page_title: Extremophile
hierarchical_section_title: Extremophile
caption_attribution_description: Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring; Hot Springs, Midway &amp; Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park. The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 m) in size. This photo shows steam rising from hot and sterile deep azure blue water (owing to the light absorbing overtone of an OH stretch which is shifted to 698 nm by hydrogen bonding [1]) in the center surrounded by huge mats of brilliant orange algae and bacteria. The color of which is due to the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoid molecules produced by the organisms. During summertime the chlorophyll content of the organisms is low and thus the mats appear orange, red, or yellow. However during the winter, the mats are usually dark green, because sunlight is more scarce and the microbes produce more chlorophyll to compensate, thereby masking the carotenoid colors. Español: Imagen aérea del Grand Prismatic Spring; aguas termales y geiser Midway (medio) y Lower (bajo), en el Parque Nacional Yellowstone, Wyoming. Français&#160;: Image aérienne du Grand Prismatic Spring situé dans le Parc national de Yellowstone aux États-unis.
context_page_description: An extremophile is an organism with optimal growth in environmental conditions considered extreme in that it is challenging for a carbon-based life form with water as a solvent, such as all life on Earth, to survive.
  This is not the same as a more anthropocentric and non-scientific view which considers an extremophile to be an organism that lives in environments uncomfortable to humans. In contrast, organisms that live in more moderate environmental conditions, according to an anthropocentric view, may be termed mesophiles or neutrophiles.
context_section_description: An extremophile (from Latin extremus meaning "extreme" and Greek philiā (φιλία) meaning "love") is an organism with optimal growth in environmental conditions considered extreme in that it is challenging for a carbon-based life form with water as a solvent, such as all life on Earth, to survive.
  This is not the same as a more anthropocentric and non-scientific view which considers an extremophile to be an organism that lives in environments uncomfortable to humans. In contrast, organisms that live in more moderate environmental conditions, according to an anthropocentric view, may be termed mesophiles or neutrophiles.
caption: The bright colors of Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, are produced by Thermophiles, a type of extremophile.
exif: {}