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We are part of Synergy at the extreme, a Cluster of pioneer projects exploring extreme environments. Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss anything: n9.cl/hs136j #EXPLORA#NEXTMARINE#XTREMOLIFE #SynergyAtTheExtreme 🇪🇺 Funded by the European Union

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At XTREAM, we know just how powerful these beings can be. Haloferax volcanii is just another example of how extremophiles keep helping researchers explore the secrets of nature. Find out more about the XTREAM project: xtream-project.eu

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This mechanism is so efficient that H. volcanii is used as a study model to understand DNA maintenance🧬

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Haloferax volcanii not only endures these conditions but is also adapted to function optimally in them. Its DNA code carries many copies of its genome, like built-in backups files. When damaged, it uses those extra copies to help repair the information and keep functioning under stress.

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 20/08/2026

It may seem harmless, but salty water is a serious threat to most aquatic microbes. Salt draws water out of the cell, leaving them dehydrated, breaking its DNA and facing certain death.

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This review explores how microbes survive extreme radiation and how their strategies inform us about evolution, astrobiology and biotechnology. bit.ly/4dE5vk9

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 19/08/2026

Geomicrobiology of Río Tinto: A Terrestrial Mars Analogue We are proud to announce this book, with the participation of XTREAM members Ángeles and Antonio. Their work reflects the expertise, effort, and commitment of the XTREAM team. shre.ink/GieH

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 06/08/2026

Industrial processes 🏭 struggle with heat 🔥: most catalysts fail or degrade. However, extremophile enzymes evolved to thrive in it. They can help us to turn heating 🌡 chemistry into a powerful, efficient tool for industry. Know more bit.ly/3PynDmi

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 04/08/2026

Are extremophiles doing your laundry? Kind of. Modern cold-water detergents work thanks to psychrophilic enzymes, which destroy the dirt. They came from cold-loving microorganisms, so they are adapted to work under low temperatures. #Extremophiles #Biotechnology

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 23/07/2026

Microbes have conquered the most hostile corners of Earth 👑, transforming the planet’s chemistry with their extraordinary enzymes. Now we are unlocking their potential and revolutionising modern biotechnology. Read this review to know more:

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Frontiers | Molecular adaptations and engineering of extremophiles for synthetic biology and biotechnological applications

Extremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in environments previously thought to be uninhabitable, including extreme temperature, salinity, pH, pressure, a...

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 21/07/2026

Get to know the faces behind #XTREAM on our new website page. acortar.link/K4DNOr They are eXTREAMly nice people. We are part of the Cluster of Aquatic Extremophiles. Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss anything: n9.cl/hs136j AI was used for this post.

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 14/07/2026

Can life flourish in boiling water 🌡 and acid? 🧪 Yellowstone geysers are a well-known natural spot 🏞 However, few know that despite their extreme conditions (high temperatures, dangerous chemistry and constant changes in pressure), some microbes can survive there.

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 13/07/2026

Last week, Dorinde and Antonio, members of the #XTREAM team, attended the final conference co-organised by @blueremediomics.bsky.social and @bluetools-project.eu

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 09/07/2026

Not a machine, yet it has become a powerful tool for industry 🏭 🦠 A. ferrooxidans has a peculiar metabolism: it harvests energy ⚡from minerals. It is being used to recycle e-waste, reduce industrial pollution, and support greener metal-processing technologies.

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#XTREAMProject #Biotechnology #Sustainability #Extremophiles #Bioleaching #GreenIndustry #Acidithiobacillus #SynergyAtTheExtreme Find out more about the XTREAM project: xtream-project.eu Imagen de wikimedia commons. Muñoz-Villagrán C. et al

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To resist the acidity, it carries specialised genes 🧬 that constantly rebuild its membrane and cell wall, preventing them from totally degrading. 👉 Discover how this bacterium is helping us to boost the industry in our next post.

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You can find it in harsh places like hot springs, in sulphurous soils and waters, in acidic mine drainage… It resists pH levels as low as 1 But how does it live in such toxic environments? 😵

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 02/07/2026

Do you feel like going for a swim in these waters? 🏊🏿 You’d rather not! Humans wouldn’t stand its acidic pH, but other species do. 🦠 Meet Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, a true master of extreme life. While most organisms would perish in highly acidic environments, this bacterium calls them home.

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8.000 meters beneath the ocean surface 🌊✨ they found a marine oasis: a unique, sulphur-dependent ecosystem. This rewrites our understanding of life’s limits. Why is it so extraordinary? One word: Astrobiology 🌌 Want to know more? Read here:

goo.su

New Sulfur-dependent Ecosystem In A Gas Vent In The Depths Of The Chilean Pacific - Astrobiology

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 25/06/2026

Could the secret to extraterrestrial life 🪐✨ be hidden in microbial membranes? By studying the remarkably stable lipids of Earth’s extremophiles, scientists are uncovering new ways to detect potential life on other worlds. Read more: bit.ly/3RAYibT

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 23/06/2026

Join the final Conference of @bluetools-project.eu, organised together with @blueremediomics.bsky.social 🔬 discover the latest developments 💬 exchange knowledge and ideas 🤝 connect with a wide community More info: acortar.link/hskP8P Don’t miss your chance.‼️ acortar.link/Lqm7KU

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 19/06/2026

What would you give for the clearest skies in the world? 🌌 Few survive at Rub al-Jali desert 🏜, where they have such a privilege. Some microbes 🦠 are among them, resisting inside sand grains, staying inactive for years, or using the water of the air.

