Showing papers by "Thomas D. Brock published in 2001"

The Origins of Research on Thermophiles

Abstract: Thermophiles are defined as organisms that can reproduce at high temperatures. How high a temperature? This depends on the group of organisms under consideration. Table 1 illustrates the upper temperature limits for various groups of organisms, as determined by observations in natural habitats. The upper temperature limits for multicellular organisms are much lower than those for unicellular organisms, and the upper limits for eukaryotes are much lower than for prokaryotes. Among the prokaryotes, Archaea have higher upper limits than bacteria (a few Archaea can live at temperatures above that of boiling water). However, within each major group of organisms, only a few members can live at the upper temperature limit.