Across the South Pole’s frozen expanse, there lives only one purely terrestrial animal: a tiny insect called the Antarctic midge. This flightless creature, just 0.2 inches long, has eked out an existence in one of the world’s most unforgiving climates for some 30 million years, since its home continent split off from South America.
Researchers have studied these midges for decades, documenting their impressive resistance to extreme conditions. But it was never clear how they endured the frigid polar winter. Now researchers at Japan’s Osaka University have uncovered the physiological mechanism behind Belgica antarctica’s mastery of the cold — one that’s never been observed in any other species.
