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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Restore Brain Activity After Deep Freezing in Groundbreaking Study

In a discovery that sounds like science fiction, researchers have successfully frozen brain tissue at extremely low temperatures and later revived it so that the neurons began communicating again. The breakthrough could transform medical research, drug development, and the long-term preservation of brain tissue.

Scientists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Uniklinikum Erlangen developed a new method that allows brain tissue to survive deep freezing. After thawing, the neurons—specialized brain cells responsible for transmitting information—were able to exchange electrical signals again.

The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mark a major step forward in cryopreservation, the science of preserving biological material at very low temperatures.

Inspiration From a Remarkable Animal

The research was inspired by an extraordinary creature known as the Siberian salamander. This amphibian has a rare survival ability. Some reports suggest it can survive temperatures as low as −50°C and remain frozen in permafrost for decades.

When temperatures rise, the salamander wakes up and returns to normal life.

The secret behind this ability lies in its liver, which produces glycerol, a natural antifreeze compound. Glycerol lowers the freezing point of fluids in the animal’s body and protects cells from damage during freezing and thawing.

Scientists realized that understanding such natural antifreeze mechanisms could help them design better ways to preserve human tissues.

Why Freezing Living Tissue Is So Difficult

Freezing living tissue is extremely challenging because of one major problem—ice crystals.

When water inside cells freezes, it forms sharp crystals. These crystals can puncture cell membranes and destroy the delicate internal structure of cells. In complex organs like the brain, this damage can break the connections between neurons.

Dr. Alexander German from the Department of Molecular Neurology at Uniklinikum Erlangen explains that these ice crystals are the main reason extreme cold is usually harmful to living organisms.

Brain tissue is particularly fragile. It contains hundreds of millions of neurons, connected through microscopic junctions called synapses. These synapses allow neurons to pass electrical and chemical signals to each other.

Even small damage to these connections can stop the brain tissue from functioning.

The Science of Vitrification

To avoid the formation of damaging ice crystals, scientists use a process called vitrification.

During vitrification, biological tissue is cooled to extremely low temperatures—typically below −130°C. Instead of forming ice crystals, the water inside and between cells becomes a glass-like solid.

In this state, molecules are frozen in place but remain randomly arranged rather than forming crystals. This glass-like state helps prevent structural damage.

A similar method is already used to preserve human embryos for many years in fertility treatments.

However, applying vitrification to brain tissue has been extremely difficult. The chemicals used as antifreeze agents can be toxic to sensitive neurons, and traditional freezing techniques often damage the intricate network of neural connections.

A New Method That Protects Brain Networks

The German research team developed an improved approach to overcome these challenges.

They carefully optimized the composition of the preservation chemicals and adjusted the cooling process to protect delicate neural structures.

Instead of destroying the connections between neurons, the new technique preserves the entire neural network, including synapses.

To test the method, researchers used sections of brain tissue from rodents. Specifically, they focused on the hippocampus, a region of the brain that plays a key role in memory formation and learning.

The tissue was cooled to −130°C and later thawed.

Brain Cells Came Back to Life

After thawing the tissue, the scientists observed something remarkable.

Using advanced imaging techniques such as electron microscopy, they confirmed that the tiny structures within the brain tissue remained intact.

But the most exciting result came from electrical measurements.

The neurons started producing electrical signals again, and these signals traveled normally through the neural network.

This showed that the brain tissue had not only survived freezing—it had retained its ability to function.

Signs of Learning Mechanisms

The research team went even further.

Dr. Fang Zheng, a brain researcher at FAU’s Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, tested whether important brain processes were still possible in the preserved tissue.

She discovered that the neurons could still perform long-term potentiation (LTP).

Long-term potentiation is a key mechanism that strengthens connections between neurons when they are used frequently. This process is considered essential for learning and memory formation.

The fact that vitrified brain tissue could still show this behavior suggests that the neural circuits remained highly functional even after deep freezing.

A Powerful Tool for Medical Research

This breakthrough could have important applications in medicine.

One potential use is in epilepsy surgery. During certain operations, doctors remove small portions of brain tissue that cause seizures.

Currently, this tissue can only be studied for a short period of time after surgery. But with the new freezing method, it may be possible to preserve these samples for years while keeping them functional.

Researchers could later use the preserved tissue to test new drugs or study disease mechanisms in detail.

This could significantly accelerate the development of treatments for neurological disorders.

Studying Brain Diseases in New Ways

Cryopreservation could also help scientists study neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease.

Brain tissue affected by these conditions could be stored for long periods and later examined using advanced techniques.

By preserving the tissue’s functional structure, researchers may gain deeper insights into how these diseases damage neural networks.

This could ultimately lead to better therapies or preventive strategies.

A Future With Artificial Hibernation?

While the current study focuses on small sections of brain tissue, researchers believe the technology may eventually lead to much bigger possibilities.

Dr. Alexander German suggests that one day it might be possible to place entire organisms into a state similar to artificial hibernation.

In such a scenario, a person could be safely preserved at extremely low temperatures and revived later.

This idea could have several futuristic applications.

For example, space travel might benefit from long-term human preservation, allowing astronauts to survive journeys lasting decades.

Another possibility is preserving patients with currently incurable diseases until new treatments become available in the future.

A Step Toward the Future

Although freezing and reviving entire brains or organisms remains far from reality, this research marks an important step toward that goal.

For the first time, scientists have shown that complex brain tissue can be deep-frozen and restored while maintaining functional neural activity.

The achievement demonstrates that delicate biological systems can survive extreme conditions if the freezing process is carefully controlled.

As cryopreservation technology continues to advance, it may open new doors in medicine, neuroscience, and even space exploration.

What once seemed impossible—bringing frozen brain tissue back to life—may soon become a powerful tool for science and healthcare.

Reference: Alexander German et al, Functional recovery of the adult murine hippocampus after cryopreservation by vitrification, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2516848123

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