International conference on the biology and biotechnology of thermophilic microorganisms; Thermophiles 2007

Thermophilic microorganisms thrive at temperatures from about 60 to above 100 oC. Those growing optimally above 80 oC are termed hyperthermophiles. The most hyperthermophilic organism characterized so far is able to grow at temperatures up to 113 oC, but microbial growth has even been recorded at 121 oC. Since the pioneering work of Thomas Brock in the 1970s, there has been an increasing interest in (hyper)thermophiles. The discovery of these organisms, as well as microorganisms from other extreme environ nments, has extended our concept of the limits of life, and has had a great impact on our view on the early history of the evolution of life. The fact that most of the hyperthermophiles belong to the domain Archaea, "the third domain of life", has made th e research in this field even more exciting. In the universal tree of life, hyperthermophiles represent the most deeply branching lineages both in the archaeal and bacterial domains, indicating that hyperthermophiles represent the closest living relatives of early life-forms. The study of the molecular biology and biochemistry of thermophiles has resulted in development of novel biotechnological tools of great importance, and provided us with a broader understanding of biological structures and processes. The international biannual series of Thermophiles conferences has now a nearly 20 years old tradition and has been hosted world-wide. Each meeting has attracted 150-400 scientists with background from microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biolo gy, evolution and industry. Thus, this meeting is regarded as the premier international Symposium in the thermophiles research field. The next meeting, Thermophiles - 2007, will be hosted in Bergen, Norway, by the University of Bergen. Funding for establi shing of a conference secretariate and invitation of top keynote speakers is required.