Antifreeze molecules in Nototheniid fish around Davis Station, Antarctica

Over 170 fish were collected throughout the calendar year. Samples were taken as required, processed and the fish preserved for further analysis on return to Australia. In Australia the serum will be tested for special antifreeze molecules that allow these animals to live in water that is colder than the usual freezing point of their body fluids.

Such molecules, once identified, may be synthesised in a laboratory, and have numerous potential practical applications, from the preservation of frozen foods, to preservation of blood plasma and organs for human transplant. Analyses of this nature will be undertaken at the University of Sydney.