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 01/06/2026

This is Blood Falls 🩸Its red colour comes from iron-rich water flowing. Despite the freezing cold 🥶, the high salinity 😵 and the lack of oxygen 😨, more than 17 types of microbes live there!

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 28/05/2026

🚀 From the Atacama Desert… to space. Chilean extremophiles were sent to the ISS to test how life behaves in microgravity and radiation 🦠The limits of life keep expanding beyond Earth 🌍. Read the whole story here 👉 bit.ly/4ntnPzP

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 27/05/2026

Tomorrow we’re launching the new edition of the newsletter of the Cluster of Aquatic Extremophiles: #XTREAM, #EXPLORA, #NEXTMARINE, and #XTREMOLIFE Subscribe if you don’t want to miss it! n9.cl/hs136j #SynergyAtTheExtremeQ&A

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 26/05/2026

On May 6, XTREAM coordinator, Antonio García Moyano, joined a breakfast meeting in Bergen, Norway. Throughout the talk, he showed how unique microorganisms 🦠 can inspire sustainable solutions for food 🍽, industry 🏭, and the environment 🏞 #XTREAMProject #Biotechnology #Sustainability

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 26/05/2026

Lut Desert is one of the hottest and most arid regions on Earth, and yet, corn thrives in it. How so? Near the roots of the corn, there are extreme-adapted bacteria that significantly improve maize growth and physiological performance 💪 Read now: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.org

A novel bacterium from the hottest recorded place on earth enhances maize drought tolerance through multifaceted physiological modifications - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - A novel bacterium from the hottest recorded place on earth enhances maize drought tolerance through multifaceted physiological modifications

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 21/05/2026

👀 Since its discovery, extremophiles have revolutionised research. 🔬 Sometimes it is good to look back and watch everything that biotechnology has done for us already 👉 www.popularmechanics.com/science/envi...

popularmechanics.com

Scientists Think the Most Extreme Beings on Earth Can Help Save Human Lives

A new review study explains that extremophiles have revolutionized medicine, and are invaluable allies in the fight against climate change.

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 18/05/2026

🌿 This alga is well-prepared for the summer! It can resist very salty water 🧂, strong sunlight ☀️ and temperature changes🌡️. It can be useful as a natural source of antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage. Learn more about this green alga 👉

doi.org

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 14/05/2026

The Arabian Peninsula is quite a spot to study. 👀 🦠 Its ecosystems go from deserts and salt flats to deep-sea systems. Therefore, they combine multiple extremes: heat 🌡️, salinity 🧂, radiation ☢️ and low nutrients ⤵️. Check it out here 👉

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Extreme Arabian Environments And Their Microbiomes: New Frontiers For Astrobiology And Biosignature Discovery - Astrobiology

Astrobiology assesses the habitability of planetary bodies and the potential for extraterrestrial life

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What could this molecule mean for humans? 🤔 We’ll tell you in our next post!

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But salt is not its only challenge: it can also endure desiccation, starvation, and UV radiation. One of its key survival tools is bacteriorhodopsin, a protein that helps it obtain energy⚡

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In hypersaline lakes, Halobacterium salinarum🦠 survives conditions that would be lethal for most life.

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 09/05/2026

These salt crystals hide a secret... they contain life. ✨

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Today, we celebrate #EuropeDay 🎉 🔬 Many of the discoveries shaping a more sustainable future are possible thanks to EU research initiatives that bring together scientists, institutions, and innovators across borders. Science grows stronger when we work together. 💙 #EUProjects

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XTREAM project @xtream-project.eu · 04/05/2026

🌋🦠 An 80-million-year-old hot spring ecosystem, frozen in time. 🦴🐾 A new fossil site in Argentina reveals thermophilic microbes that drove rapid biosilicification, preserving bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi, and arthropods in detail. Check it out 👉

doi.org

Frontiers | The discovery and description of an extremophile microcosmos in a Cretaceous paleogeothermal field

We report a new Fossil-Lagerstätte at the Cretaceous hydrothermal field of Sanagasta, La Rioja, northwestern Argentina, which opens a window into the paleobi...

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From ultra-clean facilities to outer space, T. phoenicis shows us that survival isn't just about resistance; sometimes it's about endurance through stillness. 💪 👉Read everything about this spacecraft clean room visitor here: doi.org/10.1128/spec...

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🧬⏬ It downregulates gene expression, slows protein synthesis, and activates stress responses. 🔧 At the same time, it protects its DNA through compaction and repair mechanisms, while maintaining only essential cellular functions. Put simply, it 'plays dead' to survive.

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Rather than fighting extreme conditions, this bacterium does something unexpected: it shuts down almost completely. 👻 When faced with too much stress, T. phoenicis enters a state of extreme dormancy, drastically reducing its metabolic activity to conserve energy until conditions improve. But, how?

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