

LIzz Hancock vbow6161 at
Wed Mar 13 16:39:45 EST 2002

Their DNA/RNA/Proteins have a higher GC ratio.  This means that the amino
acids Guanine and Cytosine are present in much greater numbers.  How does
this help?  It helps because these two amino acids, which bond to each
other, have 3 bonds between them--this means it's much stronger a bond, so
they are able to withstand much higher temperatures (i.e., their proteins
don't fall apart).  The most hemophilic (heat loving) archae (primitive
bacteria) I can think of can live at 110 degrees Celsius.

These little buggers also fight crime too!  How you ask?  Their heat
tolerant enzymes are used in the crime lab procedure called PCR.  This
process takes a very small piece of DNA, too small to test, and makes tons
of identical copies--enough for the police to test it.

Lizz Hancock
Microbiology Senior

"Remond" <cpc272688 at> wrote in message
news:890c20f2.0203090333.397c9a64 at
> When someone know that the temperature in a hydrothermal vent can
> reach 400 degrees Celsius, he will think that this place(hydrothermal
> many scientists prove the existence of many forms of life live around
> these vents by using the submersible Alvin. The question is: How these
> forms of life can stand with this extreme temperature?
> Thanks...

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