AcidopHiles : a not- so-basic life
Name
769911505-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
2.11 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
6f40b2367cfb7f98b3b0f5ee24e7a28a
Author(s)
McPherson, Stephanie M. (Stephanie Mae)
Advisor(s)
Marcia Bartusiak.
Alternative Title
Not- so-basic life
Date Issued
2011
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
There are conditions on the Earth that are completely inhospitable to humans. Macroscopic life forms in these conditions are extremely rare. Microscopic life forms, however, thrive. They are called extremophiles. One subset of extremophile called the acidophile live in acidic environments, at time even more corrosive than battery acid. Acidophiles are microbes, and live together in hugely diverse ecosystems. Each species of acidophile fills a different niche. They survive in high acid environments using a number of methods, including a highly active proton pump, or five-ring structures called hopanoids that are imbedded in the cell membrane, among others. Acidophiles can be applied to many human questions. They are used in the process of bioremediation as applied to acid mine drainage sites. They are also useful in biomining. Because of their ability to flourish in near-otherworldly conditions, they have particular interest in the field of astrobiology, the search for extraterrestrial life.
Description
Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-29).
Subjects
Graduate Program in Science Writing.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing
MIT Program in Writing & Humanistic Studies
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