Our World: What is an Extremophile?
Almost every possible environment on Earth is home to a living organism, no matter how hostile the environment may seem. But what can these extremophiles tell us about life on our planet or the possibility of life in the universe?
Discussion and writing prompts
1. Extremophiles can survive in conditions that would be harmful or even deadly to most living things. How have these organisms changed scientists' understanding of where life can exist? Explain why discoveries of extremophiles encourage scientists to rethink what makes an environment "habitable."
2. Every organism has adaptations that help it survive in its environment. What adaptations might an extremophile need to live in extreme heat, extreme cold, or highly acidic water?
3. How can learning about life in Earth's harshest environments help scientists identify promising places to search for life on other planets or moons?
Background Information
Grades 2 through 12
- NASA Life...Out of This World? (webpage)
Grades 3 through 12
- NASA eClips Our World: Where Do We Find Extremophiles? (video)
- NASA Astrobiology: The NASA Graphic History Series (pdfs)
- NASA Now Extremophiles (video)
Grades 4 through 12
- NASA Life in the Extremes (pdf)
- NASA Examples of Earthly Extremophiles (pdf)
- NASA Ask an Astrobiologist (videos)
Grades 5 through 12
- TEDEd Should We Look for Life Elsewhere in the Universe? (video)
Grades 6 through 12
- PBS Life’s Extreme Environments (video)
Activities
Grades 2 through 12
- NISE Network Exploring the Universe: Imagining Life (webpage)
- Night Sky Network Life in the Extreme (webpage)
Grades 3 through 8
- NASA eClips at Home: "Extremophiles" (webpage)
Grades 3 through 12
- V.A.L.U.E. Bundle: Astrobiology and Extremophiles (videos/pdfs/interactives)
Grades 6 through 8
Grades 6 through 12
- NASA Xtrem-o-philes (webpage)
- NASA Astrobiology Institute Life Underground: The Game (video game)
- Challenger Learning Center Extremophiles (pdf)
- Infiniscope The Search for Life (webpage)