Extremophiles: Microbiology and Biotechnology

Product Description

The vast majority of extremophiles are microbes, mainly archaea and bacteria, but also some eukaryotes. These microbes live under chemical and physical extremes that are usually lethal to cellular molecules, yet they manage to survive and even thrive. Extremophiles have important practical uses. They are a valuable source of industrially-important enzymes, and recent research has revealed novel mechanisms and biomolecular structures with a broad range of potential applications in biotechnology, biomining, and bioremediation. It is likely that biotechnology has only scratched the surface in its search for new organisms of practical use. This book highlights the current and topical areas of research in this rapidly growing field. Expert researchers from around the world provide the latest insights into the mechanisms these fascinating organisms use to survive. The topics covered include the ability of acidophiles to maintain a neutral intracellular pH, the way that psychrophiles “loosen