Ice-Nucleating Proteins (IMAGE)

American Institute of Physics

Ice-Nucleating Proteins

Caption

Ice seeding bacteria use specialized proteins to grow ice crystals at warmer than freezing temperatures to attack plant cells. German researchers have observed how these proteins capture and arrange surrounding liquid water into an ice lattice and initiate crystal growth. The image illustrates this manipulation of liquid water by an ice nucleating protein.

Credit

Tobias Weidner, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research

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