What's the only native insect of Antarctica have to do to survive? A research team has uncovered the special ability of the Antarctic midge to prosper in an extreme environment.

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.