Extremophiles in a changing world

Extremophiles and their products have been a major focus of research interest for over 40 years. Through this period, studies of these organisms have contributed hugely to many aspects of the fundamental and applied sciences, and to wider and more philosophical issues such as the origins of life and astrobiology. Our understanding of the cellular adaptations to extreme conditions (such as acid, temperature, pressure and more), of the mechanisms underpinning the stability of macromolecules, and of the subtleties, complexities and limits of fundamental biochemical processes has been informed by research on extremophiles. Extremophiles have also contributed numerous products and processes to the many fields of biotechnology, from diagnostics to bioremediation. Yet, after 40 years of dedicated research, there remains much to be discovered in this field. Fortunately, extremophiles remain an active and vibrant area of research. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, with decreasing global resources and a steadily increasing human population, the world’s attention has turned with increasing urgency to issues of sustainability. These global concerns were encapsulated and formalized by the United Nations with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the presentation of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. In the run-up to 2030, we consider the contributions that extremophiles have made, and will in the future make, to the SDGs.

Subjects

Bioeconomy

Bioenergy

Biomining

Bioproducts

Extremophiles

Gene discovery

Global Sustainability Goals

Metagenomics

Sustainable Development Goals

Thermophiles

DDC Class

570: Life Sciences, Biology

660: Chemistry; Chemical Engineering

620: Engineering

330: Economics

Lizenz

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Name

s00792-024-01341-7.pdf

Type

Main Article

Size

1.76 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

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Extremophiles in a changing world