation. Within the ss (single-stranded) rRNA phylogenetic tree, hyperthermophiles occupy all of the short deep branches closest to the root. Members of the deepest branch-offs are represented by the newly found Nanoarchaeota and Korarchaeota.
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