TAISHON@uwacdc.acs.washington.edu (derouter) (07/04/89)
the July 1989 Discover's "Up Front" Column, a fish 'antifreeze' is described. Basically it involves roving protein compounds that cling to the sides of froming ice crystals in body fluids and retard crystal growth thus allowing fish to exist in temperatures that would otherwise freeze body fluids. Applications of this are being sought in preventative ice formation in organs used for transplants. The major work is being done by Arthur DeVries et al at University of Illinois. Does anybody know of the possibilities of such research as applied to cyogenics ? True, corpsicles are probably kept at much lower temperatures than artic antartic fish but I imagine the same molecular mechanisms apply and similiar protein compounds that work at Nitro temperatures might be fabricated. Steve "Spike" Salkovics, humble president- Student NSG at the UW "Too much info, too little time."