Cold-loving bacterium. Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of a section through the bacterium Methanococcoides burtonii. The cell wall appears dark, while the granular cell contents includes scattered genetic material. This psychrophilic (cold-loving) bacteria was discovered in 1992 in Ace Lake, Antarctica, and can survive in temperatures as low as -2.5 degrees Celsius. As a methanogenic bacterium, it is able to form methane from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. As an Archaebacterium, it is more primitive than true bacteria. As an extremophile it can live under extreme conditions, such as low temperature. Magnification: x64,000 at 6x7cm size.