Important extremophilic model microorganisms in astrobiology

Abstract

Humankind has been curious about the sky and beyond since its existence. Since the most primitive times, researchers have been trying to find answers to this curiosity. In recent years, a relatively new discipline, astrobiology, has emerged to answers to frequently asked questions. Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field that tries to explain beyond the sky, and extraterrestrial life, where life origin came from, evolution, and the big bang. Extremophiles draw attention as the only creatures that will enlighten us in understanding extraterrestrial conditions and the mechanisms of creatures living in these conditions. This review examines the recent discoveries and the principal advances concerning both bacteria (Chroococcidiopsis sp., Colwellia psychrerythraea, Planococcus halocryophilus) and archaea (Halorubrum lacusprofundi and Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1) species which have potentials to examine in astrobiology as model organisms. Obtaining findings from different studies open new perspectives and strategies for several unresolved questions in astrobiology.

Keywords

• Chroococcidiopsis sp.
• Colwellia psychrerythraea
• Extremophiles
• Halorubrum lacusprofundi
• Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1
• Martian environment
• Planococcus halocryophilus

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