Hot spring amoeba breaks record for heat tolerance of complex life

edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan

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Add as preferred source Incendiamoeba cell undergoing mitosis at 63ºC. DNA is colored blue, tubulin is pink, and membrane is gray. Credit: Felix Mikus 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.