Here is a video of an experiment using de-shelled raw eggs as an analogue for a cell and subjecting them to different extreme environments. With a de-shelled egg, the analogue works as such: the yolk represents the nucleus, the conalbumin represents the cytoplasm and the membrane of course represents the cell membrane. The aim of the experiment is to observe the effect of different extremes on the simulated cell and to see if the membrane would be capable of resisting the negative impacts of these conditions. The membrane did not resist low temperatures and froze through; therefore, it is possible to infer that the failed high temperature condition would not have been resisted and would have cooked through. The membrane also showed a partial resistance to the salt.

The video supports the Europlanet Mars Collection of Educational Resources - 1. Extremophiles: An introduction to life found in extreme environments, exploring the kind of stresses we may find on Mars and how life can adapt to survive these. https://www.europlanet-society.org/introducing-the-mars-collection-of-educational-resources-1-extremophiles/

Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.