Biophysics and Biochemistry at Low Temperatures

Cold is the single most important enemy of life, and this book, first published in 1985, discusses the responses of living organisms to low temperatures. Subfreezing temperatures in particular affect the properties of water, which is essential to life, and the book describes the physics and chemistry of water in the context of physiology. Injury from cooling and the way in which organisms respond and survive, as well as the mechanism of cold hardening in micro-organisms, insects and plants are discussed. The laboratory exploitation of low temperatures to preserve life and to protect labile materials against freeze damage is also considered.Acknowledgements; Foreword; 1. Water, temperature and life; 2. The physics of water at subzero temperatures; 3. Physical chemistry of aqueous solutions at subzero temperatures; 4. Cryobiochemistry - responses of proteins to suboptimal temperatures; 5. The single cell: responses to chill and freezing; 6. Freeze avoidance in living organisms; 7. Freeze tolerance in living organisms; 8. Cryobiology: the laboratory preservation of cells, tissues and organs; 9. The technology of metastable water; 10. Matters arising; References; Index.