extremophile

An organism that can live and grow in conditions that are too harsh for most life.

Extremophiles are often microorganisms, but the word can refer to any organism adapted to conditions such as intense heat, great pressure, high salt levels, or strong acidity. They are studied as examples of how life might survive in other environments, though their existence does not show that life exists elsewhere.

• Scientists found extremophiles living near hot vents on the ocean floor.
• Some extremophiles survive in water that is too acidic for most organisms.
• Studying extremophiles may help us understand what kinds of life could survive on other planets.