The Organisms That Make Earth’s Harshest Places Home

The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest, lowest, and driest places on the planet…

埃塞俄比亚的达纳基尔洼地是地球上最热、最低、最干燥的地方之一……

and yet some life manages to survive there.

然而有些生命却设法在那里生存下来。

L ife has scarcely found a boundary on Earth that it can’t push.

生命在地球上几乎找不到无法突破的界限。

While much of life’s diversity exists in lush, bountiful habitats like tropical rainforests and coral reefs, even the most brutal corners of the planet are also occupied.

虽然生命的多样性大部分存在于热带雨林和珊瑚礁等茂密、丰富的栖息地中，但即使是地球上最残酷的角落也被占领了。

The organisms that thrive in extreme environments — blistering temperatures, crushing pressures, corrosive acid — are what we call “extremophiles.”

在极端环境（高温、高压、腐蚀性酸）中繁衍生息的生物体就是我们所说的“极端微生物”。

Most of these imperiled pioneers are rugged microbes, such as bacteria or archaea.

这些陷入困境的先驱者大多数都是顽强的微生物，例如细菌或古细菌。

Some have evolved to live in poisonous brine that would fatally pickle nearly everything else.

有些已经进化到可以生活在有毒的盐水中，这种盐水几乎可以腐蚀所有其他东西。

Some can happily grow in subzero temperatures, using special enzymes that chug along where others grind to a halt.

有些可以在零度以下的温度下快乐地生长，使用特殊的酶，沿着其他酶的停止方向前进。

Others can shrug off the menaces of heavy metals, ionizing radiation, or the vacuum of space and still thrive.

其他人可以摆脱重金属、电离辐射或太空真空的威胁，仍然蓬勃发展。

These organisms aren’t just curiosities.

这些生物不仅仅是好奇心。

Understanding their resilient biology has many possible applications.

了解它们的弹性生物学有许多可能的应用。

Discovering biochemicals that function under extreme temperatures, pH levels, or pressure could be a boon for a broad array of industrial processes.

发现在极端温度、pH 水平或压力下起作用的生化物质可能会给广泛的工业过程带来福音。

The organisms may also help clean up toxic pollutants by growing, thriving, and digesting where nothing else can.

这些生物体还可以通过生长、繁殖和消化来帮助清除有毒污染物。

Extremophiles and their enzymes are even responsible for the modern era of genetics and molecular biology.

极端微生物及其酶甚至为现代遗传学和分子生物学奠定了基础。

Extremophiles can also provide a window into life’s deep origins.

极端微生物还可以提供一扇了解生命深层起源的窗口。

The planet where life first evolved was a harsh place compared to today, and it likely had high concentrations of toxins and heavy exposure to radiation.

与今天相比，最初进化出生命的星球是一个严酷的地方，它可能有高浓度的毒素和严重的辐射。

By divining the limits of what life can endure today, researchers can get a better idea of what made life possible in the first place, and what has allowed life to adapt to almost any environment.

通过预测当今生命所能承受的极限，研究人员可以更好地了解是什么让生命最初成为可能，以及是什么让生命能够适应几乎任何环境。

And if life can be found at our planet’s extremes, then there’s a chance that life may exist elsewhere in the universe.

如果可以在地球的极端处找到生命，那么生命就有可能存在于宇宙的其他地方。

Extremophiles offer a hypothetical peek at alien biology, helping us better imagine what kinds of life forms might evolve on other relatively inhospitable worlds, from our neighbor Mars to far beyond.

极端微生物为外星生物学提供了一个假想的视角，帮助我们更好地想象从我们的邻居火星到更远的地方，其他相对荒凉的世界上可能会进化出什么样的生命形式。

The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans (inset image) was accidentally discovered in the 1950s when scientists bombarded cans of meat with enormous doses of ionizing radiation.

耐辐射奇球菌（插图）是在 20 世纪 50 年代科学家用大剂量电离辐射轰击肉罐头时意外发现的。

As the microbe can rebuff radiation exposure up to 1,000 times greater than what would kill a human, it may help researchers understand how life might survive on worlds with much higher radiation exposure than Earth.

由于这种微生物能够抵抗的辐射量比杀死人类的辐射量高出 1000 倍，因此它可能有助于研究人员了解生命如何在辐射量比地球高得多的世界上生存。

Its semi-close relative D.

其半近亲 D.

peraridilitoris was found in an arid coastal desert in Chile (main image), where it also resists intense radiation exposure.

peraridilitoris 是在智利干旱的沿海沙漠中发现的（主图），它也能抵抗强烈的辐射暴露。

Wescottm; Michael J.

威斯科特；迈克尔·J。

Daly/Science Source

戴利/科学来源

Today, many thermophilic (heat-loving) microbes are known to thrive in near-boiling hot springs around the world.

如今，许多嗜热（喜热）微生物在世界各地接近沸腾的温泉中繁衍生息。

One of the most important was also one of the earliest found by science.

最重要的之一也是科学发现的最早的之一。

In the late 1960s, researchers working in Yellowstone National Park described the bacterium Thermus aquaticus (inset) from Mushroom Pool (main).

