A microorganism that thrives at extremely high temperatures, typically above 80°C. Used in biology and microbiology.
Hyperthermophiles inhabit places like deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
好熱菌 (thermophile) refers to heat-loving microbes in general, while 超好熱菌 specifically denotes those thriving at extremely high temperatures (hyperthermophiles).
Compound of 超 (chō, 'super' or 'hyper'), 好 (kō, 'love' or 'prefer'), 熱 (netsu, 'heat'), and 菌 (kin, 'bacterium' or 'microbe'). The term is a direct calque of the English 'hyperthermophile'.