An extremophile is an organism that thrives in extreme conditions and even may require physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to the majority of life on Earth.  These microorganisms live in habitats where most other live forms cannot live or survive.  The nature of such habitat formulates microbes that are biologically unique compared to the majority of other microbes found in the world.

A collection of samples has been accumulating since 1986, containing various extremophiles from geochemically extreme locations. The division conducts research into extremophiles in hot springs, a project aiming to utilize geothermal energy, and the collection of heat resistant enzymes for use in industry or research purposes.