Fleas may stop freeze of human organs

Laurie Graham and Peter Davies of Queen's University in Canada have identified an anti-freeze protein in the blood of the common springtail flea. The natural antifreeze lowers the freezing tempe in Canada have identified an antirature of fluids by as much as 11 degrees, which might allow human organs to be preserved for longer periods of time during transport. The tiny flea, also known as a snow flea, uses the protein to prevent from freezing solid while it forages for fungus beneath the snow. The protein prevents ice crystals from forming, thereby allowing their blood to be "super-cooled."

This is a great example of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction in the natural world. Think about what this flea can do-- while almost all the other insects in the woods are in hibernation or deep below the earth, these guys are trundling through the snow with blood colder than ice. There's an arctic ground quirrel that does the same thing. If we didn't know the science, these creatures would seem magical.

A great book on the various strategies animals use to deal with cold weather, by awesome science/nauralist writer Bernd Heinrich. He talks a bit about both springtail fleas and the arctic ground squirrel:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060957379/102-5458229-9180921?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance