Frog-Cicle
Off to hit the slopes for a few hours this afternoon. Skiing in cold, frigid temperatures clears my head - so it’s a MUST DO for the day!
In the meantime - did you know that the tree frog freezes solid in the winter? It’s true - - frozen solid. Scientists say that, before winter comes, the frogs eat ravenously, storing a starch in their livers. A freeze triggers their bodies to convert the starch into other compounds, most often glucose, or blood sugar.
The glucose lowers the freezing temperature of water inside the frogs’ cells. Because of this, the cells stay liquid, even as ice fills the space around them. This is crucial: If the water inside the cells froze, scientists say, the jagged ice crystals would destroy everything inside, killing the frog.
Medical researchers say they hope to copy these long- term freezing abilities to add hours or days to the time that human organs can be preserved.