Geyser

A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. The name geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring at Haukadalur, Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the verb gjósa, "to gush".

Ecology of geysers

:Main article: Thermophile, Hyperthermophile.

Related Topics:
Thermophile - Hyperthermophile

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The specific colours of geysers derive from the fact that despite the apparently harsh conditions, life is often found in them (and also in other hot habitats) in the form of thermophilic prokaryotes. No known eukaryote can survive over 60 °C (140 °F).

Related Topics:
Habitats - Thermophilic - Prokaryote - Eukaryote

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the 1960s, when the research of biology of geysers first appeared, scientists were generally convinced that no life can survive above around 73 °C (163 °F) - the upper limit for the survival of cyanobacteria, as the structure of key cellular proteins and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) would be destroyed. The optimal temperature for thermophilic bacteria was placed even lower, around 55 °C (131 °F).

Related Topics:
Cyanobacteria - Protein - Deoxyribonucleic acid

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, the observations proved that it actually is possible for life to exist at high temperatures and that some bacteria prefer even temperatures higher than boiling point of water. Dozens of such bacteria are known nowadays. Thermophiles prefer temperatures from 50 to 70 °C whilst hyperthermophiles grow better at temperatures as high as 80 to 110 °C. As they have heat-stable enzymes that retain their activity even at high temperatures, they have been used as a source of thermostable tools, that are important in medicine and biotechnology, for example in manufacturing antibiotics, plastics, detergents (by the use of heat-stable enzymes lipases, pullulanases and proteases), and fermentation products (for example ethanol is produced). The fact that such bacteria exist, also stretches our imagination about life on other celestial bodies both inside and outside of solar system. Among these, the first discovered and the most important for biotechnology is Thermus aquaticus.

Related Topics:
Water - Thermophile - Hyperthermophile - Tool - Medicine - Biotechnology - Antibiotic - Plastic - Detergent - Lipase - Pullulanase - Protease - Ethanol - Celestial bodies - Solar system - Thermus aquaticus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~