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The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) is a deep-sea polychaete worm found only at hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean. Discovered in the early 1980s by French researchers, Pompeii worms are most famous for the current belief that they are the "hottest" animals on Earth. They are known as extremophiles.

Pompeii worms get their name from the Roman city of PompeiiPompeii is not to be confused with the Roman general Pompey. The city of Pompeii along with Herculaneum and many smaller places around the Bay of Naples, were Roman municipalities destroyed during an eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79. The erupt that was destroyed during an eruptionsee Volcano # see Eruption (band). of Mount VesuviusMount Vesuvius (Monte Vesuvio) is a volcano east of Naples, Italy, located at 40°49′N 14°26′ E. It is the only active volcano on the European mainland, although it is not currently in eruption. It is one of four active volcanos in Italy, situa in AD 79Centuries: 1st century BC 1st century 2nd century Decades: 0s BC 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s Years: 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 Events June 23 Titus succeeds his father Vespasian as Roman emperor. August 24, beginning of eruption of M. Attaching themselves to black smokerBlack smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. Generally hundreds of meters wide, black smokers are formed when superheated water from below the Earth's crust comes through the ocean floor. They are rich in dissolved minerals froms, the worms have been found to thrive at temperatures of up to 80°C (176°F), making the Pompeii worm the most heat-tolerant complex animal known to science. They were first discovered at hydrothermal vents off the Galapagos.

The previous champion of heat tolerance was the Sahara desert ant (Cataglyphis bicolor), which can cope with temperatures of up to 55°C (131°F). The Pompeii worm's family name Alvinellidae and genus name Alvinella both derive from DSVDeep Submergence Vehicle s are deep diving subs that are self propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy. The US Navy has two types of DSVs in its inventory, the research DSVs, used for exploration, and surveying, and the DSRV AlvinAlvin (DSV-2) is a 16 tonnes, manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The craft was built by General Mills, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Named both for the famou, the three-person submersible vehicle used during the discovery of hydrothermal vents and their fauna during the late 1970s. The family Alvinellidae contains eight other species, but none match the Pompeii worm's heat tolerance.

Reaching a length of up to 13 centimetres (5 inches), Pompeii worms are a pale grey with "hairy" backs; these "hairs" are actually bacteria which are thought to afford the worm some degree of insulation. Glands on the worm's back secrete a mucus which the bacteria feed on (see symbiosis). The Pompeii worms form large aggregate colonies enclosed in delicate, paper-thin tubes.

Thought to subsist on vent microbes, the Pompeii worm pokes its feather-like head out of its tube home to feed and breathe. The plume of tentacle-like structures on the head are gills, coloured red by haemoglobin. It is the posterior end that is exposed to extreme temperatures; the anterior end stays at a much more comfortable 22°C (72°F).

While it is not yet known precisely how the Pompeii worm survives these hellish vent conditions, scientists suspect the answer lies in the fleece-like bacteria on the worm's back; it may be up to a centimetre thick. The bacteria may possess special proteins, "eurythermal enzymes," providing the bacteria—and by extension the worms—protection from a wide range of temperatures. Studies are hampered by the difficulties of sampling; the Pompeii worms never survive decompression .

Study of the Pompeii worm's seemingly life-sustaining bacteria could lead to significant advances in the biochemical, pharmaceutical, textile, paper and detergent industries.

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Topics: Pompeii Worm Worms Bacteria Worm's Temperatures Alvinella Vents...

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PompeiiPompeii is not to be confused with the Roman general Pompey. The city of Pompeii along with Herculaneum and many smaller places around the Bay of Naples, were Roman municipalities destroyed during an eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79. The erupt Pompeii wormPompeii worm Head at bottom left. Photo credit: University of Delaware Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Annelida Class: Polychaeta Order: Terebellida Family: Alvinellidae Genus Alvinella Species pompejana Binomial name Alvinella pompeja Pompeii (novel)Pompeii is a novel by author and journalist Robert Harris published by Random House in 2003. It is a blend of fictional characters with the real-life eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 that overwhelmed Pompeii and its surrounding towns. Pompeii i Pompeii: The Last DayPompeii: The Last Day is a dramatized documentary by the BBC that tells of the eruption of the Vesuvius in the year 79 AD. This eruption covered the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and lava, killing all those trapped between the vulcano and