Cryofixation

Cryofixation is just like freezing something, like ice cream or a popsicle, but instead of doing it to eat it later, we do it to study things.

Scientists use cryofixation to preserve tiny living things, like cells or even very small organisms, without damaging them. It's like putting them into a deep freeze, but one that works super fast and at really low temperatures.

To do cryofixation, we first prepare the things we want to study, making sure they are fresh and healthy. Then, we take them and put them into a special machine called a cryo-chamber. In there, we quickly cool them down using liquid nitrogen or other super cold gases.

This cools them down so fast that water molecules can't form ice crystals, which would normally damage the cells. Instead, the cells are frozen solid, just like a person in a movie who gets turned into a statue of ice.

This preserves them in their natural state, meaning scientists can later use special microscopes and other tools to study them in very fine detail, like looking at the tiniest parts of the cells or how they behave when they move.

So, cryofixation is like putting something in a really cold freezer to keep it fresh and undamaged, but in this case, it's all about studying tiny living things.