(FOX40.COM) \u2014 NASA-supported researchers have discovered a new class of amoeba that can live in extreme water temperatures never thought habitable for complex life in Lassen Volcanic National Park on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The organism, Incendiamoeba cascadensis \u2014 also nicknamed the “fire amoeba” \u2014 was found to reproduce in waters recorded at 145 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the first eukaryote to withstand these temperatures. The last known eukaryotic species were able to survive temperatures five degrees short of the record set by the newly discovered amoeba.<\/p>\n
The amoeba was also found to remain partially active at 150.8 degrees Fahrenheit and can recover from up to five minutes of exposure to 158 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n
“Extreme heat can damage DNA, unravel proteins and break down the membranes that organize complex cells. The fire amoeba has ways to protect all three,” NASA said in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n
Astrobiologists study the survivability of extremophile organisms like the fire amoeba to determine how life on other worlds can live, as living conditions on other planets are less hospitable than that found on Earth, NASA wrote.<\/p>\n
The Lassen Volcanic National Park is located roughly 170 miles north of Sacramento and is widely known for its hydrothermal areas, volcanoes and watersheds. The park’s 43,135 hectare coverage sits within California’s Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama Counties.<\/p>\n