Cowan, Don A.Ramond, Jean-BaptisteMakhalanyane, Thulani PeterDe Maayer, Pieter2015-07-312015-07-312015-06Cowan, DA, Ramond, J-B, Makhalanyane, TP & De Maayer, P 2015, 'Metagenomics of extreme environments', Current Opinion Microbiology, vol. 25, pp. 97-102.1369-5274 (print)1879-0364 (online)10.1016/j.mib.2015.05.005http://hdl.handle.net/2263/49192Whether they are exposed to extremes of heat, cold, or buried deep beneath the Earth‟s surface, microorganisms have an uncanny ability to survive under these conditions. This ability to survive has fascinated scientists for nearly a century, but the recent development of metagenomics and „omics tools has allowed us to make huge leaps in understanding the remarkable complexity and versatility of extremophile communities. Here, in the context of the recently developed metagenomic tools, we discuss recent research on the community composition, adaptive strategies and biological functions of extremophiles.en© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Current Opinion Microbiology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Current Opinion Microbiology, vol. 25, pp. 97-102. 2015. doi : 10.1016/j.mib.2015.05.005.MetagenomicsExtreme environmentsExtremophilesCommunity compositionAdaptive strategiesBiological functionsPostprint Article