vitrifying
VI-tri-fy-ing
Definition
The process of transforming a substance into a glass-like, non-crystalline solid state, typically to protect cellular contents during freezing.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'vitrum' (glass) and 'facere' (to make). It entered English in the 19th century to describe the scientific process of turning materials into glass.
In the news
In the article, the word describes how a specific sugar helps protect the worms' cells during extreme cold by turning the cell's contents into a glass-like solid to prevent damage.
A worm frozen in Siberian permafrost for 46,000 years — since woolly mammoths still roamed — was thawed in a lab dish and simply woke up, began eating, and started reproducing, because its species can shut its metabolism down to a complete standstill in
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com