Study
Freezing resistance in some Antarctic fishes
DeVries, Arthur L.; Wohlschlag, Donald E.
Science, 1969
Measured the freezing and melting points of body fluids in Antarctic fish living in water at −1.9 °C, and tested whether the observed resistance could be explained by dissolved salts alone.
- Studied in
- Notothenioidei
- Sample size
- fish sampled from McMurdo Sound
The fish remained unfrozen at temperatures below the freezing point predicted from their dissolved salts, indicating an additional and previously unidentified antifreeze substance in the blood.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Something other than salt concentration is preventing these fish from freezing in water that is itself at its freezing point.
How NatureHQ reads it
The founding observation of the whole antifreeze-protein field, and a good example of a discovery that began as an unexplained arithmetic gap between a prediction and a measurement.
- Identified the discrepancy without identifying the substance; that came later.
- A small number of species from one location.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of SciencePublished in Science or Science Advances (AAAS).
doi.org/10.1126/science.163.3871.1073
Checked against Crossref on 2026-09-28, and they agree on the title, the authors and the year.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-09-03.