Overview
- Incendiamoeba cascadensis grew only above ~42°C and showed peak growth near 55–57°C, with cell division directly observed at 58°C and 63°C.
- The organism remained motile at 64°C, formed dormant cysts near 70°C that could reactivate when cooled, and died at roughly 80°C.
- Researchers collected it from hot spring water in Lassen Volcanic National Park between 2023 and 2025, finding it at 14 of 20 sampled sites.
- Genome analysis indicates adaptations for extreme heat, including expanded heat-shock chaperones, protein quality control, and DNA repair pathways.
- Environmental DNA nearly identical to the amoeba’s sequences was detected in Yellowstone and New Zealand’s Taupō zone, and the 63°C growth surpasses the prior eukaryote record of 57°C.