Life Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Biosphere === {{main|Biosphere}} [[File:Deinococcus geothermalis cells.jpg|thumb|''[[Deinococcus geothermalis]]'', a bacterium that thrives in [[geothermal springs]] and deep ocean subsurfaces<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liedert |first1=Christina |last2=Peltola |first2=Minna |last3=Bernhardt |first3=Jörg |last4=Neubauer |first4=Peter |last5=Salkinoja-Salonen |first5=Mirja |date=2012-03-15 |title=Physiology of Resistant Deinococcus geothermalis Bacterium Aerobically Cultivated in Low-Manganese Medium |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |language=en |volume=194 |issue=6 |pages=1552–1561 |doi=10.1128/JB.06429-11 |pmc=3294853 |pmid=22228732}}</ref>|left]] The [[biosphere]] is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed as the zone of life on Earth, a closed system (apart from solar and cosmic radiation and heat from the interior of the Earth), and largely self-regulating.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=The Columbia Encyclopedia|edition=6th |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2004 |url=https://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/biosphere.jsp |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027194858/http://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/biosphere.jsp |archive-date=27 October 2011 |title=Biosphere }}</ref> Organisms exist<!--not necessarily metabolising--> in every part of the biosphere, including [[soil]], [[hot spring]]s, [[endolith|inside rocks]] at least {{convert|12|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} deep underground, the deepest parts of the ocean, and at least {{convert|40|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} high in the atmosphere.<ref name="SD-19980625-UG">{{cite web |author=University of Georgia |title=First-Ever Scientific Estimate Of Total Bacteria On Earth Shows Far Greater Numbers Than Ever Known Before |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/08/980825080732.htm |date=25 August 1998 |website=[[Science Daily]] |access-date=10 November 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110162101/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/08/980825080732.htm |archive-date=10 November 2014 }}</ref><ref name="ABM-20150112">{{cite web |last=Hadhazy |first=Adam |title=Life Might Thrive a Dozen Miles Beneath Earth's Surface |url=http://www.astrobio.net/extreme-life/life-might-thrive-dozen-miles-beneath-earths-surface/ |date=12 January 2015 |website=[[Astrobiology Magazine]] |access-date=11 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312065614/http://www.astrobio.net/extreme-life/life-might-thrive-dozen-miles-beneath-earths-surface/ |archive-date=12 March 2017 }}</ref><ref name="BBC-20151124">{{cite web |last=Fox-Skelly |first=Jasmin |title=The Strange Beasts That Live in Solid Rock Deep Underground |url=http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151124-meet-the-strange-creatures-that-live-in-solid-rock-deep-underground |date=24 November 2015 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=11 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125013248/http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151124-meet-the-strange-creatures-that-live-in-solid-rock-deep-underground |archive-date=25 November 2016 }}</ref> For example, spores of ''[[Aspergillus niger]]'' have been detected in the [[mesosphere]] at an altitude of 48 to 77 km.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Imshenetsky |first1=AA |last2=Lysenko |first2=SV |last3=Kazakov |first3=GA |date=June 1978 |title=Upper boundary of the biosphere |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1128/aem.35.1.1-5.1978 |pmc=242768 |pmid=623455|bibcode=1978ApEnM..35....1I }}</ref> Under test conditions, life forms have been observed to thrive in the [[Weightlessness#Effects on non-human organisms|near-weightlessness]] of space<ref name="GZM-20170913">{{cite web |last=Dvorsky |first=George |title=Alarming Study Indicates Why Certain Bacteria Are More Resistant to Drugs in Space |url=https://gizmodo.com/alarming-study-indicates-why-certain-bacteria-are-more-1805666249 |date=13 September 2017 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |access-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914011750/http://gizmodo.com/alarming-study-indicates-why-certain-bacteria-are-more-1805666249 |archive-date=14 September 2017 }}</ref><ref name="ASU-20070923">{{cite web |last=Caspermeyer |first=Joe |title=Space flight shown to alter ability of bacteria to cause disease |url=https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/space-flight-shown-alter-ability-bacteria-cause-disease |date=23 September 2007 |website=[[Arizona State University]] |access-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914172718/https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/space-flight-shown-alter-ability-bacteria-cause-disease |archive-date=14 September 2017 }}</ref> and to survive in the vacuum of space.