Forever Young

Fruit flies are the mules, if you will, of genetic research; they breed fast, and their simple chromosomes are ideal for the study of heredity. Now a group of U.S. biologists has found a way to freeze living fly embryos. Not only does that guarantee a stable fly supply, but it is a landmark achievement in another sense: fruit flies are the most complex organisms ever to be lab frozen and revived. The technique could lead, albeit far down the road, to the freezing of mammals — even humans, maybe.