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	Podcast:		25. Early Earth and Life Processes
	Episode:		Extreme Pressure Environments
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:00:55
	Publish Date:		2011-07-28 08:54:44
	Description:		Transcript: There is a set of organisms that can persist and thrive under conditions of extreme pressures. They are called barophiles. Barophiles can exist at pressures of hundreds of atmospheres. These environments are typically found in the deep sea. For example, there are entire colonies of eukaryotes on the continental shelf. Sea cucumbers and other creatures also exist under very high pressure, and there are microorganisms that thrive near deep sea black smokers. At the other extreme many organisms can do well at conditions of low pressure or high altitude on the Earth’s surface. At the top of the highest mountains there are algae, plants, even insects, and in laboratory experiments certain insects have survived at pressures less than one-tenth of the pressure at sea level.
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