PLANT STEM CELLS permit regeneration of entire plants frozen in glaciers for 500 years. This rather surprising finding both of pluripotent plant cells and of their capacity for living is challenging to some dogmas about freezing living cells. Cryopreservation generally uses a slow controlled cooling process to avoid ice crystal damage and osmotic damage. Cryoprotectants are a type of anti-freeze and do occur in plant and animal species exploiting cold environments, and are critical for survival. This finding is testimony to their remarkable and prolonged efficacy.
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