20 世纪 60 年代末，在黄石国家公园工作的研究人员描述了来自蘑菇池（主图）的水生栖热菌（插图）。

The isolation of its heat-stable, DNA-synthesizing enzyme, called Taq DNA polymerase, was described in a paper published in 1976.

1976 年发表的一篇论文描述了其热稳定性 DNA 合成酶（称为 Taq DNA 聚合酶）的分离。

This led to the invention of the polymerase chain reaction that could replicate DNA segments in vast quantities in the lab, fundamentally revolutionizing molecular biology.

这导致了聚合酶链式反应的发明，它可以在实验室中大量复制 DNA 片段，从根本上彻底改变了分子生物学。

American National Park Service; PLOS ONE 10(10), e0138674 (2015)

美国国家公园管理局； PLOS ONE 10(10)，e0138674 (2015)

Some microbes make a life in one of Earth’s coldest and driest permafrosts, Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys (main).

一些微生物在地球上最冷、最干燥的永久冻土之一——南极洲的麦克默多干谷（主图）中生存。

Among these psychrophilic (cold-loving) microbes is Rhodococcus sp.

这些嗜冷（喜冷）微生物中包括红球菌属。

JG-3 (inset).

JG-3（插图）。

The bacterium can grow at minus 5 degrees Celsius and respire at minus 15 degrees Celsius.

该细菌可以在-5摄氏度下生长，并在-15摄氏度下呼吸。

Some Rhodococcus species produce enzymes that are very active at low temperatures, making these chemicals potentially useful for cleaning up pollutants in extremely cold environments.

一些红球菌属物种产生在低温下非常活跃的酶，使得这些化学物质可用于清除极冷环境中的污染物。

How Rhodococcus species manage life at super-cold temperatures is also of interest to scientists exploring the potential for extraterrestrial life on other planets.

红球菌物种如何在超冷温度下管理生命也引起了探索其他行星上外星生命潜力的科学家的兴趣。

Stocktrek Images; Jennifer Ronholm

Stocktrek 图像；詹妮弗·罗霍姆

Much of the Dead Sea (main) lives up to its name.

死海（主海）的大部分区域名副其实。

But a limited selection of extreme halophiles (salt lovers) can survive the osmotic strain of the sea’s waters.

但只有有限的极端嗜盐生物（喜盐生物）能够在海水的渗透压下生存。

One is Haloarcula marismortui , an archaeon (inset).

其中之一是 Haloarcula marismortui，一种古细菌（插图）。

Halophiles survive the intense salinity of the inside of their own cells partially by protecting their own proteins with a hydrated, acidic shield.

嗜盐菌在其自身细胞内部的高盐度下生存，部分是通过用水合的酸性屏障保护自己的蛋白质。

Pawel Uchorczak; Canadian Journal of Microbiology 54, 835-844 (2008)

帕维尔·乌乔恰克；加拿大微生物学杂志 54, 835-844 (2008)

Life can even persist in the inhospitable ocean depths (main) where the Earth tears itself apart.

生命甚至可以在地球分裂的荒凉海洋深处（主要）持续存在。

Methanopyrus kandleri (inset) is an archaeon first described around 35 years ago and found living on a deep-sea hydrothermal vent in the Gulf of California.

Methanopyrus kandleri（插图）是一种古细菌，大约 35 年前首次被描述，被发现生活在加利福尼亚湾的深海热液喷口。

The methane-producing microbe thrives in the intense, volcanically heated water pouring out into the inky black depths, and it lives in environments that may resemble that of the early Earth.

这种产生甲烷的微生物在涌入漆黑深处的强烈火山热水中繁衍生息，它生活的环境可能类似于早期地球。

Even while enduring the crushing pressure and salty surroundings, at least one strain of Methanopyrus can grow at 122 degrees Celsius, making it one of the most heat-tolerant organisms known.

即使在承受挤压压力和咸味环境的情况下，至少一种甲烷梨菌株仍能在 122 摄氏度的温度下生长，使其成为已知最耐热的生物体之一。

MARUM; K.O.

马鲁姆； K.O.

Stetter & R.

史泰特&R.

Rachel/University of Regensburg

雷切尔/雷根斯堡大学

In the mid-1990s, researchers described two acidophilic (acid-loving) species belonging to a novel genus of archaea in a hot spring in northern Japan (main).

20 世纪 90 年代中期，研究人员在日本北部的温泉中发现了两种嗜酸（喜酸）物种，属于一种新的古细菌属（主要）。

One of the organisms, Picrophilus oshimae (inset), may be one of the most acid-tolerant life forms yet discovered.

其中一种生物体，Picrophilus oshimae（插图），可能是迄今为止发现的最耐酸的生命形式之一。

The archaea thrive at a pH of 0.7, which is in the realm of gastric or battery acid.

古细菌在 0.7 的 pH 值（胃酸或电池酸的范围内）下茁壮成长。

Determining how P.

