It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom. And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12, NASB20).
The earth is diverse with extremes of temperature, aridity, pressure, and toxicity since the fall as recorded in Genesis. God in His power, wisdom, and understanding designed life to inhabit the entire earth. Life forms living in extreme environments are referred to by scientists as “extremophiles.”
One such creature is the microbe Deinococcus radiodurans which is virtually indestructible. It can withstand cold, acid, pressure, the vacuum of space, and doses of radiation which would destroy nearly every other living organism. A chest X-ray is about .01 Gray (units, symbol Gy) of radiation. (A Gy is defined as one joule of absorbed radiation energy per kilogram of mass.) At 5 Gy, we would die. Deinococcus, however, easily withstands 5,000 Gy. It has a 37% survival rate at 15,000 Gy. It can repair damage to its DNA in 12 to 24 hours and has specialized proteins that assure survival in extreme conditions.
Archaea (similar to bacteria in size and shape) thrive at a temperature of 212oF and live in boiling volcanic mud. Amazingly, they have special heat-resistant enzymes suited for this environment.
The giant tube worm can live comfortably 5,000 feet or more below sea level where the crushing pressure of 7,350 psi (pounds per square inch) would instantly kill a human. Furthermore, these tube worms can congregate around hydrothermal vents which spew out poisonous gases such as hydrogen sulfide. Specialized bacteria within their body convert the toxic gases into nutrients by a process called chemosynthesis.
Finally, the wood frog survives through the cold winters by a hibernation process for cold-blooded animals called brumation. As it gets colder, its liver produces glucose that fills its cells to prevent crystallization while the rest of the liquid in its body freezes – as much as 65% of the wood frog may turn to ice. Its breathing slows and eventually its heart stops completely – in a cryogenically frozen state. In extreme environments like Alaska this can last as long as seven months. In the spring the frog’s body thaws, the heart starts beating, blood flows, and soon it hops away to look for a long-awaited meal.
But just ask the animals, and have them teach you; And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you; And have the fish of the sea declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? (Job 12:7-10 NASB20)
Source: Answers Magazine, April-June 2022, pp. 44-51.
