The Search For Life

Photosysnthesis cannot happen at higher temperature as chlorophyll ceases to function at temperatures above 75 ∘C. However there is an archea called amylopullulanase that can still function up to critical temperatures of 142 ∘C.
             An important discovery into the search for life was made in the late 1970's by a team of Australian scientists. They discovered a gold laced black smoker' (Figure 1). These are chimney like structures created by underwater geysers. The water that flows from these geysers is swept up from deep in the earth's crust and is rich in minerals and nutrients. These minerals and nutrients are then deposited as tall funnels.
             These chimneys are the source of detailed study into the existence of life in extreme conditions. There is no light and life forms that are found around these vents, have to survive by using the chemicals that come out of them to make chemical energy.
             After the vent was examined it was found to be teeming with bacteria and archea, which are micro organisms commonly found in extreme conditions. These organisms can be used to assess the possibility of finding life in extreme conditions not found on earth. They hold important information into finding other planets from other solar systems, or even in our own, which will have similar conditions to earth.
             Clues to Life on Europa.
             "It's possible to say that ancient impacts of asteroids on the Earth could have ejected soil, rocks, and seawater containing terrestrial micro organisms into space, and that they may have made it to other places in the solar system" (Richard Hoover, 1998). American and Russian Scientists are examining deep ice in the Antarctic to search for clues that fungi, bacteria and even diatoms can survive in icy solar system bodies. This makes the Antarctic a key point of investigation in the growing field of astrobiology. Hoover is an X-ray astronomer who is also is internationally known for his work on diatoms and a firm believer that living microorganisms locked in ice have a chance of remaining viable for long periods in outer space.