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Fire Amoeba Sets Record Surviving 145°F Hot Springs

Fire Amoeba Sets Record Surviving 145°F Hot Springs

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The Spin

The discovery of Incendiamoeba cascadensis surviving at 176 degrees Fahrenheit completely demolishes previous assumptions about the limits of complex life. This amoeba's ability to remain active at 145 degrees and revive after exposure to 158 degrees proves eukaryotic organisms possess far greater adaptability than scientists believed possible. The finding fundamentally reshapes the search for extraterrestrial life by expanding the range of habitable environments.

While the fire amoeba sets impressive records, its survival depends on highly specialized adaptations like protective cyst formation and heat-shock proteins that most eukaryotes lack. The organism's narrow temperature requirements — refusing to grow below 107 degrees and dying at 176 degrees — actually demonstrate how constrained complex life remains compared to hardy prokaryotes that thrive at 252 degrees.


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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0