What happens when a volcano erupts beneath one of the coldest environments on Earth?

A team of Brazilian researchers has discovered a previously unknown microorganism living in the steaming sediments of Deception Island, an active volcanic island in Antarctica. The new archaeon, proposed as Candidatus Pyroantarcticum pellizari, was found in fumaroles where temperatures reach almost 100°C despite being surrounded by snow, ice, and cold seawater.

The discovery was reported in the journal ISME Communications and highlights one of the most unusual habitats known on Earth: a volcanic-cryosphere-marine interface, where volcanic heat, Antarctic ice, and the ocean converge.

A life between fire and ice

The microorganism belongs to the archaeal family Pyrodictiaceae, a group of hyperthermophiles that thrive at temperatures that would kill most forms of life.

Researchers reconstructed its genome from environmental DNA collected in volcanic sediments on Deception Island. Genetic analysis revealed that the organism is sufficiently different from known members of the family to represent an entirely new genus.

The genome suggests that the organism can use several metabolic strategies, including sulphur and nitrogen cycling, and can also consume amino acids and peptides. This flexibility may help it survive in an environment where conditions can change dramatically over distances of only a few centimetres.

Surviving extreme conditions

The newly discovered archaeon possesses several adaptations associated with life at high temperatures, including specialised proteins that protect DNA and cellular structures from heat damage.

Its genome also contains genes linked to membrane stability, resistance to toxic metals, and the production of structures known as cannulae, tiny tube-like connections found in some members of the Pyrodictiaceae.

Together, these adaptations help the organism survive in an environment characterised by near-boiling temperatures, hydrogen sulphide gases, and high concentrations of dissolved metals.

Why astrobiologists are excited

For astrobiologists, this discovery is very exciting.

The environment on Deception Island provides a natural analogue for locations elsewhere in the Solar System where ice and volcanic activity may occur together.

Scientists have long suggested that Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus could harbour environments where heat from the interior interacts with water and ice. Similar conditions may also have existed on ancient Mars, where volcanic systems once operated beneath icy environments.

Discoveries such as Pyroantarcticum pellizari remind us that life can adapt to combinations of extremes that would once have seemed impossible.

If microorganisms can thrive where boiling volcanic sediments meet Antarctic ice, perhaps life could also find a foothold in comparable environments beyond Earth.

Looking beyond Earth

The samples that led to this discovery were originally collected during a Brazilian Antarctic expedition in 2014. More than a decade later, advances in DNA sequencing and genome reconstruction have revealed a completely new branch of the tree of life hidden within those sediments.

Some of the most important discoveries in astrobiology are not made by looking at distant planets but begin by exploring the strange and remarkable worlds that already exist on our own planet. Such a place is New Zealand, where we study life in hot springs in the TVZ. We are also gateway to Antarctica.

Further Reading

de Araújo Butarelli, A.C. et al. (2026). Hot life in Antarctica: a novel metabolically versatile Pyrodictiaceae genus thriving at a volcanic-cryosphere-marine interface. ISME Communications.