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A type of extremophile, a thermophile is an organism which thrives at high temperatures. Many thermophiles are archaea.
Thermophiles have been found in various geothermally heated regions of the earth.
Due to their living conditions, thermophiles contain enzymes that are working at high temperature. Some of these enzymes are used in molecular biology (for example heat-stable DNA polymerases for polymerase chain reaction), and in washing agents.
Thermophilic organisms include