Applications Of Extremophiles Research Articles

Extremophiles and biotechnology: current uses and prospects.

Biotechnology has almost unlimited potential to change our lives in very exciting ways. Many of the chemical reactions that produce these products can be fully optimized by performing them at extremes of temperature, pressure, salinity, and pH for efficient and cost-effective outcomes. Fortunately, there are many organisms (extremophiles) that thrive in extreme environments found in nature and offer an excellent source of replacement enzymes in lieu of mesophilic ones currently used in these processes. In this review, I discuss the current uses and some potential new applications of extremophiles and their products, including enzymes, in biotechnology.

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Applications of Extremophiles in Biotechnology)

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Applications of Extremophiles in Biotechnology)

Life and applications of extremophiles

Ricardo Cavicchioli,1 Ricardo Amils,2 Dirk Wagner3 and Terry McGenity4 School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of NSW, Sidney, NSW 2052, Australia. Centro de Biologia Molecular, CSICUniversidad Autonoma de Madrid, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Research Unit Postdam, D-14473 Postdam, Germany. Department of Biological Sciences, Univeristy of Essex, Colchester, CO43SQ Essex, UK.