Lowest temperature for life discovered

[Still Waters]

The study, published in PLoS One, reveals that below -20°C, single-celled organisms dehydrate, sending them into a vitrified – glass-like – state during which they are unable to complete their life cycle.

The researchers propose that, since the organisms cannot reproduce below this temperature, -20°C is the lowest temperature limit for life on Earth.

http://planetearth.n...cookieConsent=A

[freetoroam]

"Scientists placed single-celled organisms in a watery medium, and lowered the temperature." Maybe they one day can expand this technology to replace to polar regions which are melting.

[Einsteinium]

"Scientists placed single-celled organisms in a watery medium, and lowered the temperature." Maybe they one day can expand this technology to replace to polar regions which are melting.

What? That does not make any sense lol

[freetoroam]

What? That does not make any sense lol

Don`t expect me to get technical on this one, this is wayyyyy over my head.

But I meant maybe they can rebuild the ice caps which are melting by expanding on this technology thing they have in the future. I know what I mean and know there is logic in there somewhere.

[Purplos]

placed in a watery medium, and lowered the temperature

What technology? This is like pouring a glass of water and putting it in your fridge. I doubt refrigeration is going to replace the polar ice caps.

I suppose this is interesting, but I'm not sure how it could actually help anything.

[Einsteinium]

Don`t expect me to get technical on this one, this is wayyyyy over my head.

But I meant maybe they can rebuild the ice caps which are melting by expanding on this technology thing they have in the future. I know what I mean and know there is logic in there somewhere.

Way over your head? All they did was take these organisms and put them in a highly accurate fridge, cool them down and measure what happens to their metabolic processes. There is no new technology here. Has nothing to do with a new way to cool things down, and furthermore a fridge takes heat out of what is inside, and transfers that heat to the external environment. You cannot cool something down without transferring the heat to something else, so in order to cool down the arctic you would have to warm some other region of the world. The task would be extremely unfeasible and have crazy unforeseen consequences that would likely make the effect of CO2 on world temperatures look like child's play.