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Living life on the edge isn’t just a motto for extreme athletes.
Our planet is literally crawling with organisms that have somehow adapted to living in extreme environments, from the frigid waters surrounding Antarctica to mantle rocks thrust above the seafloor to crystal-encrusted caves. As Dr. Ian Malcolm so famously proclaims in “Jurassic Park”: Life will find a way.
Scientists have a name for critters that live in the most inhospitable corners of the world: extremophiles. Here I profile five extremophiles whose ability to survive in unthinkable places isn’t just a cool National Geographic snapshot. Each one has something to teach us about how we might further explore the solar system, learn about the evolution of our planet, or even advance medical science.
Outer space algae
What it is: Two strains of cryophilic algae. One is a green algal strain (Sphaerocystis genus) found in Svalbard, Norway, the other a blue-green cyanobacterium (Nostoc genus) from Antarctica.
What it does: The cryophilic algae—cold-loving species with special adaptations such as the ability to survive extreme desiccation—were transported to the International Space Station. There they were exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations in the vacuum of space, not to mention considerable ultraviolet and cosmic radiation. Not only did all but one specimen survive this extended stay in low-Earth orbit, but the Norwegian strains grew new populations. Researchers are now studying whether the long-term radiation exposure damaged algae DNA.
Why it’s important: Astronauts—or even colonists—on a mission to Mars won’t be able to survive on potatoes alone, despite what we might see in films like “The Martian.” Algae are a good source of protein, and hardier strains could be grown in special greenhouses, according to researchers at the Fraunhofer-Institute in Potsdam, which led the research.
The scientists at Fraunhofer also say that the ability of algae to survive—and even thrive—in space could bolster theories that life on Earth originated from space. The concept, known as panspermia, suggests that the seeds of life rode to the planet on meteorites.
Antibiotic superbug
A scientist explores Lechuguilla Cave. Credit: Max WisshakWhat it is: Paenibacillus sp. LC231 is a bacteria found in Lechuguilla Cave, located within Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, where it has enjoyed a lightless existence for at least four million years.
What it does: The Lechuguilla bacteria has shown resistance to most antibiotics used today, including drugs of last resort, such as daptomycin, according to research published in Nature Communications. The researchers found that Paenibacillus is resistant to 18 different antibiotics. Its defense mechanisms are identical to similar species found in soils. That means the genetic basis for antibiotic resistance existed well before humans started using drugs to treat disease.
Why it’s important: The researchers identified five resistant elements, which they now realize are widespread, that could become pathogenic. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the discovery gives scientists time to develop drugs to overcome these different types of resistance—decades before pathogens ever become dangerous.
“The diversity of antibiotic resistance and its prevalence in microbes across the globe should be humbling to everyone who uses these lifesaving drugs,” says Gerry Wright, co-author on the paper and scientific director of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, in a press release.
Crystal microorganisms
What it is: Dormant microbes that have been locked inside giant crystals of the Naica cave system in Mexico for up to 50,000 years. Science writer Seth Borensetin wrote that the 40 different strains of microbes (along with a few viruses) are far removed from their nearest relatives, with 10 percent different genetic material.
What it does: That’s still under investigation. Researchers just presented their work at this month’s annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Like the organisms in Lechuguilla Cave, these bugs derive their energy chemosynthetically, chewing on rocks and minerals.
Why it’s important: Life in other worlds likely won’t be aliens with almond-shaped eyes, but microbes that exist on a chemosynthetic diet.
Says Penelope Boston, director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, who presented the research at AAAS: “The astrobiological link is obvious in that any extremophile system that we’re studying allows us to push the envelope of life further on Earth, and we add it to this atlas of possibilities that we can apply to different planetary settings.”
Rock-bottom microbes
What it is: A diverse microbial community found in rock cores taken from an underwater mountain, Atlantis Massif, which rises about 14,000 feet from the seafloor in the Atlantic Ocean. They were discovered during an international research expedition involving 13 countries.
What it does: Tectonic activity in the geologically active area has pushed mantle rocks from deep within the Earth closer to the surface. When exposed to seawater, these highly reactive rocks undergo a process called serpentinization. In samples of the serpentine materials, scientists found evidence for hydrogen and methane, which microbes metabolize to grow and form new cells. This is yet another example of life existing far from the photosynthetic world that we understand.
