Limits to Life at Low Temperatures and at Reduced Water Contents and Water Activities

摘要

Liquid water is generally considered an absolute requisite for functional terrestrial life; consequently, life is expected to function only over the range of temperatures that permit its existence. These limits, however, do not apply to cell survival. Some can survive the closest attainable approach to 0 exp 0 K and some can survive the loss of over 99% of their water. The author discusses various aspects of the phenomena of cell survival at low temperatures. Included are sections on events occurring during freezing and thawing of cells, the consequences of cell dehydration, limits to cell survival, and minimum temperatures for cell growth. (ERA citation 05:024702)