Ice Cold: Cooler Than Being Cool

Courtesy NSF News  Mon, 11/23/2009 - 17:30

Photo of an Alaskan beetle that produces a nonprotein antifreeze molecule.

Water expands when it freezes.

Anyone who has ever left a can of soda or bottle of water in the freezer too long has witnessed this first hand.

So how do plants and animals survive severe temperatures?

Insects exposed to subzero temperatures can adapt to the extreme climate to survive freezing temperatures, but until now, antifreeze molecules had not been isolated from freeze-tolerant animals.

The NSF-supported study, published in the November 24 issue of Proceedings of the ... ...


 

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