What’s the only native insect of Antarctica have to do to survive? An Osaka Metropolitan University-led international research team has uncovered the special ability of the Antarctic midge to prosper in an extreme environment.

Picture an Antarctic animal and most people think of penguins, but there is a flightless midge, the only known insect native to Antarctica, that somehow survives the extreme climate. How the Antarctic midge (Belgica antarctica) copes with freezing temperatures could hold clues for humans about subjects like cryopreservation,

Scientists from Osaka Metropolitan University have discovered how the Antarctic midge survives in extreme climates through a two-year life cycle involving quiescence and obligate diapause. This mechanism helps the insect cope with freezing temperatures and may have implications for human cryopreservation.