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Hot spring amoeba breaks record for heat tolerance of complex life

Hot spring amoeba breaks record for heat tolerance of complex life
Phys.org Tuesday 22 September 2026, 15:00 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

A tiny, single-celled organism can thrive at temperatures that would kill all other known complex life. In a study published in Cell, scientists describe a new species of amoeba that can eat and reproduce in hot spring water as warm as 63°C (145°F) in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park. The amoeba can protect itself at temperatures up to 70°C (158°F) by changing shape and forming a protective outer layer.

A tiny, single-celled organism can thrive at temperatures that would kill all other known complex life. In a study published in Cell, scientists describe a new species of amoeba that can eat and reproduce in hot spring water as warm as 63°C (145°F) in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park. The amoeba can protect itself at temperatures up to 70°C (158°F) by changing shape and forming a protective outer layer.
Cell (ORG) California (LOCATION) Lassen Volcanic National Park (LOCATION)
Originally published by Phys.org Read original →

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