X-Message-Number: 8590 Date: Sat, 13 Sep 1997 08:07:09 -0800 From: "Joseph J. Strout" <> Subject: new antifreeze compound; new member-down device The Aug. 30 _Science_News_ reports on two newly characterized antifreeze proteins from insects. The one from the spruce budworm is 30 times more potent than fish antifreeze. The protein from the common mealworm is 100 times stronger than that from fish. Both proteins create thermal hysteresis (the freezing point is lower than the melting point). The freezing point is lowered as much as 5.5 C by these proteins. Moreover, the ice crystals grown with the budworm protein are smooth hexagonal disks, unlike the sharp spicules formed under normal conditions or with fish antifreeze. These smooth ice crystals may cause less damage to cells and tissues. And in the Oct. '97 _Popular_Science_ (p. 32), a ring (i.e., worn on the finger) device is described which monitors pulse rate and oxygen levels in arterial blood. A radio transmitter in the ring sends the data to a computer in the home, which processes the data and phones for help if there's trouble. The device is still a bit bulky, but a more comfortable version is being built. The work is being done at MIT by H. Harry Asada and Boo-Ho Yang. And now, back to our regularly scheduled debates... ,------------------------------------------------------------------. | Joseph J. Strout Department of Neuroscience, UCSD | | http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/ | `------------------------------------------------------------------' Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8590