Extremophiles

Summary
Introduction to the characteristics of the Domain Archaea and specific features of the three major groups.

Objectives
• Students will recognize some defining features of Domain Archaea.

• Students will differentiate the environmental requirements of methanogens, halophiles, and thermophiles.

Suggested Grades
6th Grade

Excerpt
Have you ever seen pictures of the hot pots at Yellowstone National Park and wondered if any living things can survive in that environment? Well, the answer is yes, they can. Organisms adapted to extreme temperatures live and thrive there. These organisms belong to the Domain Archaea. All members of this domain have prokaryotic cells which are characterized by the lack of a nucleus; instead, DNA is located in a nucleoid region.

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