Life in Extreme Environments by Guido di Prisco, Howell G. M.... - 9781108724203

Life in Extreme EnvironmentsInsights in Biological Capability\nAuthor(s): Guido di Prisco, Howell G. M. Edwards, Josef Elster, Ad H. L. Huiskes\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9781108724203, 978-1108724203\nSynopsis\nFrom deep ocean trenches and the geographical poles to outer space, organisms can be found living in remarkably extreme conditions. This book provides a captivating account of these systems and their extraordinary inhabitants, 'extremophiles'. A diverse, multidisciplinary group of experts discuss responses and adaptations to change; biodiversity, bioenergetic processes, and biotic and abiotic interactions; polar environments; and life and habitability, including searching for biosignatures in the extraterrestrial environment. The editors emphasize that understanding these systems is important for increasing our knowledge and utilizing their potential, but this remains an understudied.