Why it’s important: The microbes of Atlantis Massif offer another possible scenario of how life might exist in other worlds. In addition, these microorganisms point the way to how life might have evolved on early Earth.
Icefish
What it is: A family of fish called Channichthyidae that live in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica, where the average water temperature is about 28 degrees Fahrenheit. The high salinity content of the ocean prevents the water from freezing.
What it does: To live in such harsh conditions requires special adaptations. The Channichthyidae, also known as icefish, have antifreeze glycoproteins that keep ice crystals from forming in their blood. Many also evolved without swim bladders, which helps control buoyance in the water. To compensate, icefish have fatty tissue and little bone density. However, what really sets this family of fish apart from others in the Southern Ocean is that they lack hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen to the body’s cells. Fortunately for these white-blooded fish, polar waters are rich in oxygen.
Why it’s important: Studying these “bloodless” fish might offer many insights into medical science, according to polar researchers. For example, hemoglobin is a protein that contains iron, which promotes the formation of cell-ravaging free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, among others, are associated with oxidative stress. Lacking hemoglobin, icefish offer a possible model on how to reduce problems caused by molecules run amok. Icefish can also serve as an example—with its low bone density—for studying bone development and osteoporosis.
Nature has always been one of the best sources of inspiration for humans; everything from robots to artificial intelligence are built with the intent to mimic animals’ physiology or the human brain. Extremophiles offer amazing solutions to some of mother Earth’s most challenging problems, and though it’s yet to be seen how we’ll take those lessons into account, the resulting innovations are likely to be extraordinary.
Special thanks to Steven Profaizer, director of communications at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and Kelly Siman, Ph.D Biomimicry Fellow at the University of Akron, for their help in compiling this list.
Image Credit: Fraunhofer-Institute Continue reading →

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Can Artificial Intelligence Predict Earthquakes?Annie Sneed | Scientific American"Along with more sophisticated computing, he [Johnson] and his team are trying something in the lab no one else has done before: They are feeding machines raw data—massive sets of measurements taken continuously before, during and after lab-simulated earthquake events. They then allow the algorithm to sift through the data to look for patterns that reliably signal when an artificial quake will happen."
ROBOTS
The Cute Robot That Follows You Around and Schleps All Your StuffDavid Pierce | WIRED"The team’s first product is Gita, a round rolling robot that can carry up to 40 pounds of cargo for miles at a time. Rather than get you from A to B as fast as possible, it’s meant to get you there more easily. More than that, Gita is a way to begin to explore what the world looks like when humans and robots share the sidewalk. And, hopefully, to make that idea seem a little less scary."

BIOTECH
Scientists Can Now Genetically Engineer Humans. A Big New Report Asks Whether We Should.Brad Plumer | VOX News"On Tuesday, the influential National Academy of Sciences released a 261-page report on this issue, titled “Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance.” It’s one of the most thorough looks yet at what’s likely to be possible with new genome-editing techniques—and why scientists should tread carefully. The report’s recommendations are eyebrow-raising."
BIOLOGY
Microbes, a Love StoryMoises Velasquez-Manoff | The New York Times"What Dr. Erdman’s research suggests is that the microbes we carry, the same ones that make us attractive to potential mates, also directly influence our reproductive success. So when mammals choose mates based on the glow of health, they’re choosing not just an attractive set of genes, but also perhaps a microbial community that might facilitate reproduction."
SPACE
NASA Is Thinking About Putting Astronauts on the First Flight of Its Future Giant RocketLoren Grush | The Verge"The current plan for EM-1 is to launch the SLS [Space Launch System] from Kennedy Space Center on September 30th, 2018. The vehicle is supposed to carry NASA’s Orion crew capsule—without a crew—into an orbit around the Moon. Orion will spend a total of three weeks in space before coming back and landing on Earth with the aid of parachutes. Astronauts would then ride inside Orion for the first time on EM-2, the second flight of the SLS. That trip isn’t supposed to happen until 2021 at the earliest."
FUTURE OF WORK
"The Relentless Pace of Automation"David Rotman | MIT Technology Review"But many economists argue that automation bears much more blame than globalization for the decline of jobs in the region’s manufacturing sector and the gutting of its middle class… It is 'glaringly obvious,' says Daron Acemoglu, an economist at MIT, that political leaders are “totally unprepared” to deal with how automation is changing employment."
