{
  "id": 10719121,
  "title": "Extreme temperature exposure has negative demographic consequences for Sulfolobus acidocaldarius",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/extreme-temperature-exposure-has-negative-demographic-consequences",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-29T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.26.754634v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, which thrives in extreme conditions found in geothermal springs and volcanic systems, experiences temperature fluctuations that can occasionally surpass its upper thermal limit. The impact of such exposure on its population dynamics, however, has been underexplored. This study explored the demographic responses of S. acidocaldarius to extreme temperature (94.1°C) under two different conditions: continuous exposure varying in duration, and intermittent exposure interspersed with recovery at a tolerable temperature (75°C). In the case of constant exposure, the bacterial populations exhibited no immediate loss of viability following 15 minutes, but a decline ensued thereafter, culminating in a decrease of about five orders of magnitude after 120 minutes. In contrast, those subjected to intermittent exposure managed to maintain viability throughout nine cycles of exposure followed by recovery, yet displayed a gradual decrease in density with each successive cycle. Notably, similar patterns were observed across three strains, including one with a DNA mismatch repair knockout ({Delta}nucS), suggesting that the lack of mismatch repair deficiency did not affect viability or recovery rates. These findings collectively demonstrate that S. acidocaldarius possesses the ability to endure brief and recurrent exposure to near-boiling temperatures, with mortality primarily influenced by the total duration of exposure rather than a predetermined thermal threshold.",
  "summary": "Microorganisms inhabiting geothermal springs and volcanic systems experience fluctuating temperatures that can periodically exceed their upper thermal limits, but the demographic consequences of such exposure remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated demographic responses of the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius to an extreme temperature (94.1{degrees}C) under two regimes:…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}