Origins ANTARCTICA, Scientific Journeys from McMurdo to the Pole
People Ideas Tools Place Live Field Notes  Fish: Fresh, Not
Frozen by Michael Matz  Ecologists drool over Antarctica. It’s
an ideal place to study evolution, they say. This is partly
because the continent’s harsh environment has contributed to the
evolution of an abundance of elegant biological adaptations.
Life forms running the gamut—from bacteria and fish to plants
and birds—have figured out ingenious ways to survive the
continent’s frigid, dry climate and relentless winds.  Meet the
Notothenioids, a group of more than 120 marine fish species,
most of which are native to Antarctic waters. Antarctic
Notothenioids have remarkable proteins in their bloodstream that
prevent them from freezing. These "antifreeze proteins", as they
are commonly known, bind to tiny ice crystals in their bodies,
inhibiting further growth.  Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) Arctic
cod (Boreogadus saida) (click for a larger image)  © Dr.
Christopher Zimmerman, ISH To survi