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Notothenioid fish dominate the Southern Ocean in Antarctica. To cope with the water's extremely cold temperatures, a special protein has evolved that prevents their bodies from freezing. Researchers studying these fish have discovered that this same protein also prevents ice crystals that develop within the fish from completely melting.

The anti-freezing proteins were first discovered in the late 1960s by Arthur DeVries. In a new study, scientists warmed notothenioid fish to a temperature that should melt all ice crystals, but noticed that some of the crystals inside the fish failed to melt due to the special protein.

Whether this failure to melt has unfortunate consequences for the fish is still yet to be determined. Although researchers couldn’t find any adverse effects, they say it’s feasible that it could cause blockages or inflammatory responses.

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