Can bacteria live at 121 degrees Celsius?

According to two microbiologists Derek Lovley and Kazem Kashefi, of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (USA), the limit on the temperature at which life can survive has been scientifically detected at 121 ^o C.

The 'creature' is a species of makeshift bacterium named Strain 121 (pictured), once found in a heat sink in the northeastern Pacific seabed.

These experts used Strain 121 bacteria, cultured them at a temperature of 100OC in the laboratory to simulate the environment in which they existed. It was found that when the temperature increased to find their living limits, these organisms continued to grow normally as if nothing else had happened.

These organisms are then placed again in the autoclave - the type of oven often used to sterilize medical equipment at 121OC. ' Even if they were in that condition for 10 hours, they could still endure it - Professor Derek Lovley said - These bugs survived after about two hours at a temperature of 130 ^° C, but they do not reproduce until they return to a lower temperature . '

NGUYEN SINH