确定如何P。

oshimae ’s proteins and DNA can survive such a low pH may help researchers better understand how life survived any highly acidic environments of the ancient Earth.

oshimae 的蛋白质和 DNA 可以在如此低的 pH 值下生存，这可能有助于研究人员更好地了解生命如何在古代地球的任何高酸性环境中生存。

Lanhang Ye; Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 46, 814 (1996); International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 46, 814-816 (1996)

叶兰航; Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 46, 814 (1996)；国际系统细菌学杂志 46, 814-816 (1996)

Some halophiles have an appetite for history.

一些嗜盐生物对历史有浓厚的兴趣。

The bacterium Halomonas titanicae was described in 2010 after its discovery amid the wreck of RMS Titanic (left), where it has spent over a century chewing up the ship’s steel, leaving behind long, rusty tendrils (right).

泰坦尼克号细菌（Halomonas titanicae）于 2010 年在泰坦尼克号残骸中被发现（左），并在长达一个多世纪的时间里咀嚼泰坦尼克号的钢材，留下了长长的、生锈的卷须（右），随后对其进行了描述。

The marine microbe’s taste for iron may give it a future role in cleaning up metal waste in sensitive environments.

海洋微生物对铁的喜好可能使其在未来清理敏感环境中的金属废物方面发挥作用。

NOAA; Lori Johnston, RMS Titanic Expedition 2003, NOAA-OE

美国国家海洋和大气管理局； Lori Johnston，皇家邮轮泰坦尼克号远征 2003 年，NOAA-OE

Some life forms are “polyextremophiles” capable of living under multiple stressful conditions at once.

有些生命形式是“多极端微生物”，能够同时生活在多种压力条件下。

An example is Exiguobacterium sp.

一个例子是微小杆菌属。

SH31 (inset), a bacterium found in the salt wetlands of Salar de Huasco in Chile (main).

SH31（插图），一种在智利瓦斯科盐沼盐湿地发现的细菌（主图）。

It can survive both high salinity and a flood of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, and arsenic.

它可以在高盐度和大量有毒重金属（如镉、铬和砷）中生存。

David Gysel; Frontiers in Microbiology 9, 2228 (2018)

大卫·吉塞尔；微生物学前沿 9, 2228 (2018)

First reported in the Mariana Trench (main) in 2017, the bacterium Colwellia marinimaniae (inset) is, as far as we know, the piezophile (pressure lover) that can grow at the highest pressure.

据我们所知，2017 年在马里亚纳海沟（主图）首次报道的细菌 Colwellia marinimaniae（插图）是一种可以在最高压力下生长的亲压菌（压力爱好者）。

The microbe was found on a decaying crustacean, and laboratory tests showed that it grows best at 120 megapascals of pressure — or nearly 1,200 atmospheres.

这种微生物是在一种腐烂的甲壳类动物身上发现的，实验室测试表明，它在 120 兆帕的压力（即近 1,200 个大气压）下生长得最好。

(Without special equipment, free divers routinely withstand about 10 atmospheres underwater.) Piezophile enzymes may be useful for industrial applications that take place under high pressures.

（如果没有特殊设备，自由潜水员通常可以承受水下约 10 个大气压。）亲压酶可用于高压下发生的工业应用。

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 67, 824-831 (2017) ; Courtesy of Douglas Bartlett

国际系统与进化微生物学杂志 67, 824-831 (2017) ;由道格拉斯·巴特利特提供

Antarctica’s Deep Lake (main) is an extreme habitat two-for-one.

南极洲的深湖（主）是一处二合一的极端栖息地。

It is not just very cold, but also very salty, which allows the water to stay liquid at minus 20 degrees Celsius.

它不仅非常冷，而且非常咸，这使得水在-20摄氏度时保持液态。

Halorubrum lacusprofundi (inset) is an archaeon that takes one of the coldest plunges possible.

Halorubrum lacusprofundi（插图）是一种古细菌，它经历了可能最冷的潜水之一。

Courtesy of the Australian Antarctic Division; Environmental Microbiology 19, 2210-2227 (2017)

由澳大利亚南极分部提供；环境微生物学 19, 2210-2227 (2017)

Life is pushed to its very limits in the Danakil Depression, a sweltering, volcanic, toxic depression in Ethiopia.

达纳基尔洼地是埃塞俄比亚的一个闷热、充满火山、有毒的洼地，这里的生活被推向了极限。

Some tiny polyextremophile forms of archaeal life persist in some of the hot, acidic, salty surface water.

一些微小的多极端微生物形式的古菌生命存在于一些热、酸性、咸的地表水中。

Researchers have found ultra-small bacteria, up to 20 times smaller than the average bacteria, living in one of the acidic, super-hot salt chimneys.

研究人员发现，超小型细菌生活在一个酸性、超热的盐烟囱中，比普通细菌小 20 倍。

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《Quanta》杂志对评论进行审核，以促进知情、实质性、文明的对话。

Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected.

辱骂、亵渎、自我推销、误导、语无伦次或偏离主题的评论将被拒绝。

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版主在正常工作时间（纽约时间）有工作人员，并且只能接受英文评论。