An Amoeba That Divides at 63°C, a Record for Complex Cells
In the heated waters of California's Lassen Volcanic National Park, a team of scientists observed an amoeba that reproduces by division at 145°F (63°C). NASA, which supported the research, describes that as a record for the upper temperature limit of all known eukaryotes — the class of complex, nucleus-bearing cells that includes us, not just the microbial world in general. The same work reports an organism living at temperatures previously thought impossible for complex life. The comparison class is what makes the number interesting: the record is for eukaryotes, not for life of any kind.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The record is for eukaryotes — complex cells — rather than for life in general, which makes it a much narrower claim than 'life survives extreme heat' sounds.
Narrower still: the observation is about reproduction by division at that temperature, not merely a cell holding together.