<ref name="Dose">{{cite journal |title=ERA-experiment "space biochemistry" |journal=Advances in Space Research |volume=16 |issue=8 |year=1995 |pages=119–129 |doi=10.1016/0273-1177(95)00280-R |pmid=11542696 |last1=Dose |first1=K. |last2=Bieger-Dose |first2=A. |last3=Dillmann |first3=R. |last4=Gill |first4=M. |last5=Kerz |first5=O. |last6=Klein |first6=A. |last7=Meinert |first7=H. |last8=Nawroth |first8=T. |last9=Risi |first9=S. | last10=Stridde | first10=C. |bibcode=1995AdSpR..16h.119D}}</ref><ref name="Horneck">{{cite journal |title=Biological responses to space: results of the experiment "Exobiological Unit" of ERA on EURECA I |journal=Adv. Space Res. |year=1995 |author1=Horneck G. |author2=Eschweiler, U. |author3=Reitz, G. |author4=Wehner, J. |author5=Willimek, R. |author6=Strauch, K. |volume=16 |issue=8 |pages=105–118 |pmid=11542695 |bibcode=1995AdSpR..16h.105H |doi=10.1016/0273-1177(95)00279-N}}</ref> Life forms thrive in the deep [[Mariana Trench]],<ref name="NG-20130317">{{cite journal |last1=Glud |first1=Ronnie |last2=Wenzhöfer |first2=Frank |last3=Middelboe |first3=Mathias |last4=Oguri |first4=Kazumasa |last5=Turnewitsch |first5=Robert |last6=Canfield |first6=Donald E. |last7=Kitazato |first7=Hiroshi |title=High rates of microbial carbon turnover in sediments in the deepest oceanic trench on Earth |doi=10.1038/ngeo1773 |date=17 March 2013 |journal=[[Nature Geoscience]] |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=284–288 |bibcode=2013NatGe...6..284G}}</ref> and inside rocks up to {{convert|580|m|ft mi|abbr=on}} below the sea floor under {{convert|2590|m|ft mi|abbr=on}} of ocean off the coast of the northwestern United States,<ref name="LS-20130317">{{cite web |last=Choi |first=Charles Q. |title=Microbes Thrive in Deepest Spot on Earth |url=http://www.livescience.com/27954-microbes-mariana-trench.html |date=17 March 2013 |publisher=[[LiveScience]] |access-date=17 March 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402234623/http://www.livescience.com/27954-microbes-mariana-trench.html |archive-date=2 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="LS-20130314">{{cite web |last=Oskin |first=Becky |title=Intraterrestrials: Life Thrives in Ocean Floor |url=http://www.livescience.com/27899-ocean-subsurface-ecosystem-found.html |date=14 March 2013 |publisher=[[LiveScience]] |access-date=17 March 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402235647/http://www.livescience.com/27899-ocean-subsurface-ecosystem-found.html |archive-date=2 April 2013 }}</ref> and {{convert|2400|m|ft mi|abbr=on}} beneath the seabed off Japan.<ref name="BBC-20141215-RM">{{cite news |last=Morelle |first=Rebecca |author-link=Rebecca Morelle |title=Microbes discovered by deepest marine drill analysed |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30489814 |date=15 December 2014 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=15 December 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216185424/http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30489814 |archive-date=16 December 2014 }}</ref> In 2014, life forms were found living {{convert|800|m|ft mi|abbr=on}} below the ice of Antarctica.<ref name="NAT-20140820">{{cite journal |last=Fox |first=Douglas |title=Lakes under the ice: Antarctica's secret garden |date=20 August 2014 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=512 |issue=7514 |pages=244–246 |doi=10.1038/512244a |bibcode=2014Natur.512..244F |pmid=25143097 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="FRB-20140820">{{cite web |last=Mack |first=Eric |title=Life Confirmed Under Antarctic Ice; Is Space Next? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2014/08/20/life-confirmed-under-antarctic-ice-is-space-next/ |date=20 August 2014 |website=[[Forbes]] |access-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822002442/http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2014/08/20/life-confirmed-under-antarctic-ice-is-space-next/ |archive-date=22 August 2014 }}</ref> Expeditions of the [[International Ocean Discovery Program]] found [[Unicellular organism|unicellular]] life in 120 °C sediment 1.2 km below seafloor in the [[Nankai Trough]] [[subduction]] zone.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Heuer |first1=Verena B. |last2=Inagaki |first2=Fumio |last3=Morono |first3=Yuki |last4=Kubo |first4=Yusuke |last5=Spivack |first5=Arthur J. |last6=Viehweger |first6=Bernhard |last7=Treude |first7=Tina |last8=Beulig |first8=Felix |last9=Schubotz |first9=Florence |last10=Tonai |first10=Satoshi |last11=Bowden |first11=Stephen A.|date=4 December 2020 |title=Temperature limits to deep subseafloor life in the Nankai Trough subduction zone |journal=Science |volume=370 |issue=6521 |pages=1230–1234 |doi=10.1126/science.abd7934 |pmid=33273103 |bibcode=2020Sci...370.1230H |hdl=2164/15700 |s2cid=227257205 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5b65v425 |hdl-access=free |access-date=5 November 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926003958/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5b65v425 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to one researcher, "You can find [[microbe]]s everywhere—they're extremely adaptable to conditions, and survive wherever they are."<ref name="LS-20130317" />{{-}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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