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Over the last 100 years, the world has changed tremendously.
For perspective, this year at Abundance 360, I gave a few fun examples of what the world looked like in 1917.
This blog is a look at what the world looked like a century ago and what it looks like today.
Let’s dive in.
In 1917…
One hundred years ago, things looked a little bit different.
1. World Literacy Rates
– 1917: The world literacy rate was only 23 percent.
– Today: Depending on estimates, the world literacy rate today is 86.1 percent.
2. Travel Time
– 1917: It took 5 days to get from London to New York; 3.5 months to travel from London to Australia.
– Today: A nonstop flight gets you from London to New York in a little over 8 hours, and you can fly from London to Australia in about a day, with just one stop.
3. Average Price of a US House
– 1917: The average price of a U.S. house was $5,000. ($111,584.29 when adjusted for inflation).
– Today: As of 2010, the average price of a new home sold in the U.S. was $272,900.
4. The First Hamburger
– 1917: The hamburger bun was invented by a fry cook named Walter Anderson, who co-founded White Castle.
– Today: On average, Americans eat three hamburgers a week. That's a national total of nearly 50 billion burgers per year. And now we’re even inventing 100 percent plant-based beef burgers… produced by Impossible Foods and available at select restaurants.
5. Average Price of a Car in the US
– 1917: The average price of a car in the US was $400 ($8,926.74 when adjusted for inflation)
– Today: The average car price in the US was $34,968 as of January 2017.
6. The First Boeing Aircraft
– 1917: A Boeing aircraft flew for the first time on June 15.
– Today: In 2015, there were almost 24,000 turboprop and regional aircraft, as well as wide body and narrow body jets, in service worldwide.
7. Coca-Cola
– 1917: On July 1, 1916, Coca-Cola introduced its current formula to the market.
– Today: Today, Coca-Cola has a market cap of about $178 billion with 2015 net operating revenues over $44 billion. Each day, over 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola drinks are enjoyed in more than 200 countries.
7. Average US Wages
– 1917: The average US hourly wage was 22 cents an hour ($4.90 per hour when adjusted for inflation)
– Today: The average US hourly wage is approximately $26 per hour.
8. Supermarkets
– 1917: The first "super" market, PigglyWiggly, opened on September 6, 1916 in Memphis, TN.
– Today: In 2015, there were 38,015 supermarkets, employing 3.4 million people and generating sales of about $650 billion.
9. Billionaires
– 1917: John D. Rockefeller became the world's first billionaire on September 29.
– Today: There are approximately 1,810 billionaires, and their aggregate net worth is $6.5 trillion.
For context, Rockefeller’s net worth in today’s dollars would have been about $340 billion. Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, is worth $84 billion today.
10. Telephones (Landlines vs. Cellphones)
– 1917: Only 8 percent of homes had a landline telephone.
– Today: Forget landlines! In the US, nearly 80 percent of the population has a smartphone (a supercomputer in their pockets). Nearly half of all American households now use only cellphones rather than older landlines. And as far as cost, today, you can Skype anywhere in the world for free over a WiFi network.
11. Traffic (Horses to Cars)
– 1917: In 1912, traffic counts in New York showed more cars than horses for the first time.
– Today: There were approximately 253 million cars and trucks on US roads in 2015.
12. US Population
– 1917: The US population broke 100 million, and the global population reached 1.9 billion.
– Today: The US population is 320 million, and the global population broke 7.5 billion this year.
13. Inventions and Technology
– 1917: The major tech invention in 1917? The toggle light switch.
– Today: The major tech invention of today? CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, which enables us to reprogram life as we know it. And we are making strides in AI, robotics, sensors, networks, synthetic biology, materials science, space exploration and more every day.
14. High School Graduation Rates
– 1917: Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
– Today: Over 80 percent of all Americans graduated high school this past year.
15. Cost of Bread
– 1917: A loaf of bread was $0.07 ($1.50 when adjusted for inflation).
– Today: A loaf of bread costs $2.37.
16. Speed Limits
– 1917: The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
– Today: The maximum speed limit in most cities is about 70 mph.
Just wait for the next 100 years.
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