Ecophysiology of extremophiles

We are also interested in metabolic adaptations of marine extremophiles – organisms that can tolerate extreme stress levels such as extreme temperatures or salinity, lack of water or prolonged lack of oxygen. We study molecular, mitochondrial and cellular mechanisms that permit such organisms survive under the extreme conditions in order to gain insights into the evolutionary adjustments that permit exploitation of extreme ecological niches (such as the intertidal zones or toxic sediments) and find potential new ways to protect cells and tissue of the less robust organisms (including humans) from extreme stresses.