Arctic Flounder Antifreeze proten watch out!

Xylomannan was first reported in 2009, and has been shown to be amongst the most active insect antifreezes found to date. Antifreeze compounds, which are also known as thermal hysteresis factors (THFs), protect the insects' cells from damage as temperatures fall and ice crystals begin to form. THFs seem to work by sticking to the surface of nascent ice crystals and somehow stopping them from growing, protecting nearby cell membranes from being punctured by needles of ice. (R&D New March 2 2012 Issue)